AGCPD Outstanding Supervisor: Elysia Davis

It is with overwhelming gratitude that I receive this year's Outstanding Supervisor Award. One of my most treasured roles is as a supervisor for genetic counseling students. We supervisors are charged with refining skills and bolstering confidence, and I truly appreciate the great responsibility of this task. Each of our students has made it to their program because they innately possess qualities that will produce exceptional genetic counselors. As a supervisor, Ilike to identify and build upon each student's unique characteristics. I hope to be honest about my own faults in order to help students respect their own strengths and challenges. There is no one right way to counsel or learn. I strive to encourage students to allow their personality into the counseling space. As my students can likely attest, I also like to empower students to challenge themselves and to think creatively. We do not grow in our comfort zone! There is no one right way to be a geneticcounselor!I hope that my passions for women's health and genomic science are evident in my supervision. I commit to continueto grow as a supervisor so that I may serve our students well. Thank you for this incredible honor, and I lookforwardto hosting more students at UNC Reproductive Genetics in the years to come!

About Elysia Davis

Ms. Elysia Davis is a prenatal genetic counselor at UNC Chapel-Hill. She has been nominated by several past students as an outstanding supervisor and was a featured Supervisor Spotlight awardee in 2019.
In their supervisor nominations, students have described Elysia as a model supervisor that gets to know each student as a person. She is approachable, ensures that students feel comfortable and supported, offers helpful and balanced feedback, and challenges students in a supportive and encouraging environment. Elysia has been described to help students process emotions and reflect, then brainstorms different approaches with them. One student described how she was able to tailor her delivery to be more sensitive and meet patients where they were because Elysia “believed I could do it and wouldn’t accept me ‘being safe’." 
Elysia has also been a valued program supporter, serving as a guest lecturer and on our program's self-study rotations subcommittee during the reaccreditation process. We are honored to recognize Elysia Davis as the UNCG Genetic Counseling Program’s 2020 AGCPD Outstanding Supervisor!