What's New
New Resources Now Available on our Website
- Risk Management Options for Women at Increased Risk of Developing Ovarian Cancer - Information Booklet & Decision Aid [pdf]
A new research study, funded by the Australian Research Council and conducted from Central Queensland University is investigating how men and women understand inheritance, genetic risk and genetic testing.
Project: Gender and genetic risk: Exploring how men and women conceptualise and experience genetic risk in the Australian context
Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Sandra Taylor
What is this research about?
Genetic medicine and genetic testing are becoming increasingly common within the Australian health care context and have the potential to bring many health care benefits to people in the future. Genetic tests are increasingly being used to establish individuals’ risks of developing certain conditions during their lifetime. How people understand and respond to genetic risks and genetic testing are important issues. Knowing more about this will help us develop health care policies and services that are relevant to people who have family histories of inherited conditions or whose genetic risks can be identified through genetic testing.
The research will involve people who are aged 18 years or older who have a specified genetic risk for an inherited adult-onset condition that runs in their family. The main focus of the study is upon individuals who have an identified genetic risk for inherited adult onset conditions rather than individuals who may be experiencing symptoms of a condition.
This study has been cleared by the Human Research Ethics Committees of Central Queensland University and is being conducted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council's guidelines.
Are you interested in being interviewed?
Please contact: Associate Professor Sandra Taylor, Centre for Social Science Research, Central Queensland University Rockhampton Q 4702
Phone: 07 4930 6598 Email: s.taylor@cqu.edu.au
8th Edition of the Australasian Genetics Resource Book
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Download the order form and fax/post it to the Centre for Genetics Education [Order Form]
New Features of this Website include:
All Genetics Fact Sheets now available in HTML format
- Additional fact sheets – more information on genetic conditions than ever before
- Comprehensive contacts of genetics services around NSW and Australia have been updated.
- Search box gives users the power to seek the exact information they require in one easy step.
- A new multilingual section with translated resources.
- Pregnancy Preparation - information for women about their general health when thinking of becoming pregnant/planning a pregnancy.
- Primary schools worksheets introducing the fundamental concepts of human genetics to children from an early age.
Genetic Testing - Guidelines for prioritising genetic tests
Many genetic tests provided by NSW public hospital laboratories are non-Medical Benefits Schedule items funded through NSW Health. The guidelines have been developed to assist clinicians and health services to prioritise genetic test requests based on clinical need, equity of access and within available funding levels.
Prenatal Testing/Screening for Down Syndrome & Other Chromosomal Abnormalities
The policy is directed to clinical and care providers involved in prenatal care. It provides direction on access to and provision of prenatal testing including prenatal screening, so women are informed about screening options and are appropriately directed to services. In recent years an increasing number of non-invasive biochemical screening tests and
ultrasound techniques have been developed which can significantly increase the identification of pregnancies at risk for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities in women of all ages. Each test has advantages, disadvantages and limitations. Offers of screening need to be accompanied by sufficient information and support.