2026 Public Health Laboratory Newsroom
Meet the Scientist: Genetic Counselor Katy Schroepfer
There are many different kinds of careers in the sciences. The Minnesota Newborn Screening Program, a section of the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory, employs both lab scientists who run tests and genetic counselors, epidemiologists, etc. who talk with health care providers and families about the disorders that newborns may have.
Katy Schroepfer is one of several genetic counselors with the Minnesota Newborn Screening Program. The program tests almost all babies born in Minnesota for the more than 60 conditions on the Newborn Screening Panel.
When a test yields an abnormal result for one of the conditions, Schroepfer or one of her colleagues typically contacts the newborn’s pediatrician or nurse at their clinic, informing them about the condition and what the next steps should be. These are preliminary discussions; newborn screening can only flag potential cases. Further testing is necessary to make diagnoses.
If a diagnosis is confirmed, Schroepfer and other members of the Minnesota Newborn Screening Program staff continue working with health care providers and families to make sure the newborn gets necessary treatments. The genetic counselors of the Minnesota Newborn Screening Program are on call 24 hours a day to field questions and handle urgent screening results.
Seeking a career helping people
Katy Schroepfer majored in mathematics at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She first heard about genetic counseling in a genetics class. It proved inspiring, and she joined a genetic counseling club, shadowed a genetic counselor, volunteered, and worked in a genetics lab. Schroepfer found she preferred working with people to doing lab work.
After finishing her undergraduate studies, Schroepfer attained a master’s degree in genetic counseling. She then began working in a genetics clinic in a major hospital. She found it rewarding to help patients get diagnoses and treatments and deal with the emotional impact of living with a genetic disorder. Less enjoyable were the bureaucratic procedures of getting testing approved by insurance companies.
Moving to the Minnesota Newborn Screening Program
After five years of working in a major hospital, Schroepfer took her current position as a genetic counselor in the Minnesota Newborn Screening Program. Because newborn screening is standard of care for babies, no one in the program has to deal with insurance companies. Schroepfer can concentrate on helping health care providers and families take care of newborns.
Along with her primary duties, Schroepfer assists with other aspects of the Newborn Screening Program. There is a complex procedure for adding conditions to the Newborn Screening Panel; Schroepfer helps research possible additions. She also prepares educational materials for conditions already on the panel. At this writing, she is also assisting with a research study investigating whether adding more genetic testing is feasible within the program.
Every state in the United States has a newborn screening program, but not all have genetic counselors on staff. The Minnesota Newborn Screening Program is especially effective at not only discovering potential genetic disorders in babies, but also in helping connect them to the treatments they need to live long and happy lives.
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