Thea Johnson provides genetic counseling at Affinity Health System. Genetic counseling services include evaluation of personal and family medical history, risk assessment and genetic testing for patients.

What are some of your hobbies outside of work? My husband and I enjoy camping in Wisconsin’s diverse state parks. To kick back and relax we love to watch movies. Getting together with family and friends for game night (Scattergories is our favorite) is also a favorite for my husband and me.

What is your favorite thing about your job? My favorite aspect of my job is having the opportunity to help and meet with patients and their relatives. My job can positively impact not only an individual, but in some cases, their relatives.

What sort of blogs/news channels do you follow? My husband and I enjoy traveling and recently took a trip to Paris, France. For that reason, I love to follow http://www.parisdailyphoto.com/

To feed my professional interest, I follow: http://thednaexchange.com/

If you weren’t a genetic counselor, what would your dream job be? Genetic counseling is my dream job. I have wanted to be a genetic counselor since 9th grade. I love that my career is what I wanted to be when I “grew-up.” However, a paleontologist would be a close second!

Where did you grow up/where is your family from? My husband and I were born and raised in Racine, Wis. We feel fortunate to live relatively close our families.

What is the hottest trend in your industry? There is an explosion of available genetic tests. Genetic counselors keep abreast of the newest technologies and what genes can be tested. Genetic counselors can then help patients and their doctors understand when genetic testing is appropriate and when it is not.