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Our History Dr. Jürgen Herrmann established Great Lakes Genetics (GLG) in 1982
as one of the first programs in the nation for the private practice
of genetic medicine. GLG's goal was and remains to provide physicians,
and their patients, with a comprehensive resource for the diagnosis
and management of genetic disorders. The physical setup at GLG includes
integrated facilities for clinical patient care and for chromosome
testing. In 1985, Dr. Herrmann established an office in Appleton
to provide services to patients in the Fox River Valley, Door County,
and the Upper Michigan Peninsula. There are now weekly clinics at
Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, and at St. Vincent Hospital
in Green Bay, WI. Technological & Developmental Pioneers Under the guidance of Dr. Herrmann, the cytogenetics laboratory has been expanded to provide the newest methodologies, including flourescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular cytogenetic studies. The cytogenetics laboratory is certified by CAP and CLIA and participates in quality control testing. Before prenatal testing became widely available, it seemed obvious to the GLG doctors that newborns with malformations could be significantly helped if parents and pediatricians knew prior to delivery about the baby's genetic problem. Therefore, GLG developed special expertise in the prenatal detection of genetic disorders and birth defects. The purpose was to bring knowledge of the principles of genetics, developmental anatomy, birth defects, and syndrome diagnosis to the assessment of unborn babies. GLG established an integrated approach to combine clinical evaluation, family counseling, sophisticated ultrasound examination, and prenatal laboratory studies. Prenatal procedures include amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), fetal blood sampling (PUBS), and other invasive fetal methods. The physicians at GLG are recognized for their skill
and expertise in prenatal diagnosis. They are equally known for
their special effort to make the clinical environment comfortable
for their patients, and to provide them support when results are
abnormal. GLG physicians have continued on the forefront of clinical and laboratory developments that pertain to their specialties. After studying in Denmark with Dr. Niels Hahnermann, one of the pioneers of chorionic villi sampling, Dr. Herrmann was, in 1985, the first physician in the United States to successfully perform Transabdominal CVS. This led to the development of a large body of experience with CVS, to the benefit of many patients. Other specific GLG achievements include being the first laboratory
in Wisconsin to add HCG to the AFP maternal serum screen, the demonstration
of uniparental disomy as a cause of Prader-Willi syndrome, the development
of an expanded interpretation of the Triple Screen, and the BEST
Test for First Trimester and comprehensive maternal serum screening. Patient Care Most Important Patients and their referring physicians may not always recognize that the high level of patient care provided at GLG is achieved through a close integration of clinical and laboratory services. This makes the difference between a non specific interpretation and a clinically revelant result. When the laboratory results are abnormal, the GLG physicians can integrate the chromosome or gene test findings with the clinical evaluation of the patient, thus further supporting the primary physician in diagnostic evaluation and patient management. The GLG staff will often meet with the family for appropriate genetic counseling and follow-up after the baby is born. Obviously, the physician geneticist who has interpreted the results in the laboratory is in an optimal position to convey the details of the test results to the patient. GLG has developed counseling techniques and resources to support families with abnormal children and, in particular, to support couples with pregnancies where the unborn baby is found to have a serious abnormality. Typically the geneticist has detailed knowledge of the baby's disorder, even if it is rare. This allows the geneticist to answer the patients' questions and to assist in the management of the unborn baby. The genetic counselors at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay and Theda Clark Regional Medical Center in Neenah are part of this program. Their activities include extended patient contact, skilled counseling, securing specific literature on the patient's disorder, and referral to appropriate community resources. Another component of their activity is to provide teratogen exposure evaluation to patients and information on terotogens to physicians. Physician Relationships Some physicians are familiar with GLG from the clinical genetic evaluation of their patients; others use primarily the laboratory services, in particular chromosome testing. Hematologists may send bone marrow specimens to GLG for cytogenetic analysis. They have come to expect prompt and clinically revelant interpretations rather than just a listing of the cytogenetic abnormalities. Many area obstetricians send amniotic fluid samples, and area hospitals send blood from newborns with congenital anomalies. Pediatricians and family physicians request cytogenetic analysis for babies and children with developmental delay, growth retardation, unusual physical features, and delayed puberty. One particular area of GLG's expertise involves the genetic evaluation of miscarriages and stillborn babies, as well as counseling couples with recurrent miscarriages. In all instances where laboratory testing at GLG yields abnormal results, the GLG physicians appreciate the opportunity to discuss the results with the referring physician and to meet with the patient/family for clinical follow-up and counseling.ssss GLG is committed to continuing to provide the highest level of genetic resources to physicians and their patients. |
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