Overview
Genetics
Our South East Thames Regional Genetics Service is based at Guy's Hospital. We also provide care for people in:
- south east London
- Dartford
- Brighton
- Canterbury
- Bromley
- Tonbridge
- Rochester
We offer clinics at:
- Guy's Hospital
- St Thomas' Hospital
- Evelina London Children’s Hospital
- Brighton Hospital
- Kent and Canterbury Hospital
- Eastbourne Hospital
Our clinical genetics service provides care for people and families with a range of genetic conditions. Genetic conditions are caused by changes in a person's genetic information which may be passed down in families.
We support people with:
- medical assessment and diagnosis of:
- rare genetic disorders
- hereditary cancer syndromes
- cardiac genetic conditions
- risk assessments and advice for relatives
- genetic counselling and testing for a condition in a family
- emotional and psychosocial support
We run clinics with other health professionals to manage symptoms or risks from a genetic condition.
We also offer appointments that aim to provide you with your genetic information, rather than genetic testing. Genetic information can help you understand your chances of becoming unwell, or of having a child who is unwell. Genetic tests are optional.
We're also a leading centre for pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT-M/SR).
Our team includes:
- consultants
- consultant clinical geneticists
- specialist nurses
- genetic counsellors
- clinical psychologists
We also see children for genetics appointments.
Health information
The NHS website has information about:
Genetic Alliance UK supports people with genetic, rare and undiagnosed conditions in the UK.
British Society for Genetic Medicine provides information about genetic conditions.
Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) provides support to parents who are having screening tests during pregnancy.
Our consultants
Adam Shaw, cancer genetics service lead
Dragana Josifova, general genetics service lead
Leema Robert, cardiac genetics service lead
Shwetha Ramachandrappa
Amira Elmakky
Rhoda Akilapa
Elizabeth Forsythe
Mohammed Wafik
Genetic counsellor consultants
Charlotte Tomlinson, consultant genetic counsellor in general genetics and PGT lead
Vishakha Tripathi, consultant genetic counsellor
Research and clinical trials
Research is vital to improving the care that you receive when you're unwell. You can help improve healthcare by taking part in research studies at our Trust.
We are currently working on various research programmes that aim to:
- improve the diagnosis of genetic conditions
- understand the effects of different gene changes
- develop new or better treatments for genetic conditions
We work in partnership with King’s Health Partners as 1of 8 Academic Health Science Centres. We're linked to the Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics at King’s College London, based in Guy’s Hospital.
Our research team helps to coordinate local, regional and national projects related to:
If you're interested in taking part in research, please ask your healthcare professional. They'll be happy to tell you about research studies you could be eligible to join.
You can also email [email protected] for further information.
If you provide an interest in taking part in a research project, it does not mean you have to. You can withdraw at any time.
These projects have looked at improving the diagnosis and understanding of genetic conditions. They have diagnosed thousands of participants who may have remained undiagnosed. They continue to provide new diagnoses and insights.
Some families affected by a likely genetic condition are offered a test called whole genome sequencing. People offered this test have the chance to enter their genetic and healthcare data into the National Genomic Research Library.
Over 100,000 participants have contributed to this resource, including many from our service.
This library supports hundreds of projects throughout the country.
Last updated: March 2024
