#232 Entrepreneurship in Genetics with Matt Tschirgi

DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast

We are thrilled to be launching our Patreon very soon. It might be on a genetics holiday, I’ll let you figure that one out. In the meantime we would appreciate your insight on what you want from the Patreon. It’s your last chance to fill out our survey so that we will offer the benefits you want. You can access the 60 second survey here. Maybe you really want DNA Today merch or would love to have one on one mentorship with me. Maybe you have your own idea! Whatever your thoughts are, get them in by April 21st, 2023! Thanks for helping to develop our Patreon.

On this episode, genetic counselor and entrepreneur, Matt Tschirgi, shares insights he has learned from running his own company and a survey he sent out to fellow entrepreneurs in the field.

My guest today is a fellow genetic counselor entrepreneur, Matt Tschirgi! Matt (he/him) performs contract work through his company, Genetix Consulting, LLC, in addition to being employed at a commercial lab. He has more than 15 years of combined experience in clinical and industry genetic counseling. Matt’s professional interests include prenatal genetics; academic and industry partnerships; and professional issues such as continuing education, multi-state licensure, and incorporating genetic counseling assistants in both clinical and industry settings. He earned his BS degree from Washington State University, and his MS in genetic counseling from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Last year, Matt put a call out on Twitter and LinkedIn to fellow genetic counselors who are entrepreneurs to share their experiences for a student lecture he was putting together. This call generated a lot of interest and tons of responses, many of which we’ll be discussing in this episode!

On this episode we discuss:

The origin of LLC Genetix Consulting and the services they offer

Genetic counseling skills that are transferable to being an entrepreneur

Charging as an entrepreneur in genetics (fee ranges and payment models)

Types of services that people provide (i.e., medical writing and editing, project management, variant curation, career/life/personality coaching, and more!)

Challenges that people have faced

What people love most about their businesses

Advice on getting your business started!

If you’re interested in learning more about entrepreneurship and consulting in genetic counseling, we highly encourage you to follow Matt on Twitter, and check out these slides.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today on April 21st, 2023 where we’ll be discussing at-home non-invasive prenatal screening with JunoDx! New episodes are released every Friday. In the meantime, you can binge over 230 other episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Today”. Episodes since 2021 are also recorded with video which you can watch on our YouTube channel.

DNA Today is hosted and produced by Kira Dineen. Our social media lead is Corinne Merlino. Our video lead is Amanda Andreoli. Our Outreach Intern is Sanya Tinaikar. Our Social Media Intern is Kajal Patel. And our Graphic Designer Ashlyn Enokian.

See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNAToday.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to [e-mail].

Want to become a genetic counselor? Looking for ways to engage with the field and boost your resume for grad school applications? Then you should check out Sarah Lawrence’s “Why Genetic Counseling Wednesday Summer Series”! Every Wednesday this June (plus the last Wednesday in May) Sarah Lawrence is hosting a series where you can interact through Zoom with genetic counselors from different specialties. It kicks off on May 31st! You can sign up at SLC.edu/DNAtoday. Again visit SLC.edu/DNAtoday to register to level up your resume for applications in the fall. (Sponsored)

As a listener of DNA Today, you probably heard me talk about NIPT, non-invasive prenatal screening, that looks for extra or missing chromosome conditions during pregnancy. But did you know there is one that can also screen for recessive disorders (like cystic fibrosis) and fetal antigens? BillionToOne offers UNITY Screen, which does all this from one blood draw from a pregnant person. Visit unityscreen.com for more info. Listen to DNA Today Episode #224 Single Gene NIPT and #225 Fetal Antigen NIPT. (Sponsored)

As many of you know through podcasting I have become an entrepreneur including consulting for other podcasts. Since I don't have a business degree I have learned a lot through podcasts like Porch Talks. The inspiration to start this show was from the host Melissa Bradley who wanted to inform, instruct, and inspire fellow entrepreneurs, especially in people who identify as women, people of color, immigrants, veterans, people with disabilities, and folks in the LGBTQIA+ community (which drew me in initially). So if you are thinking about starting a business or just love hearing stories about how businesses grow, Porch Talks is for you. (Sponsored)