Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship (AGCF)
Funded by a grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation to the University of Pennsylvania, the AGCF provides full tuition scholarships, educational fellowships, mentorship, and career development for students underrepresented in genetic counseling at five MSGC programs.
A Critical Need for Broad Representation in Genetic Counseling
Research and clinical care in genetics and genomics have a particular need for culturally sensitive clinicians who understand the deeply rooted cultural and social differences and beliefs that underlie attitudes toward genetic testing, treatment, and research. Patients may prefer to receive care from a clinician with firsthand knowledge of the barriers encountered by underrepresented groups. Genetic counselors, who are trained to provide empathic responses, listen without judgment, and share a variety of options with their patients, develop the skills necessary to serve our varied patient population.
A Generous Philanthropist
The AGCF is funded by the Warren Alpert Foundation, a non-profit organization which supports innovative individuals and organizations dedicated to understanding and curing disease through groundbreaking research, scholarship, and service. The focus of the Foundation is to improve the health of the public through grants and programmatic activities progressing towards attaining or perfecting medical treatments or cures through basic research, translational and outcomes research as well as through health education. The Foundation provided this grant, the largest ever for genetic counseling education, to address the critical need to build a genetic counseling workforce that reflects the patient population as the implementation of genomic medicine rapidly expands.
A Visionary Partnership
The Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship (AGCF) is a partnership between the Warren Alpert Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania with an overall goal of increasing the number of genetic counselors from underrepresented backgrounds. The Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Pennsylvania leads this initiative and works in collaboration with the genetic counseling programs at Boston University; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Sarah Lawrence College; and the University of Maryland.
With a five-year, $9.5 million dollar grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation, the AGCF will include a total of 40 genetic counseling students, providing full tuition scholarships and stipends to cover living expenses. Each of the consortium programs selects two students per year to be AGCF Scholarship recipients.
The Warren Alpert Scholars participate in their master's programs’ regular coursework, fieldwork, research, and activities. That educational experience is enhanced by monthly meetings of all Warren Alpert Scholars, most virtual but two at in-person retreats. Monthly meetings allow each cohort of ten students to participate in discussions and workshops and to develop a community of peers even though they are in different programs and different cities. This community is essential as graduates will enter a profession with few role models. Each student will also have the support of a faculty mentor and a mentor who is a practicing genetic counselor.
A Community of Leaders
Each Alliance program develops outreach efforts unique to its local environment, and the Warren Alpert Scholars promote genetic counseling as a cutting-edge health care profession to undergraduates and high school students. Current and former students have attended high school career days, DNA Day events, hospital and University events for the public, and more.
Learn More and Connect
Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship website: https://agcfellowship.org/
Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Admissions
- MSGC programs at five universities participate in the Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship, and each offers two Warren Alpert Fellowships per year.
- University of Pennsylvania
- Boston University
- Sarah Lawrence College
- Rutgers University
- University of Maryland
- Applicants apply for admission directly to the individual programs they are interested in attending, through each program’s typical application process, and according to each program's individual admissions timeline.
- Applicants who wish to be considered for the scholarship must complete an additional essay and submit it to each program they apply to with their application.
- The essay prompt is the same for all five participating programs and is included on the application. The word limit 300.
- Following interviews, applicants rank the AGCF tracks on the NMS Match website for the programs they want to attend.
Applying for the Warren Alpert Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania
- Register for the NMS Match by the December deadline stated on their website.
- Complete the online application for the UPenn MSGC program and upload all required supporting documents. The application opens in mid-September, and our admissions deadline is Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
- Use this essay prompt to complete the additional essay for the scholarship application:
In actively helping to diversify the field, what may be some ways to promote the inclusion of underrepresented voices in genetic counseling in the future? Word limit 300.
4. Upload the essay to your application by the end of the day on Wednesday, December 10th.