Institutional and Social Issues Surrounding Genetic Counselors in Japan : Current Challenges and Implications for the Global Community

Aizawa, Yayoi; Watanabe, Atsushi; Kato, Kazuto

Frontiers in Genetics, 2021, 12, 646177

Number of Access:933（2025-08-28 10:55 Counts）

Identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11094/79386

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Title
Institutional and Social Issues Surrounding Genetic Counselors in Japan : Current Challenges and Implications for the Global Community
Creator
NRID
1000050772729 1000050772729
ORCID
0000-0002-4415-8307 0000-0002-4415-8307
researchmap permalink
7000022418 7000022418
Scopus Author ID
57210290382 57210290382
CreatorName
Aizawa, Yayoi
NRID
1000010307952 1000010307952
CreatorName
Watanabe, Atsushi
NRID
1000010202011 1000010202011
ORCID
0000-0001-9006-9551 0000-0001-9006-9551
researchmap permalink
KatoOUMed KatoOUMed
Scopus Author ID
57349178000 57349178000
CreatorName
Kato, Kazuto
Subject
genetic counselor
genetic counseling
genomic medicine
national qualification
professional development
research, workforce
Description
Aizawa Y, Watanabe A and Kato K (2021) Institutional and Social Issues Surrounding Genetic Counselors in Japan: Current Challenges and Implications for the Global Community. Front. Genet. 12:646177. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.646177.
Abstract
In recent years, genetic counseling has started playing a major role in the field of genomic medicine. There are currently about 7,000 genetic counselors in more than 28 countries, with 267 certified genetic counselors in Japan alone (about 2 per million population, as of April 2020). While the rapid advancement of genomic medicine has expanded this field, the challenges genetic counselors face are also evolving. This article aims to provide an overview of the institutional and social issues surrounding genetic counselors in Japan and discuss implications for the global community. In Japan, with the rapid changes in genomic medicine and the establishment of a delivery mechanism within the healthcare system, several issues need to be discussed. First, many genetic testing, counseling, and preventive healthcare programs are not covered by public health insurance. Second, reducing human resource shortages for genetic counseling is an urgent issue. Third, the lack of a national qualification in the profession is critically important issue in the field. Fourth, research on the role and value of genetic counselors is still limited. To address these issues, discussions among relevant stakeholders, including genetic counselors, professionals in genomic medicine, and lawmakers, are necessary. Additionally, we believe that research by genetic counselors to evaluate and improve their practice and examine institutional and social issues is crucial for developing their profession’s activities and delivering high-quality healthcare to many people. To establish the position and role of the relatively new profession of genetic counselor, sharing information and collaborating on institutional and social challenges faced by genetic counselors globally will be beneficial.
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Source Title
Frontiers in Genetics
Volume (Issue)
12
Page
646177
Date of Issued
2021-04-13
Language
English
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/11094/79386
eISSN
16648021
Relation.isIdenticalTo
DOI (Publisher Version)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.646177
Access Rights
open access
CopyRight
© 2021 Aizawa, Watanabe and Kato. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
oaire:version
Version of Record
Category
学術雑誌論文 Journal Article