EP 257: Managing hereditary cancer risk and medical uncertainty with Marleah Dean Kruzel of the University of South Florida

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Marleah Dean Kruzel, Professor of Communication at the University of South Florida. They discuss her personal path from watching breast cancer move through her family to testing positive for a hereditary mutation herself, the ART framework she developed for managing uncertainty, and the complexities of communicating genetic risk within families.Show Notes0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:59 Welcome to Marleah01:35 Marleah's family history of breast cancer across four generations02:48 Marleah's childhood living through her mother's five-year cancer battle04:26 Marleah's experience with genetic testing07:19 How a positive test result reshaped Marleah’s PhD research focus08:40 The central challenges of living with a positive test result 10:50 The ART framework for managing hereditary cancer uncertainty15:06 Applying the ART framework to Patrick’s experience with uncertainty and the importance of having a support system 19:53 Common misconceptions in how families communicate genetic risk23:54 The previvor identity and the chronic uncertainty it brings25:40 How Marleah has learned to accept and embrace uncertainty27:57 Balancing logic and emotion in hereditary cancer family planning31:28 How Marleah grounds her research tools in patients' lived experience33:21 How AI is eroding our capacity to sit with uncertainty35:57 Redesigning healthcare for a lifespan of genetic risk information38:10 Closing remarks