Adjunct Professor, Pediatrics
School of Medicine

Director, Genetic Counseling Program, Pediatrics
School of Medicine

Ann Walker’s research explores factors affecting delivery and utilization of genetic services, such as prenatal diagnosis or screening for genetic traits that may increase reproductive risk or predispose to disease. Among factors affecting access to services are public and professional knowledge of genetics and perceptions or beliefs about genetic evaluation and its utility. Research is aimed at determining if and how primary care professionals recognize potential risk for genetic disease or birth defects in their patients. Psychosocial issues surrounding molecular (DNA) testing for genetic risk to develop conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or other adult-onset diseases are also being studied to find out how patients and families are affected by such testing. This type of screening has enormous commercial potential and will inevitably be introduced on a wide scale. To prevent harm, it is critical to devise ethical and humane protocols for using these technologies. The goal of these investigations is to develop effective strategies for teaching new and practicing health professionals about the implications of advances in genetics and for helping them incorporate this knowledge into their practice.

Walker AP: Non-Physician Genetic Counselors in North America: Their Training, Roles and Future. Japanese Journal of Genetic Counseling (in press) 2004

McLaren CE, Barton JC, Adams PC, Harris EL, Acton RT, Press N, Reboussin DM, McLaren GD, Sholinsky P, Walker AP, Gordeuk VR, Leiendecker-Foster C, Dawkins FW, Eckfeldt JH, Mellen BG, Speechley M, Thomson E, for the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Study Research Investigators: Hemochromatosis and iron overload screening (HEIRS) study design for an evaluation of 100,000 primary care-based adults. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences 325:53-62, 2003.

Browner CH, Preloran HM, Casado MC, Bass HN, Walker A: Genetic counseling gone awry: some consequences of miscommunication between prenatal genetic service providers and Mexican-origin clients. Social Science and Medicine 56:1933-1946, 2003.

Adams PC, Walker AP, Acton RT: A primer for predicting risk of disease in HFE-linked hemochomatosis. Genetic Testing 5:311-316, 2001.

Robertson J, Levinson C, Mahowald M, Walker A: BRCA1 screening in a woman with breast cancer: a patient’s perspective with commentary. Women’s Health Issues 1163-72, 2001.

“Iron Overload and Hereditary Hemochromatosis Study Field Center” (co-investigator) NIH/NHLBI (funded) 1/00-1/05

American Society of Human Genetics

National Society of Genetic Counselors

American College of Medical Genetics

American Board of Genetic Counseling

UCI Cancer Center

Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=3026

Last updated
01/25/2005