This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Matthew Goldstein, CEO of jscreen. They discuss his journey from physician-scientist and biotech founder to leading a national nonprofit focused on preventive genetic screening, how a personal tragedy reshaped his mission around carrier screening and access, and what it will take to close the gap between the promise of genomics and its real-world implementation in healthcare.

Show Notes: 

0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast

00:58 Welcome to Matthew

01:41 Matthew’s path from an MD-PhD to founding a personalized cancer vaccine biotech

09:06 From personal tragedy to leading jscreen to expand access to reproductive carrier screening 

17:11 Purpose, grief, and how Matthew has led jscreen in honor of his daughter

20:38 The implementation gap between genomic potential and real-world preventive screening 

23:33 Nonprofit models, reimbursement barriers, and building sustainable access to preventive genetic screening

28:27 Lessons from the Jewish community’s experience with Tay-Sachs and gaps in understanding

33:05 Preconception carrier screening and the role of community in preventive health

38:04 Closing remarks

Find out more: jscreen