Brenda Finucane, M.S., C.G.C.

Brenda is a genetic counselor and the Director of Genetic Services at the Elwyn Training and Research Institute in Media, Pennsylvania. Elwyn is a private, nonprofit corporation which provides a variety of residential and day services for people with developmental disabilities in the U.S. and overseas.
Since 1985, Ms. Finucane has been providing genetic diagnostic and counseling services within an educational setting, allowing her the unique opportunity to research and apply practical knowledge about fragile X syndrome. She has been directly responsible for the diagnosis of over 80 children and adults with fragile X syndrome within the Elwyn System alone. She is an active participant along with educators, psychologists and other school personnel in team meetings and behavioral planning for both day and residential students. Through Elwyn's Technical Assistance for Schools program, she has also had many opportunities to visit schools throughout the U.S. to provide staff training and to assist in the development of education and behavior pans for students with fragile X syndrome. She states, "I feel strongly that the benefits of a fragile X diagnosis should extend beyond the valuable genetic information provided to families. There is a rich body of research on behavior and learning styles in these individuals which has immediate applicability at school and in the home. I strongly support the work of CFXF in fostering research into the molecular underpinnings of fragile X syndrome, and in its interest in discovering a cure at the biochemical level. Until that dream is realized however, there is still much we can do to ameliorate symptoms in children and adults with this condition."

In addition to her work with CFXF, Ms. Finucane is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Committee of The National Fragile X Foundation, and she serves as a contact for newly-diagnosed families within the mid-Atlantic region. Her work in genetics extends to many other syndromal causes of developmental disabilities, and she is widely published. Recent publications include an updated edition of Fragile X Syndrome: A Handbook for Families and Professionals (in press) which is distributed by The National Fragile X Foundation. In 2000, she co-authored the book, Genetics and Mental Retardation Syndromes: A New Look at Behavior and Interventions (Brookes Publishing Company) with UCLA psychologists Elisabeth Dykens and Robert Hodapp