The Harvard Medical School Genetics Training Program is accredited by the American Board of Medical Genetics to provide training in Clinical Cytogenetics. Participating laboratories are at Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The overall goals of the cytogenetics program are:

• understand the principles of cytogenetics as applied to diagnostic testing
• become familiar with major techniques used in clinical cytogenetics, including culture of peripheral blood, fibroblasts, amniotic fluid, and chorionic villi, chromosome staining, karyotyping, and FISH
• learn the major clinical indications for cytogenetic testing and the clinical implications of test results
• become familiar with major syndromes due to chromosomal imbalance, principles of prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis, and cancer cytogenetics
• develop skills in communicating with referring physicians
• appreciate the issues in quality assurance necessary to management of a diagnostic laboratory
• become sensitive to ethical issues in genetics
• participate in an ongoing research activity in cytogenetics

The following is a sample schedule of the cytogenetics program. Click on the laboratories to view a description.

Description of Training Sites

Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital/Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Cytogenetics Laboratory

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Cytogenetics Laboratory