Spain Park alumnus shares his experience with the next generation

Melisa Guthrie was shocked to receive a cancer diagnosis in fall 2016. That October, it was discovered through routine testing that she had stage three colon cancer.

“Right away, as a teacher, I realized this was going to be a teachable moment for my students,” Guthrie said. “I wanted my students to hear [about my diagnosis] from me.”

Guthrie — a science teacher at Spain Park High School since 2007 — began incorporating some elements of her diagnosis into her lessons, sharing with students components of her cancer journey that were not only relevant to their studies, but connected to their possible future career fields.

Early in her diagnosis, Guthrie also discovered, through talks with her physicians, a field known as genetic counseling. The concept piqued her interest right away.

“I have been teaching biology for 10 years and had no idea what a genetic counselor was,” Guthrie said. “Coming into contact with a genetic counselor was so impactful for me. They’re an educator, an advocate and a psychologist.” 

Genetic counselors work with patients/families faced with the risk of genetic disease and the possible resulting health issues, as well as a connection to helpful resources.

Guthrie invited Brandon Shaw to speak with all Spain Park High School biology classes about genetic counseling in late spring. The University of Georgia alumnus began his career in education yet found his calling in genetic counseling and graduated this year with a master’s degree in genetic counseling from UAB.

“I had always had an interest in health care. When I found genetic counseling, it was the perfect fit,” Shaw said.After leaving UGA, Shaw set out for Peru. While in South America, he taught English for two years while conducting some counseling on the side. Though he enjoyed his time there, he discovered his skills might be better suited for health care. UAB is one of only 30 or so such programs in the United States, he said.

“We help patients and families who are at risk for genetic conditions. We help them make decisions about genetic testing,” Shaw said. 

As students cycled in and out of Shaw’s talk that day, they walked away with a little more insight into this burgeoning field, learning about genetic counseling’s impact on individuals, families and the profession in general. Shaw, Guthrie said, was able to “hook” the students: sharing interesting stories about famous people and their genetic disorders, cases on which he’s worked and general research efforts at UAB.

“The students were really interested because the lecture was perfectly timed in the genetic unit. They could see the connection to the classroom,” Guthrie said. “It introduced them to a new career field while reviewing/strengthening their content knowledge. If we, as educators, can personalize the content, the chance that they will value education increases, which in turn increases their willingness to engage in the learning process.”

– Submitted by Hoover City Schools.