When Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in May 2013 about her double mastectomy, her story launched a national discussion about how genetics and family history influence breast cancer risk.
In her op-ed, Jolie explained that by having a double mastectomy, she significantly reduced her risk of breast cancer, and she encouraged women to be tested for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.
Not every woman needs testing though, and surgery is not always the right choice even when a woman does test positive. The NSGC needed help clarifying this message and demonstrating their value as genetic counselors around the country braced for an increase in women requesting genetic testing.