Neurogenetic Spotlight with Julia Castro, MS, CGC
In our Quarter 2 recap, we were honored to spotlight Julia Castro, MS, CGC. Since becoming a genetic counselor, she has made incredible strides in creating a dedicated neurology genetics clinic in San Antonio. Join us as we celebrate her achievements. Be sure to check out the Q&A below to learn more about her journey and passion for her work.
Texas Transcript: When and where did you earn your MS? Where do you live? Where do you work?
Julia Castro: I earned my MS from Johns Hopkins in December 2022. I now live in San Antonio, TX and work at UT Health San Antonio as part of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases and as part of the Department of Neurology.
Tell us a little bit about your job. What is your elevator pitch?
As an adult neurology genetic counselor, I often help individuals with adult-onset neurologic conditions learn if there is a significant genetic contribution to their condition. I have the exciting opportunity to get to work on research studies at the Biggs Institute, and to help lead a Huntington’s support group.
Can you tell us about your work environment? What was it like creating a new genetics clinic?
I work in a highly collaborative and encouraging environment with colleagues that truly believe in the potential for our work to have impact, and who truly care about patients coming first. Though I was the first full-time genetic counselor in this position, Shawn Gessay and Jamie Fong had set wonderful precedents before me, and many of my colleagues were familiar with the role of a genetic counselor and were excited to welcome me. My goal was and still is to employ the skills and training I received in a manner that best fit the needs of my specific workplace and patient populations. This involves a lot of flexibility and conversations with colleagues, and succeeds largely due to the encouragement and support I receive from other healthcare providers on my team!
What part of your job gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning?
I love taking complex information and translating it into meaningful and understandable information for patients. I get excited about the opportunity to continuously learn as I see more and more patients, but also about tailoring the information and delivery to each unique patient. We have the opportunity to care thoughtfully and intentionally for each person that crosses our path, even in little ways, which is such a privilege!
What has been a valuable learning experience in your career path or journey?
Learning how to be a young professional comes with many challenges and learning opportunities. I am continually challenged by the need to balance confidence in my knowledge and ability to disseminate it with the humility of being early in my career and still having a lot of knowledge and skills left to develop. Overseeing patient genetics care for many different patients with many different conditions also continues to teach me about my capacity and weak spots. I am learning how to communicate these things, keep an optimistic perspective, and work towards growth.
What is something you would like to share with the TSGC community?
Collaboration and GC support is so helpful, and societies like this are so important! We learn from each other, understand each other in ways other colleagues may not, and can support each other when we continue to connect with one another regularly.
Outside of your career, what brings you joy?
My church/faith community brings me immense joy! I also love running, and it’s always made better when a partner or two comes along! Baking is also such a fun challenge, and indulging my sweet tooth certainly can bring me joy.
Tell us about a recent experience that made you feel grateful to be a genetic counselor.
I recently spoke with a patient who has a family history of Huntington’s disease and was considering predictive testing, but did not have a deep knowledge of the genetics of HD. Moments where we get to help individuals learn meaningful and deeply relevant knowledge, and help them feel as if they are not alone in their journey, makes me so thankful for the skillset we have and the chances we get to use it.
What genetic syndrome do you find most fascinating and why?
Repeat expansion disorders are fascinating to me, especially since anticipation can vary by disorder, both in terms of parental inheritance and extent to which repeats tend to expand. Spinocerebellar ataxia 7 is a particularly challenging condition, as repeats can expand so much from one generation to the next that a child can be affected before their parent develops any symptoms. It’s fascinating as a genetics concept and requires a lot of care and thought when counseling families and supporting them.
Julia sees all adult neurology indications, and referrals can either be sent through Epic to UT Health Genetics with Julia Castro specified in the “To Provider” section or directly to Julia’s work email: castroj2@uthscsa.edu.