- With Mayo Clinic genetic counselor
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
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Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
"We must begin now to prepare for the future; we cannot wait until the details are known or fully understood."*
— David B. Schowalter, M.D., Ph.D., former Mayo geneticist, (*posthumous)
Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C., is a board-certified genetic counselor who specializes in hereditary cancer syndromes. One of her main professional interests is the family medical history.
"Recognizing features in the family history which may suggest an underlying single gene disorder can have a huge impact on families," she says. "Identifying a genetic susceptibility gene can allow family members to more accurately understand their risk of disease and empower those who have an increased genetic susceptibility to take control of their medical management and lifestyle factors which may influence this risk."
She received her B.S. in biology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2002 and M.S. in genetic counseling from the University of Minnesota in 2004.
She was a clinical genetic counselor at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wis., before joining Mayo Clinic in August 2006 as a genetic counselor and educator for the grant-funded Mayo Eisenberg Genomics Education Program. During her time in Wisconsin, she was also an active member of the metabolic subcommittee of the state Newborn Screening Program and co-facilitated a phenylketonuria clinic.
At Mayo Clinic, she provides physician and staff education about clinically relevant topics in genomics. She also manages multiple education projects championed by Mayo Clinic physicians and is a faculty member for Mayo Medical School. In addition to her education roles, she sees adult patients in the Department of Medical Genetics.
Latest entries
- Series of tests identifies cystic fibrosis
Nov. 10, 2009
- Predictive genetic testing: What are the risks?
Sept. 5, 2009
- Prenatal testing options
July 11, 2009
- Preimplantation genetic diagnosis option on a slippery slope?
April 17, 2009
- Can genetic tests steer children to the right activity?
March 3, 2009
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Genetics blog
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April 17, 2009
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis option on a slippery slope?
By Carrie A. Zabel, M.S., C.G.C.
Prenatal testing comes in many forms and requires a thoughtful decision.
Some individuals choose no testing; others choose non-invasive options, such as first-trimester screening, to determine their level of risk for select genetic conditions such as Down syndrome.
Others may elect invasive medical procedures, such as chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis, to determine whether or not the child will be born with a genetic condition. As if these decisions weren't complicated enough, new genetic technologies make it possible to determine even more about a child's health.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can be used as part of the in vitro fertilization process to select embryos with given characteristics. For instance, some families may have a known genetic condition in their family which they wish to avoid passing on to future generations. Following the fertilization of an egg with a sperm outside the body, the embryos are tested to determine if they have the trait which is hoped to be avoided. The embryos that do not carry the trait are then selected for implantation.
Some professionals are concerned that the process of PGD is an ethical "slippery slope". How do we decide which traits are appropriate to select for and which aren't? Recently, the Fertility Institute, a fertility clinic in California, advertised to prospective parents an increased chance of having a baby with their choice of hair, eye and skin color, if they used their PGD services. Is this appropriate? Or, is this irresponsible use of a technology which is meant to be used to prevent children from being born with serious medical conditions? Who should decide?
Please share your thoughts.
6 comments posted
October 27, 2009 9:40 a.m.
Just my gut reactions: Who knows what traits we will be missing out on while trying to play God? Art is one thing but human life is sacred - we could lose a lot of geniuses b/c we didn't have the sight to see into the future of what they would end up being - we are far too nearsighted.
- Mary
July 28, 2009 8:55 a.m.
Lisa- I'm sorry for your loss. I can understand because I have endured three. The ethical difference between having a miscarriage and choosing PGD is the difference between witnessing a human die when there is nothing you can do to save his life or purposely killing a unique and living human being. Jason- You are absolutely right in saying that science is a tool for good or evil. But the parents who choose the blue-eyed embryo and choose for the brown-eyed one to be rejected and die think that they are choosing the best good. Much to the dismay of those of us who are brown-eyed! Unworthy of life because of eye color? What twentieth century political group does that remind you of? But I digress. The key to understanding this puzzle is "the Hierarchy of Goods." Undoubtedly, the beauty of blue-eyes is good. But is it greater than intelligence or ambition? And is intelligence and ambition more or less valuable than honesty? Kindness? How about that crown of virtue recognized in every society--Self-Sacrifice. Murthy- In what does human perfection lie? Physical perfection, subject to the whims of popularity, even if recognized can not last. Plato pursued the idea of human virtue as perfection and ideal beauty. You may think this ironic, but Christians seem to have a much better understanding of these principles than anyone else running around. Read Plato's "Death of Socrates" and "The Hippocratic Oath." Ancient and enlightening
- Reagan
July 2, 2009 1:15 p.m.
I have a balanced translocation and we almost used Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis to try avoiding another miserable miscarriage. So most definitely different circumstances deserve specific considerations.
- Lisa Peterson Grayling, MI
May 26, 2009 1:22 p.m.
I feel like we are taking a very precious gift that God gives us and altering its existence to fit "our ideal baby" and God has a plan for each and every one of us and when we alter "His" creation we are playing with fire.
- Kim Suplizio
April 23, 2009 10:32 a.m.
I agree with Jason's comment. Most of us stereotype ourselves to what is right or not at that particular point of time according to the social acceptance in the society we are living in. However another opinion I had is nobody is perfect and trying to be too perfect cannot happen, we have to give natural selection a chance.
- Murthy
April 20, 2009 9:58 p.m.
Despite the ethical hang-ups we may have today, not much can stop the steady advance of science. There will always be good and bad ways to use technology, and those who will exploit both. There is no clear cut answer to your question, in my opinion. I believe that we'll just have to make our decisions on what's 'right' and 'wrong' on a case by case basis given the ethics we all subscribe to at that particular time. http://choosebetter.blogspot.com
- Jason Slusarchuk
6 comments posted