Genetic counselors are key to hereditary disease prevention. Donate here if you are a genetic counselor who supports cascade family outreach.

Individuals who donate $150 or more will be listed on the genetic counselor supporters page on the ConnectMyVariant website.


Genetic Counselors Support Cascade Outreach

ConnectMyVariant's mission is to end hereditary disease by bringing families together.

ConnectMyVariant is an educational health-focused 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports individuals and families with hereditary disease in their early detection and prevention efforts. We provide unique value by leveraging our evidenced-based family connection protocols to help people identify other at-risk relatives and help those relatives access genetic testing so that they can get optimal medical care. ConnectMyVariant brings people with the same genetic risk together through our variant database and community engagement events to share experiences and find common ancestors. ConnectMyVariant also works to increase awareness of the benefits of family outreach among physicians, others who provide prevention care, and the broader genealogy community.
 
Our key activities are:
   - Working with patients to implement personalized family outreach plans
   - Interactive educational workshops about sharing information on inherited disease risk
   - Variant specific family reunions to share stories and plan outreach to cousins
   - Genealogy assistance to help connect individuals in variant groups
   - Individual equity and inclusion grants for family and community outreach

Need and Impact:
When hereditary disease risk is known, family outreach has been proven to be the most effective and cost-effective intervention for early detection and prevention. This family outreach, also known as cascade testing, is recommended by multiple guidelines. Despite overwhelming evidence, family outreach assistance is not reimbursed by insurance or integrated into healthcare. Many people suffer and die from hereditary disease that could have been prevented or caught early.
 
We have shown that our strategies to encourage family outreach can act as a communication multiplier. Our pilot research at the University of Washington showed that this approach enhanced patient experience, was considered ethical, and was appreciated by newly identified relatives. Our approach is low-cost and is 25 to 50 times more effective than awareness and education interventions that target the general population.

Equity and Inclusion:
ConnectMyVariant is committed to being a leader for equity, diversity, and inclusion in hereditary disease prevention. ConnectMyVariant’s goal is to spread awareness among all individuals and families about inherited disease risk. All project staff, participants, and partners in ConnectMyVariant have an equal voice in developing innovative ways to improve hereditary disease outreach and prevention for all people. By fostering a diverse and inclusive community, we can provide knowledge and opportunities that have been historically inaccessible to millions of people.

ConnectMyVariant

1048940678

Every.org is a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees they rely on the generosity of donors like you.

Choose a donation for Every.org

1258415673

1435915265

1737023302

We are a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees we rely on the generosity of donors like you.

2074652487

240751341

2516130445

2547000601

2624895975

2883383521

339774024

3605944885

3755280456

3794356679

3868271524

3884515653

410756082

496574456

579816602

761293274

772217036

2729980760

3440869557

671754822

1014384873

1112422858

153399038

2028390811

220342792

2266630408

2456389719

2519810400

2539558839

2826465835

2843798242

2898624300

2916352438

3259439560

3583328878

3642494300

3902459442

4054861980

4136002033

4177183036

4250940449

585491400

641510716

91682487

Genetic Counselors Support Cascade Outreach

ConnectMyVariant

Donors

ConnectMyVariant