Ryan Noss

The HHS Pacesetter is defined as an alumnus who has attained local, state or regional recognition through their achievements in scholarship, leadership or service, during their career or through civic involvement. The UNCG MS Genetic Counseling Program is proud to recognize Ryan Noss, Class of 2012, as our 2020 HHS Pacesetter Awardee!

Ryan graduated from The Ohio State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and a minor in Psychology. During his time as a student in our program, Ryan completed his Capstone research project entitled “Incorporation of Predictive Genomic Testing into Graduate Genetic Counseling Programs,” which was accepted for presentation at the National Society of Genetic Counselors Annual Conference in 2012. Reflecting on his time in the program, Ryan stated that “there are three skills and experiences from my time at UNCG that I truly believe set the tone for my current successes: (1) The number of cases, quality and diversity of rotation sites and knowledgeable, engaged supervisors at UNCG is really second to none; (2) the foundation for continuing education; and (3) the emphasis on psychosocial counseling.”

Since his graduation in 2012, Mr. Noss has practiced as a genetic counselor at Cleveland Clinic Genomic Medicine Institute. He served patient populations in adult and pediatric genetics before transitioning to cancer genetics in 2015. The most fulfilling aspects of his job includes “utilizing genetic information to mitigate the impact cancer has on a patient and their family.” Ryan is the primary genetics clinician in Cleveland Clinic’s Multidisciplinary Breast Center, and he assisted in the development of a Young Women’s Breast Cancer Clinic. “Working at the Cleveland Clinic as often meant more opportunities than one person could ever know what to do with,” Noss stated. “That seemingly limitless potential has allowed me to continually strive on my goal to develop new strategies to improve efficiency and broaden access. In our Breast Center, I get to be a valued team member in a multidisciplinary setting fully appreciating the power genetic information has to improve healthcare.”

Mr. Noss received the Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Celebrations Excellence Award in 2012 and 2017, and the Employee of the Quarter for the Center of Personalized Genetic Healthcare (DNA Award) in 2019, Quarter 4. Ryan has supervised and mentored many genetic counseling students over the years and was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Clinical Supervisor Award by the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors. “I am where I am today because of the time other genetic counselors took while I was a genetic counseling assistant at Ohio State and then as a graduate student at UNCG for my education/training,” Noss shared. “I feel an obligation to honor that sacrifice by finding ways to pay it forward to future genetic counselors.”

In addition to developing clinical expertise, Mr. Noss has extended his prowess to the realm of research. He has coordinated cancer research studies including a study that funded whole exome sequencing for individuals with childhood and adolescent malignancies. Ryan has authored abstracts for poster and platform presentations at regional, national and international cancer and genetics meetings, winning NSGC’s “Best Abstract Award” in 2015. He has also published articles in peer-reviewed journals on various topics. His co-authored paper “The Current State of Genetic Counseling Assistants was the “Top Downloaded Paper in 2018-2019” in the Journal of Genetic Counseling. “We all have or strengths, and we all should feel a sense of obligation to offer up those strengths to our profession. By doing so, our profession will continue on its upward trajectory waiting for the next generation to continue carrying it forward,” inspires Noss.

Mr. Noss has also embraced his role as an educator, lecturing genetic counseling students as well as other learners including breast imaging technologists, surgical breast fellows, undergraduate students in Public Health, Counseling and Educational Development, high school students, support groups and other patient populations. He has been invited to speak at annual meetings for the American College of Medical Genetics, National Society of Genetic Counselors, and the Cleveland Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. At The Cleveland Clinic, Mr. Noss has been invited to speak at internal events including the Genomic Medicine Institute Genetics Symposium and Center of Personalized Genetic HealthCare Symposium. 

Mr. Noss has been regionally and nationally active in various capacities which speaks to his passions of “developing strategies to provide genetic counseling to as many patients as possible, working as a member of a team to provide the best possible car, and educating future genetic counselors.” He has served as a consultant for MyGene Counsel since 2019, serves as a member of Case Western Reserve University’s Genetic Counseling Program’s Advisory Board, and he is a member of the Ohio Cancer Genetics Network. For the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Ryan has served on the Access and Service Delivery Model Committee, the 2020 Professional Status Survey Development Work Group and has been a leader/mentor on the Prospective Students Task Force for the Student/New Member Special Interest Group.

“I have been blessed to have numerous extremely talented colleagues and family members. Seeing their amazing accomplishments keeps me hungry to fulfill my potential as well.” says Noss. These inspirations motivate him to offer the following valuable advice to current genetic counseling students and interested applicants: “In a field growing as rapidly as ours opportunities are everywhere. Figure out what you are great at and chase opportunities in line with those skills, good things will happen.”

Mr. Ryan Noss embodies all of the qualities of a Pacesetter and our program is grateful for the opportunity to honor and celebrate him as our 2020 HHS Pacesetter!