Sajid Merchant, MS

About

Sajid Merchant is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Alberta and a Board-certified genetic counsellor. His work integrates clinical practice, program and team leadership, teaching and mentoring learners across stages of training, and professional governance contributions that strengthen and advance the genetic counselling profession locally and nationally.

Clinical Practice and Leadership

Sajid earned a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from the University of Alberta and a Master of Science in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College. Shortly afterward, he obtained certification with the American Board of Genetic Counseling.

Sajid began his career at the North York General Genetics Program in Toronto, providing prenatal genetic counselling to a diverse patient population. Drawing on this early clinical foundation, he moved to the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin where he practiced across prenatal, pediatric, adult, cancer, metabolic, and laboratory-based areas of genetic counselling. During this period, he published research in congenital scoliosis and served on the Institutional Review Board, as well as the Wisconsin State Advisory Committees on metabolic genetics and hemoglobinopathies.

Sajid then returned to his hometown of Edmonton to join the Medical Genetics Clinic at the University of Alberta. In the decades since, his clinical practice has evolved within prenatal and general genetics, honing expertise in inherited hemoglobin disorders, innovative service delivery models, and the legal and ethical dimensions of genetic counselling.

Sajid became the Clinic’s Lead genetic counsellor in 2007. The growing multidisciplinary team of genetic counsellors, genetic assistants, and nurses that he oversees delivers a wide range of genetics services. Over time, he was lucky enough to participate in several province wide initiatives, including the integration of cystic fibrosis into Alberta’s newborn screening program, strengthened coordinated care pathways, implemented new models of service delivery, and reduced wait times for patients.

Academic Teaching and Course Development

Since 2010, teaching and developing university courses in medical genetics and genetic counselling have remained central to Sajid’s academic contributions and interests. He created and currently teaches MDGEN407: An Introduction to Genetic Counselling (previously BIOL 490), an advanced undergraduate/graduate course to introduce learners to the principles and practice of genetic counselling. This innovative course offered a new opportunity for undergraduate learners, reflected in the publication: “Experiencing genetic counselling at the undergraduate level: A course to prepare students for practice.” Journal of Genetic Counseling. 2019;28(6):1214–1218. doi:10.1002/jgc4.1166. PMID: 31553101. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31553101/. More information about MEDGEN 407 is available at: https://sites.google.com/ualberta.ca/mdgen407/home

Sajid also helped to create and co‑instructs MDGEN403: Principles of Medical Genetics. More information is available at: https://apps.ualberta.ca/catalogue/course/mdgen/403

Guided by his clinical and educational experiences, Sajid is currently in process of co-developing a new graduate genetic counselling training program at the University of Alberta. This will be the first of its kind provincially and a significant expansion of accredited, high-quality training capacity in Western Canada for future genetic counsellors. In 2025, he co-created one of the program’s core graduate courses, MDGEN501: Medical Genetics and Genomics I. This provides a foundational overview of medical genetics principles in pediatric and adult settings. More information is available at: https://apps.ualberta.ca/catalogue/course/mdgen/501

Professional Regulation and Leadership

Sajid has a longstanding interest in the regulation and governance of the genetic counselling profession. He co‑founded the Alberta Association of Genetic Counsellors (AAGC) and is a past President of the organization. He continues to contribute to provincial and national efforts supporting professional regulation, advocacy, and public protection.

Sajid is also an active member of the Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors (CAGC) and served as the national organization’s President in 2015.

Overall, Sajid’s clinical practice, educational leadership, and commitment to professional governance continue to shape the delivery and future of genetic counselling in Alberta.

Research

1) determining the utility and practicality of undergraduate education in Genetic Counselling

2) working toward a master's based training program in Genetic Counselling

Caluseriu O, Leonard N, Radziminsky N, Jacob-Morneau F, Barghava R, Leonard H, Merchant S, Dzwiniel T, Scott D, Billinghurst L, Blaser S. A First Nations Canadian family with periventricular nodular heterotopias and cerebellar dysgenesis due to an unusual mutation in the ARX gene. Abstract at the at 40th Annual David W. Smith Workshop on Malformations and Morphogenesis. Banff, Alberta, Aug 24-29, 2019.

Giampietro P.F., Raggio C.L., Reynolds C., Ghebranious N., Burmester J.K., Glurich I., Rasmussen K., McPherson E., Pauli R.M., Shukla S.K., . et al.  (2006) DLL3 as a Candidate Gene for Vertebral Malformations.  American Journal of Medical Genetics 140: 2447-2453.

Giampietro P.F., Schowalter D.B., et al.  (2006) Widened clinical spectrum of the Q128P MECP2 mutation in Rett syndrome.  Childs Nervous System 22: 320-324.

Merchant S, McDermid HE. Experiencing genetic counseling at the undergraduate level: A course to enrich student horizons. J Genet Couns. 2019 Dec;28(6):1214-1218. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1166. Epub 2019 Sep 25. PMID: 31553101.

(2005) An analysis of PAX1 in the development of vertebral malformations.  Clinical Genetics 68: 448-453

(2003) Congenital and Idiopathic Scoliosis: Clinical and Genetic Aspects.  Clinical Medicine and Research 2: 125-136.

“Practice Guide for Sickle Cell Trait Identified in Newborn Screening.” Toward Optimized Practice. April 2019. Available from https://actt.albertadoctors.org/CPGs/Pages/Sickle-Cell-Trait.aspx

Teaching

I believe that learning and teaching are a shared responsibility. Ostensibly, the teacher is to provide the medium for student learning. However, my thinking is that if the process is optimized, student questions will drive deeper thought and learning for the teacher, creating a learning circle that feeds both the student and teacher. Genetics, by its nature as being a newer medical science, means there is still much to learn; it is a fast-paced, growing area of study. Consequently, those in the field must view learning as a lifelong process. I have found that interacting with students causes me to challenge my beliefs, understanding and refines and expands my body of knowledge.  

Since genetic counselling is a practice-based discipline, so too are my courses. Clinical practice enhances the quality and relevance of my teaching; observational activities and interaction with patients for students are a critical learning component that I provide. Further, allowing students to observe the practice of the skills and knowledge learned through my assignments also affords opportunities for leadership and modeling behavior.

I believe that learning at higher levels needs to be practical. As such, my courses and assignments are all based on real-world situations. My hope is that a student will never have to ask, “Why do I need to know this?” or, “How will I ever use this”? This fosters active student engagement with the course material. 

Further, I strongly value genuine understanding over simple memorization even if this costs “grades”; such an approach is critical to truly apply one’s learning in real-life situations in an adaptable way. This approach is emphasized in my classes and fosters critical thinking. Further, this facilitates a discussion and questioning of beliefs, particularly so in ethical-based situations – which come up frequently in clinical medical genetics and genetic counselling. In science and medicine half the battle is asking the right question, not just having the “right” answer. Thus, students are rewarded as much for asking questions as they are for knowing the answer.

My relationship with my students is very important to me. I like to see the "whites of their eyes", which my independent studies courses facilitate well. Further, my regular guest lectures on ethics and medical genetics are extremely interactive, providing challenging scenarios that we work through together in groups. Working with small classes or individual students has allowed me to have the personal contact I enjoy with my students. I try to create a safe environment in which students can openly share their opinions, questions and concerns. This builds a sense of community in the classroom.

As a practicing genetic counsellor in the Edmonton Medical Genetics Clinic, I grow and hone my clinical skills in real-time through my patient care. I can then use these experiences to enrich my teaching. My regular attendance at educational conferences provides other avenues for keeping abreast of changes in the field, which can then be returned to my teaching. Lastly,  my volunteer work with the genetic counselling professional groups also helps me remain current within professional circles, which often include teaching networks. Since learning is a lifelong process, I engage in ongoing professional development and reflection, all of which is embedded into the teaching I deliver to my students.

CELL 403 - Principles of Medical Genetics

The rapid expansion of our understanding of the human genome has created new, exciting possibilities to understanding the root causes of human disease and improve health. However, this also leads to real and potential problems - both ethical and practical. This senior level undergraduate course will consist of four modules each covering different aspects of the scientific theory underlying the practice of Medical Genetics. Topics will include core concepts in human genomics, developmental genetics, genetic variation, Mendelian and non-Mendelian traits, Mendelian disease as examples of key genomic concepts, methodologies that allow for screening of genetic disease and the theory supporting the practice of genetic counselling. This course will be based on didactic understanding of the topics and draw upon examples from the expertise of the instructors. Prerequisites CELL 201 or BIOL 201, 300 level course in CELL or GENET or consent of the Department. Note: Not to be taken by students with credit in MDGEN 403. In addition, not available to students currently enrolled in MDGEN 403.

MDGEN 403 - Principles of Medical Genetics

The rapid expansion of our understanding of the human genome has created new, exciting possibilities to understanding the root causes of human disease and improve health. However, this also leads to real and potential problems - both ethical and practical. This senior level undergraduate course will consist of four modules each covering different aspects of the scientific theory underlying the practice of Medical Genetics. Topics will include core concepts in human genomics, developmental genetics, genetic variation, Mendelian and non- Mendelian traits, Mendelian disease as examples of key genomic concepts, methodologies that allow for screening of genetic disease and the theory supporting the practice of genetic counselling. This course will be based on didactic understanding of the topics and draw upon examples from the expertise of the instructors. Prerequisites CELL 201 or BIOL 201, 300 level course in CELL or GENET or consent of the Department. Note: Not to be taken by students with credit in CELL 403. In addition, not available to students currently enrolled in CELL 403.

MDGEN 407 - Independent Studies in Genetic Counselling

An interactive course designed to provide undergraduate students insight into the role of a genetic counsellor through exploration of key topics. The class meets once a week for a 2-to-3-hour discussion. Each week students will be presented a typical genetic counselling case, which they will then write up and present to the entire class the following week. All students will then participate in the discussion of the case. Midterm(s) and/or finals consist of a 60 min presentation on a choice of various ethical issues currently impacting the field. The course is graded based on presentations, written assignments and participation. Open to undergraduate students with permission of the course instructor. Credit may only be obtained in one of MDGEN 407 or MDGEN 507.

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