Meet a genetic counselor who wears a crown

This IU Health team member is passionate about helping others.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Patients and families often meet Lauren Frank when they are in a vulnerable state. For the past five years she has worked as a genetic counselor with the Maternal Fetal Medicine Department, working at IU Health North and Riley Children's Health.

But what some don’t know about Frank is that she also holds the title of “Miss Indiana for America.” Earlier this summer, Frank competed with other delegates in three categories including interview, swimsuit, and evening gown competition. This is the 7th year of the Miss Indiana for America pageant, the sister pageant to Mrs. Indiana America. As the winning title holder, Frank received a cash prize, and an all-expense paid trip to compete at the 2025 Miss for America pageant in Las Vegas this August.

Here’s more about Frank:

How did you choose to go into genetic counseling?
The field of genetic counseling truly combines all my passions. I love that we are on the forefront of understanding human genetics and that it is an active area of research in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field. New genetic testing technologies, treatments, and innovation keep me on my toes, which is very exciting. I also have always been someone who loves helping people in difficult times, which is where the ‘counseling’ piece comes into play. I have a Master of Science (M.S.) in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. and I got my Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology from Indiana University Bloomington.

Describe a typical day at IU Health
Genetic counselors at IU Health are advanced practice providers. On average, I see about three to five patients a day, spending about one hour in direct patient care with each patient. This amount of time allows us to really build rapport and connections with our patients and tailor each appointment to their needs. I meet with patients for many different reasons, but common indications include fetal birth defects, abnormal genetic testing results, family history of genetic conditions and/or birth defects, recurrent pregnancy loss, and more. I provide risk assessments for the patient, her partner, and their baby, provide education about genetic conditions and testing options, then help them decide if genetic testing is right for them while providing empathy and support along the way. Should a patient elect genetic testing, we coordinate the testing process and call the patient with results, allowing them to ask questions and talk through next steps. I am also the lead genetic counselor providing genetic testing support for babies in the NICU as well as for stillbirths in Labor and Delivery at IU Health North Hospital. This has been an exciting new opportunity we have been offering to patients for the last year. This new initiative has greatly impacted patient care at IU Health North, and I was one of the lead developers of this new outreach program. In addition to direct patient care, I also am actively involved with the IU Genetic Counseling Graduate Program where I am the lead supervisor for their IU prenatal rotation during training. In this role, I was awarded the 2024 “Supervisor of the Year” award from the program. I have also served on the board for the Indiana Network of Genetic Counselors for three years and hope to run for president of this organization next year.

How did you get involved with “Miss Indiana for America”
This is the 7th year of the Miss Indiana for America pageant, the sister pageant to Mrs. Indiana America. In 2019, the leaders of this pageant system could see a ‘need’ for a pageant to celebrate women who have ‘aged out’ of the traditional pageant systems (such as Miss America, Miss USA). They created the Miss for America Strong pageant, which includes no age limit and is available for women who are single, widowed, or divorced. This system truly celebrates strong/accomplished women in America. I have been involved in pageantry for several years now. I began in the county fair pageants, having won Miss Marion County Fair in 2015. Then I went on to be a 500 Festival Princess in college, though this is not a traditional pageant – more so celebrating accomplished women who are selected via an interview process. More recently, I have competed for the titles of Miss Indiana (within the Miss America Organization) in 2023 and Miss Indiana USA in 2023 and 2024; I was selected as a semi-finalist in each of these pageants.

Personal
Frank enjoys community involvement, and theater. She has performed with Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in Carmel and Footlite Musicals in Indianapolis. She also works part-time with Happily Ever After Productions where she performs as a Disney princess for kids’ birthday parties and community events. Frank recently completed in her first Indy Mini Marathon, joining the IU Health team, and her first “world series of fitness racing” HYROX competition.