Capstones to Careers: Daniel Assamad

Daniel Assamad is a 2020 graduate of the M.H.Sc in Medical Genomics Program, and is currently a M.Sc candidate in the Genetic Counselling Program at the University of British Columbia. Daniel has previously worked as a Clinical Project Research Assistant in the Hayeems Lab at SickKids Hospital, and completed his practicum position as a Genome Data Analyst at Mount Sinai Hospital. Daniel’s unique experiences in the MedGen Program have helped him become a successful genetic counselling candidate, and will shape his career decisions going forward.

Daniel graduated with the inaugural MedGen cohort, meaning he was one of the first MedGen students to complete a capstone practicum. He was taken on by genetic counsellors Vanessa Di Gioacchino and Nicholas Watkins to work as a genome analyst at Mount Sinai Hospital, where he analyzed copy number variants (CNVs) and single nucleotide variants (SNVs) for pre- and post-natal cases seen in the Prenatal Diagnosis and Medical Genetics Program. Daniel successfully worked through an existing backlog of cases and took the initiative to improve the efficacy of CNV analysis at the clinic by developing an Excel extraction document to improve the process, which is still in use today. Daniel’s practicum was unfortunately cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but this did not deter Daniel from taking on additional projects under the supervision of Nick Watkins, including literature searches and clinical research, that he could complete at home.

Daniel explains that the practicum was an excellent learning opportunity as it provided him with the opportunity to gain real-world experience and a greater understanding of clinical genomics. However, his practicum experience also solidified the fact that he did not see himself doing variant interpretation exclusively in his career. Daniel’s time working with Vanessa and Nick, as well as his previous experiences as a Residence Don at the University of Toronto, inspired him to pursue genetic counselling. Daniel worked as a Senior Residence Don, Senior Community Advisor and Life Sciences Academic Don during his undergraduate and graduate studies at UofT, and developed a passion for advising and assisting students with a variety of backgrounds and concerns. As he explains, “as an international student who grew up in Kuwait, it was rewarding for me to support students going through similar challenges that I went through during my first and second year”. Upon reflection, Daniel realized genetic counselling was the perfect way to combine his passion for genetics with his desire to impact and support others.

Daniel spent the next few months preparing his genetic counselling application. During that time, he took on a clinical research role in the Hayeems Lab at SickKids Hospital, working with Dr. Robin Hayeems researching genomic screening and diagnostic technologies and their impacts on health services and healthcare policy development. The Hayeems lab aims to build sustainable and equitable models of care that optimize access and ensure appropriate use of genomic technologies as the field continues to expand. Daniel was introduced to Dr. Hayeems’ research during his first year of the MedGen program and began volunteering in her lab a few months later. Daniel is very passionate about the research coming out of the Hayeems’ lab and is planning on continuing to work with Dr. Hayeems during and after the GC program at UBC. In his words, “genetic counselling allows you to help one patient or family at a time, while the research at Dr. Hayeems lab can help support thousands of people through funding and policy development”. He cites Dr. Hayeems as his role model, saying “witnessing the impact she and her work have made and continues to make on the genetics field in Toronto and Canada continues to inspire me to want to follow her footsteps”.

Daniel continues to explore multiple fields in medical genomics, including clinical research, variant interpretation and genetic counselling. He explains that graduating from the MedGen Program allowed him to develop skills in all these specialties, and will allow him to ‘wear many hats’ in his career going forward. “I see myself taking on a patient-facing counselling role with a degree of variant interpretation while continuing to contribute to policy development research”. We are excited to continue to follow Daniel in his many endeavors, and wish him luck as he continues his education at UBC.

Image provided by Daniel Assamad.