ABGC Committees in Actions: 2026 Recent Developments and Updates

All three American Board of Genetic Counseling committees are hard at work pushing forward toward its goals. Get a more detailed look at what they're focused on right now:

Continuing Competence Committee (CCC)

In January 2026, the CCC welcomed five new members and thanked five of the inaugural members as they rolled off. We are so appreciative of their thoughtful contributions to the Learning Scenario program, a robust and innovative way to promote continuing competence within genetic counseling.  There continues to be two Learning Scenarios available for completion. The committee has two new Learning Scenarios undergoing review by subject matter experts and representatives from the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) committee. We anticipate these scenarios will be available by mid-May. There are additional scenarios under development by the CCC, with the last scenario scheduled to launch by late summer or early fall. This will result in five Learning Scenarios available for CEU credit in 2026.

As a reminder, the new Learning Scenario requirement took effect as each Diplomate enters a new recertification cycle on or after January 1, 2026. Diplomates will be required to complete 25 Learning Scenarios over their five-year recertification period. Five scenarios will launch annually, and Diplomates will receive 0.1 CEUs for each scenario completed.

We encourage Diplomates to see the ABGC website for additional information, including the table describing the timeline of the Learning Scenario requirement based on recertification cycle schedule.

Certification Exam Committee (CEC)

The CEC kicked off the new year with our annual item review meeting. During this important phase of the exam development cycle, we evaluate newly written exam questions, known as items, that were drafted last fall by the members of the Item Writing Committee. If you would like to learn more about the item writing process, a previous ABGC webinar can be found here. These new items address important areas of need for the exam, including the replacement of retired or outdated items.

The CEC carefully reviewed each new item at our January meeting, making edits to ensure accuracy, clarity, inclusivity and relevance to current practice. The highest quality items were approved for use on the exam and will appear as unscored questions. They will be indistinguishable from scored questions, but will be used to gather important statistics on their effectiveness and potential to become scored items on future exams.

The committee is also working to maintain up-to-date references for each item in the question bank. This ensures that every item that appears on the exam form is sourced to a reference from the CGC exam reference list.

Using the newly written items and established items from the question bank, Prometric is constructing the exams that will be administered in August 2026 and February 2027. In May, the committee will meet to review and finalize these exams to ensure they are ready to be administered to candidates.

We are grateful for the creativity of the item writers who help keep our exam content up to date and reflective of current genetic counseling practice, as well as for the enthusiasm and hard work of the CEC members!

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee (DEIJ)

While we welcome new Chair Nicholas Paolino (he/him) and Vice Chair Rozalia Valentine (she/her) and a new year, our committee remains dedicated to maintaining the high standards of the genetic counseling profession. Our current focus includes ensuring that ABGC Learning Scenarios and the Needs Based Certification Scholarship are implemented according to best practices and are aligned with the evolving needs of our Diplomates. We welcome your feedback as we refine these processes.

Reflective Learning Scenarios

To foster inclusive practice, ABGC and the CCC updated the learning scenario development process to include a rigorous review by the DEIJ Committee, which provides guidance to ensure the scenario is reflective, accurate and inclusive, as well as subject matter experts per scenario content.

These additional steps help ensure both the content and its presentation remain aligned with ABGC’s commitment to excellence, inclusivity and continuous improvement. 

Needs Based Certification Scholarship

We recognize the financial burden that the certification exam may place on individuals. To ensure equitable access to the profession, the committee has developed and successfully disbursed funds through the ABGC Needs Based Certification Scholarship, which provides financial support for the exam to students or graduates of accredited programs. Scholarship applications have been opened to potential exam takers.

• Equitable Application: To ensure an inclusive application process, candidates are encouraged to share their diverse perspectives through multiple mediums, including essay, video or audio submissions.
• Breaking Barriers: This initiative is a core part of our commitment to justice and equity, aiming to support those who bring diverse perspectives to the field.