We had a fantastic time in Orlando, FL last week at the 2026 Florida Association of Genetic Counselors (FLAGC2026) Annual Conference.

Our team was proud to represent the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and connect with the genetic counseling community. IPRD Senior Associate Director David H. Ledbetter, PhD, FACMG, presented an overview of the Sunshine Genetics Act and Florida’s leadership in genomic newborn screening. A major highlight was a presentation by IPRD Assistant Professor Saanchi Shah, PhD, LCGC, MS, MPH, entitled “Sunshine Genetics: Genomic Newborn Screening in the Sunshine State.”

Dr. Shah presented an overview of the end-to-end workflow of the Sunshine Genetics Pilot Program, including consent, sample collection, and return of results. Early, pre-launch survey results indicate strong public support for the new program across the Sunshine State.

We are grateful to the organizers of FLAGC2026 for an outstanding meeting and for the opportunity to share our exciting progress.