ST. LOUIS — Board-certified genetic counselor Laura Waldman, M.S., is extending her role within the SSM Cancer Care network to now offer cancer genetic services at both SSM St. Joseph Medical Park in St. Peters, Mo. and SSM St. Mary’s Health Center in Richmond Heights, Mo. and is accepting new patients. Waldman will be the first certified genetics professional to provide cancer genetic services in the St. Charles County area.
Waldman holds a master’s of science in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. and is board-certified in genetic counseling with the American Board of Medical Genetics. She provides cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling and coordinates genetic testing and follow up counseling. Recently, she helped to develop a pilot screening program at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center for identifying individuals at increased risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. As an assistant professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Waldman provides lectures to medical students as part of the Molecular Biology and Genetics Course. She also gives lectures to other health professionals and the general public.
About SSM Cancer Care Genetic Services
SSM Cancer Care Genetic Services offers genetic counseling to those who are concerned about a hereditary cause for their personal and/or family history of cancer. The program’s genetic counselors work with patients to assess the likelihood that a cancer diagnosis is inherited and whether genetic testing is appropriate. Determining whether cancer is inherited requires an individualized cancer risk assessment, which can provide information so that patients and doctors can make informed decisions about cancer screening and prevention options. Major risk factors, among others, include a diagnosed cancer before the age of 50, multiple family members with the same type of cancer, and rare types of cancer such as male breast cancer. Genetic counseling sessions and cancer risk assessment can be helpful in empowering people concerned about the medical needs of themselves and their family members.
For more information about SSM Cancer Care Genetic Services, or to schedule an appointment, please call 314-577-5639.
For media inquires only, contact:
Kristen Johnson
Media Relations Specialist
314-989-2208 (office)
314-908-0427 (pager)
kristen_johnson@ssmhc.com