Biography

June Peters received an MS degree in genetic counseling in 1973 from Rutgers University and an MS in psychological counseling in 1986 from California State University at San Bernardino. Over a three decade career, she has held a wide variety of genetic counseling and academic positions in tertiary care medical centers, universities, private community hospitals, county, state and federal government. She is board certified by both the American Board of Genetic Counseling and the American Board of Medical Genetics and is a founding member of both the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and the American College of Medical Genetics. Ms. Peters is also a Marriage and Family Therapist, licensed in California and the District of Columbia. Within the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, June Peters is currently the senior genetic counselor with the Cancer Genetics Branch, involved in genetic education, counseling and research in various CGB clinical research protocols. She and sociologist collaborator Regina Kenen have conceived and introduced the Colored Eco-Genetic Relationship Map (CEGRM) into clinical research for assessing social exchanges and applied the CEGRM to assessing high risk families and their social networks with NHGRI collaborators. Ms. Peters current interests include exploring the personal, family and social dynamic implications of hereditary cancers; integrative medicine; mind-body healing; mindfulness based stress reduction, and gene-environmental interactions focusing on biological mechanisms, such as inflammation and telomere biology, that interact with psychological and social well-being and health.

Research Interests

• Clinical Cancer Genetics
• Genetic Counseling
• Psychological, Social, Behavioral Research
• Integrative Mind-Body Medicine and Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immunology

Ms. Peters provides genetic education, counseling, and risk assessment functions within existing protocols in the CGB/DCEG, such as Hereditary Breast/Ovarian Cancer families, Familial Testicular Cancer and Hereditary Bone Marrow Failure Disorders of Childhood (such as Fanconi's anemia). Ms. Peters is, in addition, developing a research program which brings a genetic counseling and psychosocial perspective to bear on behavioral issues related to increased genetic susceptibility to cancer, with a particular focus on family dynamics.

Selected Publications

• Peters, JA. Genetic Counselors: Caring Mindfully for Ourselves. In Genetic Counseling Practice: Advanced Concepts and Skills, Eds. LeRoy BS, McCarthy Veach P, & Bartels DM. New York: Wiley & Sons, 2010.
• Koehly LM, Peters JA, Kuhn NR, Hoskins L, Letocha AD, Kenen R, Loud J, Greene MH. Blockers, Disseminators, Gatherers: Who are they in Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) susceptibility families? Am J Public Health 2009;99:2303-2209.
• Loud JT, Beckjord E, Peters JA, Nichols K, Giusti R, Greene MH. Tolerability of breast ductal lavage in women from families at high genetic risk of breast cancer. BioMedCentral: Womens Health 2009;9:20.
• Vadaparampil ST, Moser RP, Loud J, Peters JA, Greene MH, Korde L. Factors associated with testicular self-examination among unaffected men from multiple-case testicular cancer families. Hered Cancer Clin Pract 2009 May 29;7(1):11.
• Peters JA, Beckjord EB, Banda Ryan DR, Carr AG, Vadaparampil ST, Loud JT, Korde L, Greene MH. Testicular cancer and genetics knowledge among familial testicular cancer family members. J Genet Couns 2008 Aug;17(4):351-64.
• Koehly LM, Peters JA, Kuhn N, Hoskins L, Letocha A, Kenen R, Loud J, Greene MH. Sisters in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families: communal coping, social integration, and psychological well-being. Psychooncology 2008 Aug;17(8):812-21.
• Hoskins L, Roy K, Peters JA, Loud L, Greene MH. Disclosure of positive BRCA1/2-Mutation status in young couples: Expectation, Experience, and Effect. Families Systems and Health 2008;26(3):296-316.
• Bakos AD, Hutson SP, Loud JT, Peters JA, Giusti RM, Greene MH. BRCA mutation-negative women from hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families: a qualitative study of the BRCA-negative experience. Health Expect 2008 Sep;11(3):220-31.
• Denny CC, Alter BP, Peters JA, Wilfond BS. Anticipating unexpected results: Ethical implications of donor screening for genetic diseases in children. Am J Med Genetics Part A 2008;146A:2719-2724.
• Mueller CM, Mai PL, Bucher J, Peters JA, Loud JT, Greene MH. Complementary and alternative medicine use among women at increased genetic risk of breast and ovarian cancer. BMC Complement Altern Med 2008 Apr 30;8:17.
• Mueller CM, Korde L, Katki HA, Rosenberg PS, Peters JA, Greene MH. Constitutional cytogenetic analysis in men with hereditary testicular germ cell tumor: no evidence of disease-related abnormalities. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007 Dec;16(12):2791-4.
• Alter BP, Baerlocher GM, Savage SA, Chanock SJ, Weksler BB, Willner JP, Peters JA, Giri N, Lansdorp PM. Very short telomere length by flow fluorescence in situ hybridization identifies patients with dyskeratosis congenita. Blood 2007 Sep 1;110(5):1439-47.
• Mai PL, Korde L, Kramer J, Peters J, Mueller CM, Pfeiffer S, Stratakis CA, Pinto PA, Bratslavsky G, Merino M, Choyke P, Linehan WM, Greene MH. A possible new syndrome with growth-hormone secreting pituitary adenoma, colonic polyposis, lipomatosis, lentigines and renal carcinoma in association with familial testicular germ cell malignancy: A case report. J Med Case Reports 2007 Mar 28;1:9.
• O'Neill SM, Peters JA, Vogel VG, Feingold E, Rubinstein WS. Referral to cancer genetic counseling: are there stages of readiness? Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 2006 Nov 15;142C(4):221-31.
• Peters JA, Vadaparampil ST, Kramer J, Moser RP, Court LJ, Loud J, Greene MH. Familial testicular cancer: interest in genetic testing among high-risk family members. Genet Med 2006 Dec;8(12):760-70.
• Peters JA, Hoskins L, Prindiville S, Kenen R, Greene MH. Evolution of the colored eco-genetic relationship map (CEGRM) for assessing social functioning in women in hereditary breast-ovarian (HBOC) families. J Genet Couns 2006 Dec;15(6):477-89. Review.
• McDaniel SH, Peters JA, Acheson L, Kenen R, Greene MH. Professional collaboration to assess and care for genetic disorders.Individuals, Familis and the New Era of Genetics, New York: WW Norton, 2006;530-559.
• Peters JA, Kenen R, Giusti R, Loud J, Weissman N, Greene MH. Exploratory study of the feasibility and utility of the colored eco-genetic relationship map (CEGRM) in women at high genetic risk of developing breast cancer. Am J Med Genet A 2004 Oct 15;130A(3):258-64.
• Trepanier A, Ahrens M, McKinnon W, Peters J, Stopfer J, Grumet SC, Manley S, Culver JO, Acton R, Larsen-Haidle J, Correia LA, Bennett R, Pettersen B, Ferlita TD, Costalas JW, Hunt K, Donlon S, Skrzynia C, Farrell C, Callif-Daley F, Vockley CW; National Society of Genetic Counselors. Genetic cancer risk assessment and counseling: recommendations of the national society of genetic counselors. J Genet Couns 2004 Apr;13(2):83-114. Review.
• Kenen R, Peters JA. The Colored, Eco-Genetic Relationship Map (CEGRM): A conceptual approach and potential tool for genetic cancer risk counseling research. J Genet Couns 2001;10(4):289-310.

Collaborators

DCEG Collaborators

• Blanche P. Alter, M.D.; Mark H. Greene, M.D.; Lindsey Hoskins, PhD; , Christian Kratz, M.D.; M.S.; Jennifer Loud, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., DNP; Phuong Mai, MD; Lisa Mirabello PhD, M.S.; Sharon Savage, M.D.; Ingrid Wentzensen, M.D.

Other NIH Collaborators

• Laura Koehly, Ph.D., NHGRI
• Colleen McBride, Ph.D., NHGRI
• Paige McDonald, Ph.D., DCCPS, NCI
• Rick Moser, Ph.D., DCCPS, NCI

Other Collaborators outside NIH

• Sadie Hutson, Ph.D.
• Regina Kenen, Ph.D., MPH