Robin L. Bennett, Doctor of Science

Robin Bennett, you graduated from Kenyon as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and then enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College to master the exciting new profession of genetic counseling, whose mission is to enable people everywhere to benefit from the discoveries of genetic science. For centuries, assumptions about how one generation passed its assets and faults to the next were rife with superstition and falsehoods. While molecular science has lifted the veil obscuring these biological processes, skill and sensitivity are required to translate their complexities to enable individuals to comprehend their significance for their personal lives. You have become a leader among the educators whose explanations of statistical probabilities help people make choices affecting the quality of their lives and those of their families, choices no scientist or physician can rightfully make for them. But your work as senior genetic counselor at the University of Washington School of Medicine has permitted you to move beyond concern for your own clients to become a highly respected voice in the interpretation of genetic discoveries to the entire medical profession. Your scholarly publications are lauded by experts worldwide, and you have personally shared your expertise with practitioners around the world. You have been instrumental in developing the ethical guidelines that govern your profession, and you have won the admiration of your peers, who elected you president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. Your celebrated book The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History is recognized as the standard reference work for your profession. Robin Bennett, with this degree we salute you as a pioneer in the field of genetic counseling and as a scientist motivated by the desire to serve all humanity.

- Citation by Charles Rice, Professor Emeritus of Psychology