Clinical Geneticists on the Patient Case at UConn Health

Learn more about UConn Health's two dedicated clinical medical geneticists, Dr. Jaclyn Beirne and Dr. Joseph Tucker, on the frontlines of genomic medicine. They both completed advanced specialty fellowships at UConn's medical school in clinical medical genetics.

Hand holding strand of DNA. (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Genetic medicine is growing at UConn Health.

On the frontlines are Dr. Jaclyn Beirne and Dr. Joseph Tucker. They are UConn Health’s two dedicated clinical medical geneticists in Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences.

Dr. Jaclyn Beirne

Medical Genetics’ Beirne and Tucker work hand-in-hand with UConn Health’s extended team of 6 genetic counselors who cover the clinical areas of hereditary cancer, maternal fetal medicine, and for the MotherToBaby CT Program.

They accept patient referrals for patients of all ages in need of a genetics evaluation and can help facilitate appropriate genetic testing. They consult with and care for patients at UConn Health’s 11 South Road location for the diagnosis, treatment and management of pediatric or adult genetic disorders.

“Genetics touches every aspect of medicine from prenatal diagnosis to individualized pharmacogenomics and more,” shares Beirne “and our clinical genetics team is readily available to help care for patients across the UConn Health campus and beyond.”

Their Medical Genetics service accepts patient referrals for all types of genetics evaluations. Some of the most common reasons for referral include:

  • Birth defects
  • Atypical features
  • Unusual child development or growth
  • Connective tissue disorders
  • Developmental delays/Intellectual disability
  • Autism
  • Sensorineural hearing loss
  • Personal/family history of a genetic condition
  • Neurofibromatosis and other neurocutaneous disorders
  • Skeletal dysplasias

Beirne and Tucker both completed their advanced specialty fellowship training in clinical medical genetics at UConn School of Medicine which has been home to a medical genetics fellowship for over 10 years.

Dr. Joseph Tucker

Tucker currently serves as assistant professor in Genetics and Genome Sciences and Pediatrics. He is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania and completed his medical degree at SUNY Downstate Medical School, and his residency training at UConn School of Medicine and Connecticut Children’s.

Beirne is assistant professor of Genetics and Genome Sciences and graduated UConn with a bachelor degree in diagnostic genetic sciences. She received her medical degree from St. Georges Medical School and completed her family medicine residency training at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.

 

Learn more about UConn Health’s clinical geneticists and their Medical Genetics services online here or contact them at phone: 860-679-1440.