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The Victor Outreach and Screening Program for Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Diseases
The Victor Outreach and Screening Program for Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Diseases at Tufts Medical Center was established at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center through a generous philanthropic gift from Lois Victor, in partnership with the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network of Philadelphia, PA.
The Victor Program was founded to provide education, outreach and screening for the prevention of devastating genetic diseases carried at increased frequencies among members of the Ashkenazi Jewish population.
People of Ashkenazi Jewish descent have at least a 1 in 5 risk of being a carrier for one of multiple inherited diseases. If both members of a couple are found to be carriers, they are at 25 percent risk of passing a given genetic disease on in each pregnancy. Click here to learn more about how these diseases are inherited.
One additional note of interest is that while these genetic diseases occur most frequently among people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, Tay-Sachs disease also occurs with increased frequency among people of French-Canadian and Irish descent. The Division of Genetics at the Floating Hospital is available to provide genetics counseling, screening, and treatment to any one who suspects that their family heritage may place them in a high risk category and who is interested in learning about their reproductive risks.
The Victor Program provides preconception counseling and screening to couples of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who are interested in learning crucial information regarding their reproductive risks.
Genetic counseling and carrier screening are available to allow couples to make informed reproductive decisions. Advanced technologies make having a healthy baby possible for carrier couples. For couples found to be at increased risk, reproductive counseling, prenatal diagnosis and treatment will be coordinated.
We also provide education in the community and at college and graduate school campuses, where screening drives promote awareness and provide screening for members of the Jewish community.
Diseases that The Victor Program screens for include:
- Bloom syndrome
- Canavan disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase Deficiency
- Familial Dysautonomia
- Familial Hyperinsulinism
- Fanconi Anemia type C
- Gaucher disease
- Glycogen Storage disease Typ 1A
- Joubert Syndrome
- Maple Syrup Urine disease
- Mucolipidosis type IV
- Nemaline Myopathy
- Niemann-Pick disease Type A
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs disease
- Usher syndrome Type 1F
- Usher syndrome Type III
- Walker-Warburg
To make an appointment for genetic counseling and screening for these diseases, please call 617 636-7721.
Click here for our preclinic information document.
Genetic Terms
Internet Resources
Donations: How You Can Help
When you make a donation to The Victor Outreach and Screening Program for Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Diseases, you are helping couples make educated reproductive decisions and allow for the birth of healthy children.
Your tax-deductible contribution to The Victor Program can be made the following ways:
Online Giving
You can make a gift online here. To direct your gift: From the "Direct my Gift" textbox, select "Other" from the available options. Then, in the adjacent textbox, type "The Victor Program."
Send a Check
Please make your check payable to "The Victor Program" and mail to:
Tufts Medical Center
800 Washington St., Box # 231
Boston, MA 02111
Speak with a Gifts Officer
We welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your specific interests. Please contact:
Betsy Rudnick
617-636-8276
brudnick@tufts-nemc.org
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