Research grounded in genetics is booming: Therapies are in the works to treat a number of rare, inherited disorders, from blindness to nerve disease. But there’s a shortage of doctors trained to diagnose and treat such illnesses.
During match season for medical trainees this year, just 30 of the 55 spots for medical genetics residencies in the U.S. were filled.
The shortage means patients often have trouble getting in to see specialists. “Everybody has a several months-long waiting list,” said Dr. Louanne Hudgins, a clinical geneticist at Stanford and the president of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.
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