EP 163: The intersection of loss and genetic insight with Susan Liebman of University of Nevada
November 27, 2024
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Susan Liebman, Research Professor at University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and author of a new family memoir rooted in genetics called The Dressmaker’s Mirror. Susan reflects on the deeply personal loss of her niece to an undiagnosed genetic condition, offers her insights on genetic screening for at-risk individuals and populations, and provides valuable advice for early career scientists.
0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast
01:00 Welcome to Susan, and an introduction to The Dressmaker's Mirror and the personal experience that inspired her to write it
03:17 How a question she asked her book club sparked the idea for a family memoir, intertwining personal stories and the impact of genetics.
04:28 The heartbreaking story of Susan’s niece, whose sudden tragic death was a result of an undiagnosed genetic condition
08:11 How Susan pieced together the clues pointing to genetic heritability, uncovering the cause of her niece's death and shedding light on the implications for her family
11:38 Susan’s personal experience of whole genome sequencing within her own family
15:04 The role of Susan’s Ashkenazi Jewish heritage in her family’s diagnostic journey to dilated cardiomyopathy
16:20 The importance of genetic screening, managing potential health outcomes, and the ethics of sharing results
19:32 Understanding the potential for mutations to have different impacts within different ethnic groups
21:00 The challenges of managing edge cases, understanding penetrance, and the need for dynamic knowledge transfer as the volume of available genetic data rapidly expands
23:44 Defining “actionability” in the context of genetic results and what it could mean for the next generation
25:53 Susan’s career and work in yeast genetics and its translation to human disease
30:35 Her experience being part of the first ever cohort of women to live on campus at MIT
34:20 The Westinghouse Science Fair project that won her a place at MIT
36:25 How Susan went from aspiring to be a grade school teacher to becoming a research scientist and professor
37:31 Advice to early career scientists on grant applications and beyond
39:49 Closing remarks
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