March 2026

INGC members gathered at the Guggman Haus Brewing Co. this March for food, business, and networking. We heard updates from the board and from the legislative, outreach, and social committee as well as the co-chairs of the conference committee.

Board Business

The INGC board introduced their newest additions, president Cassie Garcia and treasurer Bekah Krukenberg. The board also announced that the INGC PO box has been relocated to be in a more central location and their transition to using Google Business with the new associated emails. These include: president@ingc.info, vp@ingc.info, treasurer@ingc.info, secretary@ingc.info, webmaster@ingc.info, and memberatlarge@ingc.info. Members should use board@ingc.info to email all board members. Webmaster, Bailey, is currently working to transition the website from being hosted on WordPress to being hosted on Google Sites. As part of this transition, Bailey is looking for INGC photos from the past. Members who have INGC photos from the past should send them to Bailey at webmaster@ingc.info. 

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

As co-chairs, Cassie Garcia and Stephanie Cohen introduced the Cancer Special Interest Group (SIG), the first of INGC's SIGs! The goal of SIGs is to provide opportunities for INGC members to connect, network, collaborate, and socialize with local GCs in similar specialties. INGC is looking for champions for various specialties (prenatal, medical genetics, cardiovascular, industry, etc.) Please reach out to Cassie at president@ingc.info if you'd like to chair/co-chair a new SIG. If you are interested in joining but not chairing a SIG, email Lauren at secretary@ingc.info. 

The first proposed INGC Cancer SIG event is Ovar'coming Together's Teal Ribbon Baskey Bingo on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026. Visit https://www.ovariancancerin.org/teal-ribbon-basket-bingo for more information and if you are interested in joining the sig, email cancersig@ingc.info.

Social Committee

INGC's social committee's fearless leader, Lauren Frank, is looking for members to join her in planning INGC's upcoming social events. Social events on the horizon include the 4th Annual INGC Summer BBQ. Members who have ideas for a location for the summer BBQ or who would like to host, who have ideas for other social events for 2026, or who would like to join the committee can email Lauren at secretary@ingc.info. 

Legislative Committee

The legislative committee reminded our members that Indiana GC licenses expire June 30, 2026, and will need to be renewed at that time. The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) is still working to have GCs recognized as providers by Medicare. The legislative committee introduced an issue that needs the member's support. The U.S. Department of Education has issued a Reimaging and Improving Student Education (RISE) Proposed Rule that includes a proposed definition of "professional student" that would exclude accredited genetic counseling programs and limit federal loan eligibility for students preparing to enter our profession. NSGC has created a customizable letter template for GCs to send to their federal representatives to support federal loan eligibility for genetic counselor training. For more information about the legislative committee, visit the social committee page. 

Outreach Committee

INGC's outreach committee's chair, Sandra Jenkinson, has several opportunities for member engagement in 2026. On the docket includes the Decatur Central Career Center career fair on Thursday, April 9, 2026, from 9:15 AM - 1 PM, and Celebrate Science Indiana on Saturday, October 10, 2026. INGC has the opportunity to register for a table at the Decatur Central Career Center career fair. Those who are interested in participating should contact secretary@ingc.info and they will be provided with the information to register. The registration deadline is Friday, April 4th! INGC members who have other volunteer opportunities or would like to participate in future events should email Sandra at sjenkinson@ecommunity.com. 

Conference Planning Committee 

The conference planning committee's co-chairs, Bekah Krukenberg and Cassie Garcia, provided a recap from the 2025 conference as well as discussed plans for the 2026 conference. 

Hosted at The Alexander, the 2025 Upgrade4: Genetics conference was a success with 166 attendees and 26 vendors. With how successful the 2025 conference was, 2026's conference is now set to be a one-and-a-half-day affair, scheduled for September 17-18, 2026, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Plainfield Indianapolis Airport. The conference will begin midday on the 17th and will run all day on the 18th. Registration will include both days, but attendees may attend one or both days. Adding an extra half day will allow for an increase in the continuing education units (CEUs) offered and more time for meals and networking.  A social gathering is tentatively being planned for Thursday evening. The conference planning committee has been hard at work sending out vendor and speaker invitations. If you have a speaker/topic to suggest for future conferences or would like to join the conference committee, email conference@ingc.info. 

CEU Opportunities 

Ohio Association of Genetic Counselors Annual Education Conference

Date: April 10, 2026, from 7:45 AM - 5 PM (in-person)

To register, click this link

Promo code for $25 off registration fee: OAGC2026

Listen & Learn: A Rare Disease Podcast Course

Listen to select podcast episodes about rare disease from DNA Today, All Access DNA, and Journal of Genetic Counseling's DNA Dialogues followed by a few short quizzes on the content to earn CEUs! All episodes are available on Spotify. NSGC approval for CEUs is currently pending. If approved the 10.3-hour course will earn 1.03 CEUs. This course costs $235. To learn more or purchase, click this link. 

Stay tuned for future 2026 All Member Meetings!