Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Journal of Genetic Counseling

The Journal of Genetic Counseling was established 20years ago. The following are comments from the editorsin reflection and celebration!Deborah EunpuWhen the first editorial board was charged with establishingthis Journal of Genetic Counseling, we had little idea ofwhat we were doing. We had dreams, we had hopes, and wehad a drive to begin a tradition of academically sound andrigorous examination of our work as genetic counselors.Thankfully we had those strong desires and a healthy doseof hubris, because we had little experience and no indexingservice would take us on. Who would want to publish theirwork where it wouldn’t be accessible through the indexingservices of the day? How could we publish a journal whenthere was no paradigm for what research in genetic counsel-ing should or could be? Where would the manuscripts comefrom? So, we started with what we knew: clinical reportsand narratives of projects. I remember holding the first issuein my hands, the feeling of wonder akin to that of holding anewborn baby, and wondering how we would keep doing itagain and again four times a year. I am grateful for all theboard members, all the authors, the NSGC’s support, andthe continued willingness of our profession to commit time,talent and financial support to the journal. When I receivethe journal now, it is still a special event. In its continuedgrowth over the years is reflected the growth of our profes-sion. To the first editorial board members, I send a specialmessage: “See, we weren’t crazy. The Journal you nurturedis thriving”. That is all to the benefit of the patients andfamilies we serve.Robert RestaWith the success of Journal of Genetic Counseling—andI count 20 years of uninterrupted publication as a success—the genetic counseling profession has managed to pull arabbit out of its hat. Remember that 20 years ago therewas virtually no research tradition within the field. Indeed,most genetic counseling training programs did not evenrequire a thesis for graduation, and most of us had little orno formal training in qualitative or quantitative researchdesign. Still the drive to create an outlet about geneticcounseling research came from within the field as it soughtto define and assess itself on its own terms. Yet somehowthe profession has managed to nurture the journal’s growth