Anne Matthews Associate Professor

Department of Genetics School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University Biomedical Research Building 636 2109 Adelbert Road Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4955 Tel: (216) 368-1821 Fax: (216) 368-3432 E-mail: anne.matthews@case.edu

About Anne Matthews

Anne Matthews, R.N., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Genetics and Director of Genetic Counseling and Family Studies Core Programs.

Dr. Matthews, who was director of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado for 8 years, was specifically recruited to develop, administer and teach in the Program.

Dr. Matthews received her diploma in nursing from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in 1968 and her baccalaureate degree in 1971 from McGill University.

In 1973, she received a master's degree and completed her doctorate in genetics and nursing in 1984 from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC).

Dr. Matthews has had extensive experience in genetic counseling, first as Coordinator of the Regional Genetic Counseling Clinic for Colorado and Wyoming and later as a nurse geneticist with Genetic Services and the Maternal-Fetal Surgery and Medicine Program at UCHSC. She was an Assistant Professor on the faculties of the Schools of Medicine and Nursing at UCHSC.

In 1996, she joined the Genetic Counseling and Family Studies Core Programs at Case Western Reserve University. She is co-chair of the Graduate Committee in the Department of Genetics as well as serving for three years as the President of the Women Faculty in the School of Medicine. She has served on a number of School of Medicine committees.

Dr. Matthews is board certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics as a Genetic Counselor. She has served as Vice-chair for the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors and currently is a member of its Executive Committee. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics. Dr. Matthews is an editor and content expert for Inherited Disorders and Birth Defects. for NetWellness, a web-based consumer health information service. She is a past editor of the Journal in Genetic Counseling and past president of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics.

Research

The practice of genetic counseling is continually changing as a consequence of the rapid developments in human genetics. New technologies and extensive research in mapping and sequencing the human genome, and their clinical applications continue to shape the philosophy of genetic counseling and genetic services.

Genetic counselors face numerous and complex ethical, social, legal and educational issues. It is within this arena that my clinical and research interests are focused.

Most often, the education and counseling accompanying genetic testing is provided by genetic counselors as they support patients in the decision-making process regarding testing and dealing with test outcomes.

Counselors also play a role in determining how new genetic information and technology will be used. It is essential that curriculum in graduate education in genetic counseling reflect changes in this knowledge and technology. Such issues as human variation and diversity and how knowledge of one's genetic make-up affects individuals' assessment of self-concept and health, genetic discrimination in regards to health insurance and employment, patient confidentiality and rights to privacy, genetic screening and policy development, potential threats to non-directive approaches to counseling are but a few areas in the counseling curriculum that need to be addressed.

Providing students with innovative avenues for addressing some of these issues, through classroom and clinical experiences, is my area of interest.

Another major area of interest for me is providing both health care professionals and students, who are not specialists in genetics, with basic and current knowledge of applied genetics, thereby significantly increasing the incorporation of genetic information into health care delivery.

Currently, I am involved in developing educational programs for medical students as well as practicing physicians and am co-investigator of a NIH National Cancer Institute funded grant to develop and disseminate an electronic curriculum in clinical cancer genetics for medical students.

Selected Publications