Tanya Lehfeldt
Capstone Project Committee: Nancy Callanan, MS, CGC, James Evans, MD, Sat Gupta, PhD (Statistical Consultant), Jan McColm, PhD
The Internet has become an excellent resource for professionals to stay up to date on new developments in their specialty and it continues to increase in popularity. The Internet has made podcasting one of the fastest growing Web based media resources. Podcasts are audio or video files that can be downloaded automatically and transferred to portable media players. Genetics in Medicine is a peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the clinical application of genetics. Few scientific journals produce podcasts and podcasting may be a novel way to disseminate each issue’s content. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a need for a podcast of the journal Genetics in Medicine and to gain an understanding of what type of podcast the audience would expect. A survey about podcast interest and expectations was administered by email to current American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) members. Overall, the results of this study yielded positive feedback for a podcast of Genetics in Medicine. In addition, the results of this study also supplied a greater understanding of the needs and desires of those interested in a podcast of Genetics in Medicine. Specifically, the results describe ACMG member preferences on the style and content of a prospective Genetics in Medicine podcast.