Faculty


Leadership

debra-duquette

Debra Duquette, '92 MS, CGC

Director, Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University

Debra Duquette received her Bachelor of Science degree in biological science and secondary education from Michigan State University. She was in the first class of graduates that received a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1992. She received her board certification from ABGC in 1993.

After graduation, Debra worked in clinical reproductive genetics for 12 years at Michigan health systems (Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Hutzel Hospital/Detroit Medical Center, and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids). During her time at Hutzel Hospital, she was the clinical facility leaders on a National Institute of Health study that compared early amniocentesis to late chorionic villus sampling. She was also involved in the early pioneering of fetal surgeries/interventions for fetal anomalies and genetic conditions. At Hutzel Hospital and Spectrum Heath, she coordinated and supervised clinical rotations for medical students, residents, fellow and genetic counseling graduate students. She was also an adjunct faculty member of Wayne State University School of Medicine. Debra has co-authored peer-reviewed articles on a variety of reproductive genetics topics.

Debra also worked for 13 years in state public health. From 2004-2017, she led the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Genomics Program. She served as the State Public Health Genomics Coordinator, Director of the Cancer Genomics Program, Coordinator of the Michigan Alliance of Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young, Chair of the Lynch Syndrome Screening Network, and Facilitator of the Michigan Cancer Genetics Alliance. MDHHS was awarded five Centers for Disease Control & Prevention cooperative agreements to integrate genomics best practices into public health utilizing surveillance data, education, and policy. She managed over $5 million of awarded CDC funding.

She also led development of new MDHHS programs for newborn screening including the Michigan BioTrust for Health and Diet for Life. She was co-editor for Healthcare’s Public Health Genomics supplement, and authored several peer-reviewed articles on cancer genomics, sudden cardiac death of the young, and other public health genomics topics. She has supervised and mentored several public health internships and thesis projects for genetic counseling graduate students, public health graduate students, cardiology residents and fellow, and preventive medicine residents. She also was appointed to multiple state and national committees, including co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine Genomics and Population Health Action Collaborative and member of the National Academy of Medicine Committee on the State of the Science in Ovarian Cancer Research. Debra currently serves as the Executive Director of the Lynch Syndrome Screening Network (LSSN), Advisory Board Member for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), Steering Committee Member for the FORCE-CDC Cooperative Agreement eXamining Relevance of Articles for Young Survivors (XRAYS), and a Medical/Scientific Advisory Board Member of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC).

In August 2017, she joined as the associate director of the Center for Genetic Medicine’s Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is interested in bringing together her work in public health genomics and health inequities to increase access to genetic counseling especially for disparate populations. She is also interested in developing new models and metrics for clinical genetic counseling delivery. Her research interests include prevention of sudden cardiac death of the young, universal/routine and cascade screening for hereditary cancers, preventive medicine and genetics, health disparities, and implementation of genomics and to improve health outcomes. As associate director of the program, she works closely with the director, medical director and assistant directors on administration, overall curriculum and clinical development, clinical rotations and thesis development.

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catherine-wicklund

Catherine Wicklund, MS, CGC

Professor, Northwestern University

Cathy Wicklund received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of Texas Graduate School in Biomedical Sciences at Houston in 1993. Cathy received her board certification from ABGC in 1996.

After graduation, Cathy worked in prenatal and pediatrics at Cooper Hospital in New Jersey. She joined the University of Texas Medical School-Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences in 1996 where she was the director of Prenatal Genetic Counseling Services. In addition, she was the co-director of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of Texas. During her time at the University of Texas she was involved in program administration, designing and coordination of the curriculum, clinical rotations, supervision and was a thesis advisor or committee member on several students’ thesis research projects. After 10 years at the University of Texas she joined the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling as the associate director in 2006 and became director in August of 2007. In addition, she provided prenatal genetic counseling services in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology until 2020.

Cathy is also very active on a national and international level. For the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) she has chaired various educational committees for the Annual Education Conferences (AEC) and co-chaired the 2005 AEC. She served on the Board of Directors, first as Region V Representative, then as Secretary and was President in 2007. As a leader in NSGC she has represented the organization at several national meetings including the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Collaborative Research Meeting and the National Institutes of Health, National Human Genome Research Institute Physician Assistants and Genomic Medicine Meeting. She has also been active in the American Society of Human Genetics, serving on the abstract committee, program committee and represented ASHG on the scientific program committee for the 2016 International Congress of Human Genetics.

She has continued to participate on a national level, contributing to discussions on genomics and precision medicine. She most recently completed her term as an appointed member of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Hereditable Disorders in Newborns and Children and the Veterans Affairs National Research Advisory Council. She is the NSGC representative on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health and co-chairs the Equity Working Group. She also serves on numerous advisory boards/committees for various initiatives including graduate education and workforce issues, increasing access to genomic services, equity and health disparities, and newborn and early childhood screening. She was involved in the All of Us research initiative including serving on the All of Us Genetic Counseling Resource Advisory Board until 2022.

Cathy’s research interests include issues regarding genomics and precision medicine including implementation, health inequities and education. She works on several grants including assessing the benefits and harms of false positives in newborn screening, utilizing chatbots regarding APOL1 testing in living kidney donors, and provider education in cardiogenomics. She has worked with the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network, which aims to bring personalized medicine into broader clinical use and has been involved in the All of Us initiative both at Northwestern University and on a national level. In addition, she is interested in psychosocial and counseling issues, outcomes in genetic counseling, and professional issues including access to and delivery of genetic services.

In November of 2022, the associate director, Debra Duquette, joined Cathy as co-director of the program. Cathy and Deb work closely together with the medical directors and the GPGC team in all aspects of the program including administration, strategic planning, overall curriculum and clinical development, fieldwork placements, and thesis development.

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sharon-aufox

Sharon Aufox, MS, CGC

Assistant Director, Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University

Sharon graduated with a Master of Science degree in Human Genetics from the Sarah Lawrence Genetic Counseling Program in 1996. Sharon worked as a prenatal and pediatric genetic counselor as well as a laboratory genetic counselor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 1996-2000. Originally from Illinois, Sharon returned to the Chicago area as a prenatal genetic counselor working for Rockford Memorial Hospital in their Hoffman Estates and Elgin satellite clinics from 2000-2002. Since 2002, Sharon has worked at Northwestern on a DNA Biobank, called the NUgene Project, where she is in charge of recruitment, regulatory issues, and quality control of the data collected. She currently serves on Northwestern's and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Institutional Review Boards. Additionally, she works on a NIH cooperative grant (The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics, also known as the eMERGE Network), designing and executing protocols involving the incorporation of genomic information into clinical care. Sharon is actively involved in both the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC), and serves on several committees and task forces. She is a past- president of ABGC and past chair of the National Society of Genetic Counselors' Research Special Interest Group, which focuses on the roles that genetic counselors can have in all aspects of clinical genetic research. Within the Graduate Program, she helps facilitate the Research Methods course, serves on several committees, and has serves as a thesis advisor and/or committee member on several students' research projects each year.

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mohammad-abbass

Mohammad Ali Abbass, MD

Co-Medical Director, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Northwestern University

Mohammad Ali Abbass, MD, is an assistant professor of Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Abbass’ completed his medical training in general surgery, colorectal surgery and an additional fellowship focused on inherited colorectal cancer syndromes at Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. Currently, he is in the process of completing a Masters of Public Health at Northwestern University.

Abbass’ research interests focus on standardizing care for patients with inherited colorectal cancer syndromes, understanding genotype-phenotype correlations in high-risk colorectal cancer patients and access to high-risk cancer care and genetic counseling.

As the field of germline and somatic testing continues to evolve in the era of personalized medicine, the integration of a strong academic and clinical partnership between physicians and genetic counselors is key for high-quality patient care. He believes that a genetic counselor’s job goes beyond ordering a test; it ensures an accurate diagnosis, establishes a familial and personal risk and guides personalized patient care.

Outside of work, Abbass enjoys running after his two toddlers who teach him every day to stay curious, inspired and to enjoy the little things in life.

A selection from his most recently read books include: “Think like a Rocket Scientist,” “The Eye Test,” “The Genome Defense,” “The Secret of Life” and “The Power of Regret.”

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jeffrey-dungan

Jeffrey Dungan, MD, FACOG, FACMG

Co-Medical Director, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University

Dr. Jeffrey Dungan is an associate professor in the Division of Reproductive Genetics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and clinical genetics, his clinical expertise and research interests are in prenatal diagnosis, genetic screening and ultrasonography. He is also keenly interested in student and resident education, having served as the clerkship director at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. As medical director, Dr. Dungan is involved in multiple areas of the graduate program, including student supervision and research, the Research Oversight Committee, the Advisory Committee, and the Admissions Committee. He also lectures in several courses.

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christin-hoell

Christin Hoell, MS, CGC

Senior Graduate Program Educator, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University

Christin (Christie) Hoell received her Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and certificates in Women’s Studies and Classics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She received her Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling and her board certification from ABGC in 2011.

She started her career as a prenatal genetic counselor at NorthShore University HealthSystem in the Center for Maternal and Fetal Health. Christie then moved to Northwestern University as the program manager for the third phase of Northwestern’s eMERGE (electronic medical records and genomics) Project, overseeing participant recruitment and the return of genomic sequencing results. She continues her work with eMERGE as it enters into phase four, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to develop a recruitment and return of results app for Northwestern eMERGE participants.

Christie is an active member of NSGC. She has served as Chair of the Membership Committee, Chair of the Professional Status Survey Subcommittee, Chair of the Leadership Awards Subcommittee, a member of the Board of Directors Nominating Committee, and a member of the Genetic Counselor SARS-CoV2 Impact Survey task force. On a local level, she is involved with the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals, having served on the board as Secretary and President. She is also a member of the Epic, Inc. Genetics and Genomics Steering Board.

Christie has been a faculty member with the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling since she graduated, serving as a rotation supervisor, and thesis advisor and committee member. She joined the program leadership in 2020 as a Senior Graduate Program Educator.  Christie is the co-coordinator of the Genetic Counseling Skills Practicum and Introduction to Genetic Counseling courses, in addition to serving on multiple program committees, including admissions.

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sarah-walterman

Sarah Walterman, MS, CGC

Senior Graduate Program Educator, Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Instructor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University

Sarah graduated from the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program of the University of Cincinnati in 2014 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2015. She is currently a prenatal counselor in the Division of Clinical Genetics at Northwestern Medicine and provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students, medical students and maternal-fetal medicine fellows.
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Jennifer-young

Jennifer Young, PhD, MS, MA

Psychosocial Research Education, Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Assistant Professor of Medical Social Sciences and of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University

Dr. Jenni Young is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Social Science with a secondary appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Young is a trained Marriage and Family Therapist and a researcher specializing in the Ethical, Legal, Social Implications (ELSI) of genetics and genomics. Dr. Young received a PhD in Family Science from the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health. She also holds master's degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland and in East Asian Languages and Literature from The Ohio State University. During her PhD program, Dr. Young completed a predoctoral fellowship in Clinical Genetics at the National Cancer Institute where she worked as a clinician and psychosocial researcher. Her dissertation explored coping and resilience in families with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, specifically couples communication strategies in the face of uncertainty and high cancer risk.

Dr. Young recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University’s Center for Biomedical Ethics where her research focused on the experiences of Asian Americans with genetic counseling and genetic testing. Dr. Young is fluent in Mandarin and is an experienced qualitative methods, health equity and family systems researcher. She has been a research mentor to genetic counseling students for numerous years and has lectured on counseling methods and psychosocial issues relevant to genetic counselors at both Stanford and Northwestern.

Dr. Young joined the program leadership in 2022 as a co-coordinator for the Psychosocial I and II courses. In addition to mentoring GPGC students on their thesis projects, Dr. Young has an active program of research in genetic communication across diverse backgrounds, cascade genetic testing, health inequities, intra-family relationships related to genetics and psychosocial outcomes.

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ismam-islam

Ismam Islam, '19 MS, CGC

Student Development Coordinator, Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Northwestern University

Ismam graduated from the Northwestern University Genetic Counseling Graduate Program in 2019 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2020. He is currently a prenatal genetic counselor at Illinois Masonic Medical Center and provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students. He joined the program leadership in 2022 as the Student Development Coordinator. Ismam is the co-coordinator of the Professional Issues course, in addition to serving on various program committees, including admissions. He coordinates multiple workshops throughout the year such as interviewing, negotiating, boards, and licensing preparation. He additionally aids second-year students in transitioning to the workplace.

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ellie-wade

Elli Wade

Lead Program Coordinator, Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Northwestern University

Faculty

liana-abramson

Liana Abramson, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Liana graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2019 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2019. She started her career as a prenatal genetic counselor with the Center for Maternal and Fetal Health at NorthShore Evanston Hospital. There, she was also involved with the IDPH newborn screening program for cystic fibrosis, providing genetic counseling and relevant educational presentations. Liana is currently practicing as a prenatal genetic counselor with the Advocate Illinois Masonic Antenatal Resource Center team. She supervises genetic counseling students through the Northwestern program and is a member of National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals.

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lara-balay

Lara Balay, MS Ed, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System

Lara Balay graduated from the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling and was certified by ABGC in 2014. Prior to this she received a Masters in Secondary Science Education during her time as a biology and health teacher in New York. She is currently working at the UI Health Hereditary Cancer Clinic at University of Illinois- Chicago providing genetic counseling services. Lara is also a Vice Chair of the UIC Health and Biological Sciences IRB board, participates in developing and running clinical genetic research studies in the UIC Cancer Center, and lectures for the UIC fellow and medical students. She is actively involved with the Northwestern Genetic Counseling Program by providing guest lectures, serves as a thesis adviser and committee member, providing clinical supervisor, and being a member of Northwestern's Program Development committee.

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kelly-bontempo

Kelly Bontempo, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Advocate Children's Hospital and Lutheran General Hospital

Kelly Bontempo graduated from the genetic counseling program at Northwestern University in 2012 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling the same year. Kelly is a pediatric genetic counselor with Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge and provides adult, oncology and prenatal services as needed. She has special interest in connective tissue disorders, newborn screening, imprinting disorders and rare disease discovery. Kelly also works in product development at Invitae following the acquisition of Medneon, an AI-powered digital health platform she helped develop. Kelly is actively involved in education as faculty with Northwestern's Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, Midwestern's Graduate Program in Precision Medicine, as well as in working with medical students, residents, and fellows. Kelly served as president of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals in 2017 and has been an item writer for the ABGC Board Exam. Kelly's interest in nutrition and its effect on complex, multifactorial disorders led her to pursue a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell in 2015.

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casey-brew

Casey Brew, MS, CGC

Laboratory Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Casey Brew graduated from the genetic counseling program at Northwestern in 2017 and became board certified and licensed in the state of Illinois in the same year. She started her career at Rush University Medical Center working as a clinical pediatric and adult cardiology genetic counselor. As of 2018, Casey began working as a variant interpretation counselor at Lurie Children’s Hospital in their Molecular Diagnostics lab. She also sees patients in their Heart Failure clinic for indications of cardiomyopathy. Casey supervises genetic counseling students in rotations and is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals.

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katya-brossart

A. Katya Brossart, MS, LCGC

Medical Science Liaison (Organ Health), Natera, Inc.

Katya Brossart graduated from the University of Michigan Genetic Counseling Program in 2012. As a Medical Science Liaison for Natera, Inc., she provides medical education to healthcare providers regarding offerings in the Organ Health division, including donor-derived cfDNA screening for kidney transplant rejection and genetic testing for heritable renal conditions. Prior to that, Katya was a clinical genetic counselor at the Advocate Illinois Masonic (AIMMC) Antenatal Resource Center, where she provided genetic counseling for prenatal and preconception indications, supervised Northwestern genetic counseling students and was actively involved in genetics education for the AIMMC OB/GYN residency training program.

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jordan-brown

Jordan Brown, MA, MS, LGC

Assistant Professor, Ohio State University

Jordan an assistant professor with appointments in the Division of Human Genetics and the Division of Bioethics at  Ohio State University. As Assistant Director of the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program at OSU, she participates as a course director, thesis committee member, and in program administration. In addition to this role, Jordan also sees patients in gynecologic oncology. She earned a BA in History at George Mason University in 2015, and received her MS in Genetic Counseling in 2017 and MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities in 2020 from Northwestern University. Her primary research interests include genetic testing and data-sharing in vulnerable populations. Before coming to OSU, Jordan worked as a laboratory genetic counselor at Johns Hopkins University, where she was responsible for exome analysis, variant interpretation, and test development. She participates as adjunct faculty for the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling. Jordan is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and serves on the Public Policy Committee. She is also the founding president (now past-president) of the Maryland and DC Society of Genetic Counselors and has been involved in licensure efforts within the state of Maryland. In her free time, Jordan enjoys running, reading, and playing with her dog, Kona.

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jessica-bucher

Jessica Bucher, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Independent Contractor

Jessica Bucher, MS, CGC, graduated from the Northwestern University Genetic Counseling Program in 2010 and was certified by the ABGC in 2010. Jessica is primarily a pediatric and rare disease genetic counselor. She is a contributing faculty member for the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University. She supervises students rotating through through the program. Jessica has an interest in Connective Tissue Disorders and remains involved with The Marfan Foundation. Jessica is currently an independent contractor working with various start-up companies.

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shayna-burch

Shayna Burch, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, NorthShore University HealthSystem

Shayna Burch graduated from the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2017. Shayna works as a clinical genetic counselor at NorthShore University HealthSystem, where she primarily sees adult patients for assessment of hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. Shayna is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals. She also enjoys working with genetic counseling graduate students as a clinical supervisor.

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kelly-burgess

Kelly Burgess, MS, CGC

Manager, Genomic Science Liaison, Ambry Genetics

Kelly Burgess graduated from the genetic counseling program at Wayne State University in 2014 and was certified by the ABGC in February of 2015. After working in clinic as a cancer genetic counselor for over five and a half years at Rush University Medical Center seeing adult patients, Kelly went to work for Ambry Genetics as a Genomic Science Liaison (GSL) in February 2020. In February 2022, Kelly moved into a manager role on the Ambry Oncology/Reproductive Health GSL team where she manages a team of seven GSLs, providing clinical support and education to the Ambry sales team and healthcare providers.

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lisa-castillo

Lisa Castillo, MS, CGC

Assistant Professor, Genetic Counselor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Lisa graduated from the University of Minnesota graduate program in 2001. She started as a genetic counselor in neuromuscular disorders and cancer. She has been specializing in cardiovascular genetics since 2006 at The University of Chicago and then since 2014 at Northwestern University. During her time at Northwestern University, she helped to build the cardiovascular genetics clinic at the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. Lisa clinically sees all types of inherited cardiovascular disease including cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, aortopathies and sudden cardiac death. She also has a strong research focus through the Northwestern University Center for Genetic Medicine, where she is involved in studies to identify new genes in cardiovascular disease through whole-genome sequencing, as well as genomic profiling of sudden cardiac death and development of cardiovascular education modules for cardiology physicians and healthcare professionals.

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sara-cherny

Sara Cherny, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Sara Cherny graduated with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota in 2007 and obtained certification as a genetic counselor in the state of Illinois in 2009. She has diverse clinical experience, including pediatric, adult, prenatal, neurology and cardiovascular genetics. Sara currently practices in the Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and her research focuses on trends in cardiovascular genetic testing and patient care. Her leadership and advocacy contributions include the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals, the Cardiovascular SIG of the NSGC, and the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiological Society (PACES), and she has a special interest in equity and access to genetic counseling services. Sara is an invited reviewer for the Journal of Genetic Counseling and Cardiology in the Young. She is happy to have the opportunity to supervise and educate rotating genetic counseling students, medical students and residents.

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katie-cobian

Katie Cobian, MS, CGC

Pediatric Genetic Counselor , University of Illinois-Chicago

Katie graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2016 before enrolling in Northwestern University’s Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling and graduating in 2018 with a master’s degree. She currently works as a Pediatric Genetic Counselor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, providing genetic counseling services to individuals and families affected by pediatric and adult onset conditions. In the coming year, she plans to serve as a clinical supervisor for genetic counseling graduate students.

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leighann-dacanay

Leighann Dacanay, MS, LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Northwestern Medicine West Region (Central Dupage and Delnor hospitals)

Leighann Dacanay graduated from the genetic counseling program at Indiana University in 2013 and was certified by the ABGC in the same year. She is currently a prenatal genetic counselor at Northwestern Medicine West Region (Central DuPage Hospital and Delnor Hospital). Leighann supervises students in clinical rotations and is a member of the Genetic Task Force of Illinois and National Society for Genetic Counselors.

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lenika-de-simone

Lenika De Simone, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Lenika De Simone graduated with a degree in Human Biology at Stanford University in 2012 and a master’s degree in Physical Anthropology at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2014. She joined Counsyl, a genetic testing company in South San Francisco, and worked as a genetic test billing specialist for 2 years. Lenika obtained her certification as a genetic counselor at Northwestern University in 2018. She has a diverse experience including pediatric, adult, and neuromuscular genetics, as well lab utilization and billing for genetic testing. She currently practices at Lurie Children's Hospital and contributes to the professional field through the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals and the Neurology SIG of the NSGC. Lenika enjoys supervising and educating prospective and current genetic counseling students.

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christine-drogan

Christine Drogan, MS

Genetic Counselor, Associate Director, The University of Chicago Medical Center

Christine Drogan is a licensed and certified genetic counselor and associate director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic at The University of Chicago. She graduated from the genetic counseling program at the University of Pittsburgh in 2020 and was certified by the ABGC the same year. In addition to her work at The University of Chicago, she also works at Friend Family Health Center providing cancer genetic counseling, primarily for uninsured or underinsured women. She has special interest in pancreatic cancer, which she lectures on in the adult genetics course. She has research interest in increasing cascade testing uptake and equity of access to genetic services. She is an active member of multiple professional groups including the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers, for which she serves as the chair of the membership committee for 2023.

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taya-fallen

Taya Fallen

Chief Clinical Officer, Insight Medical Genetics, LLC

Taya Fallen graduated from the Graduate Program of Genetic Counseling at Northwestern in 2001, and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2002. She worked at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, from 2001-2002, providing prenatal, adult and cancer genetic counseling. Taya started the Cancer Genetics Program at Northwestern Medicine in 2002 and provided clinical cancer risk services there until March of 2016. She now works as Chief Clinical Officer for Insight Medical Genetics, a private practice genetic counseling and testing company with multiple locations in the Chicagoland area. Taya is actively involved with the Graduate Program of Genetic Counseling by co-moderating Medical Communication and teaching in the Adult Genetics curriculum. Taya also serves on several committees and task forces of the NUGPGC including the Faculty Review Committee, Program Development Committee, New Faculty Orientation Committee and the Curriculum Committee. In her free time, she enjoys running and gardening.

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jamie-garman

Jamie Garman, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, GeneScreen

Jamie Garman received her master’s degree in Medical Genetics from the University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 2017 and was certified by the ABGC in 2018. Prior to genetic counseling, Jamie was a California high school science teacher and science department chair. In 2017, Jamie enjoyed the role of a pediatric genetic counselor with Advocate Medical Group/Advocate Children’s Hospital in general genetics and multidisciplinary clinics. She helped create a genetic counseling clinic and founded the Genetic Counseling Volunteer program. Jamie became genetic counselor coordinator and faculty member at Loyola Medicine in 2019. She oversaw the genetic counseling program in the Obstetrics & Gynecology department in the Maternal Fetal Medicine division, managed grants and provided education to residents and Maternal Fetal Medicine fellows. Jamie shifted to a genetic counseling role with GeneScreen to help improve genetic counseling access for patients seeking prenatal, reproductive and cancer genetic counseling services in 2021. As a member of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals Community Outreach and Professional Education Committee chair, advocacy committee member and National Organization for Rare Disorders volunteer Jamie advocates on a state and national level for the genetic counseling profession and the rare disease community.

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elizabeth-gelfman

Elizabeth Gelfman, MMSc, CGC

Genetic Counselor, NorthShore University HealthSystem

Elizabeth Gelfman graduated with a Master of Medical Science degree in Human Genetics & Genetic Counseling from Emory University's program in May 2016 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) in August 2016. Originally from Illinois, Elizabeth returned to the Chicago area in June 2016 as a pediatric genetic counselor at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. She currently works for NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL primarily as a cancer genetic counselor. She is also involved in various research studies at NorthShore, including disclosure of research results to participants in their Genomic Health Initiative biobank. Within the Northwestern Genetic Counseling Program, Elizabeth serves as instructor of the Patient Resistance and Adherence lecture, facilitator of the Familial Hyperlipidemia PBL, and member of the Admission Committee. She is also actively involved with the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC).

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jackie-herigodt

Jackie Herigodt

Director of Programs and Outreach, Imerman Angels

Jackie has been a caregiver to several loved ones with cancer including her mother, who lost her battle with lung cancer in 2004. These experiences fuel her passion for the Imerman Angels' mission. Jackie has been with Imerman Angels since 2012. In her current role as Director of Programs and Outreach, she oversees the Mentor Angel training process, the matches made between Mentor Angels and support seekers and the organization's outreach efforts. Jackie was responsible for the creation of the outreach initiative at Imerman Angels. This program has helped strengthen partnerships with other cancer organizations and cancer centers to better serve more people who have been impacted by cancer. Additionally, she established the global Ambassador initiative, made up of volunteers who dedicate their time to spreading awareness about the Imerman Angels mission and pursuing partnership opportunities to ensure that no one faces cancer alone. Jackie graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She has worked in the fields of animal training, customer service and education. Her diverse background has proven to be beneficial for her role with Imerman Angels.

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megan-hinton

Megan Hinton, MS, CGC

Assistant Professor and Genetic Counselor, Northwestern Medicine

Megan Hinton received her master’s degree from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University in 2000, and was certified by the ABGC in 2002. She currently holds assistant professor faculty appointments at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and the Center for Genetic Medicine. Megan serves on several committees of the NUGPGC including the Admission Committee and the Accreditation Application Review Committee. Megan is past-president of the Genetic Task Force of Illinois and is active in the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling serving as a site-visitor. Megan has also been active in the National Society of Genetic Counselors, participating in the Abstract Committee and Regional Conference Planning Committee, and previously as the Illinois State representative. She has been a prenatal genetic counselor in the Division of Clinical Genetics at Northwestern Medicine since 2001 where she provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students, medical students and maternal fetal medicine fellows.

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megan-horn

Megan Horn, MS, MA, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Genome Medical

Megan Horn received her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling and her Master of Arts in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University in January 2018 and was certified by ABGC in February 2018. She currently works as a cancer, preconception and prenatal telemedicine genetic counselor at Genome Medical, a private national genetic counseling company. Megan's involvement with Northwestern’s Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling includes supervising genetic counseling students and occasional guest lectures. She was a founding member of the Northwestern Mental Health and Wellness Task Force.

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kristen-hughes

Kristen Hughes, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, NorthShore University HealthSystem

Kristen graduated with a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2018. She is employed as a clinical genetic counselor at the Center for Medical Genetics at NorthShore University HealthSystem, where she primarily provides genetic counseling to adults diagnosed with or at risk for various conditions, including hereditary cancer syndromes. She is also involved in various research studies at NorthShore, including disclosure of research results to participants in their Genomic Health Initiative biobank. Kristen is a member of NSGC and is active on several committees of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals. She is a clinical supervisor for the Northwestern Graduate Program for Genetic Counseling and greatly enjoys the opportunity to work with current students.

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alexander-ing

Alexander Ing MS CGC

Genetic Counselor , Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Alexander Ing graduated from the Boston University Genetic Counseling program in 2015. He previously worked at the Partners HealthCare Laboratory for Molecular Medicine as a laboratory genetic counselor, as well as a pediatric pulmonary genetic counselor at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. He is currently a laboratory genetic counselor at the Center for Genomics at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. In addition, he also serves as a clinical genetic counselor at Lurie as part of the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) Center of Excellence specialty program. He is an active member of the NIH funded ClinGen and ClinVar resources. He serves as the co-coordinator for the Laboratory Course as well as a rotation supervisor and student thesis advisor.

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Sarah Jackson, MS, CGC

Clinical Genomics Scientist, Invitae

Sarah Jackson is a Clinical Genomics Scientist at Invitae, specializing in hereditary cancer susceptibility with particular expertise in hematologic malignancies. She is an active member of the ClinGen Myeloid Malignancy Variant Curation Expert Panel. Sarah earned her master?s degree in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 2003 and has 17 years of experience in cancer genetics, five of which have been within the laboratory setting. Previously, Sarah was a Lead Genetic Counselor at GeneDx, an Assistant Professor of medicine at Northwestern University where she last served in the clinical setting, and had also served as the Assistant Director of Clinical Cancer Genetics at the University of Chicago where counseled some of the first families identified with hereditary hematologic malignancies.

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carey-jamrogowicz

Carey Sentman Jamrogowicz, CGC

Genetic Counselor , Advocate Aurora Health

Carey graduated with her Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2018. She is currently finishing her Master of Arts degree in Medical Humanities and Bioethics from Northwestern University. Since graduation, Carey has served a dual role at Advocate Aurora Health, primarily as a laboratory genetic counselor based in cytogenetics at ACL Laboratories. At ACL she provides utilization management and support for clinical providers for cytogenetic, molecular, and referral testing. As part of her role, Carey also sees prenatal, pediatric, and adult patients at Advocate Medical Group (Lutheran General Hospital). She supervises students at ACL for lab rotations and at Lutheran General for clinical rotations.

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Amy Knight Johnson, MS CGC

Clinical Genomics Scientist, Invitae

Amy Knight Johnson received her master's degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2010 and was certified by ABGC the same year. She has experience in both clinical and laboratory genetic counseling, including prior roles at Rush University Medical Center and the University of Chicago Genetic Services Laboratories. She is currently a Clinical Genomics Scientist at Invitae with the Omics Development team, where she is involved in development of new product offerings and interpretation of exome sequencing cases. Amy previously coordinated the Laboratory Course for the Graduate Program from 2015-2018, and now continues to teach classes on molecular genetics for the Principles of Medical Genetics I course.

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Madelyn Katz, MS, CGC

Associate Product Manager, Natera

Madelyn Katz graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2018. She currently works at Natera as an associate product manager. She previously worked as a reproductive genetic counselor at both Advocate Illinois Masonic and at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Madelyn also serves as an associate board member for the Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics.

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Lisa Kinsley, MS, CGC

Senior Genetic Counselor for Neurology, Northwestern University

Lisa Kinsley graduated from the genetic counseling program at Northwestern University in 2009 and was certified by the ABGC in 2010. She provides research and clinical support to the Department of Neurology at Northwestern Medicine. As a research counselor, she enrolls patients in studies, coordinates testing, and gathers family histories. She provides clinical counseling for the MDA, ALS, Alzheimer's Disease Center, Women's Neurology/Epilepsy, and Movement Disorders genetic clinics (Huntington's disease, Wilson’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease). She also works with researchers and clinicians in regular case conferences for epilepsy and movement disorders to provide testing and counseling support, and has started a Neurogenetic Counseling clinic. She supervises students in Northwestern's neurology rotation, lectures for the program and advises students’ thesis projects.

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shelby-koenig

Shelby Koenig, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Labcorp

Shelby Koenig received her master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2017. She currently works remotely as a laboratory genetic counselor at Labcorp, supporting the molecular lab based in North Carolina. She is heavily involved in coordinating prenatal testing and provides support to clinical genetic counselors and other providers. Shelby previously worked as a clinical prenatal genetic counselor in Chicago. She has acted as a committee member and co-advisor for student thesis projects.

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Karen Lewis, MS, MM, CGC

Clinical Architect, AIM Specialty Health

Karen Lewis is the Clinical Architect for the Genetic Testing Solution for AIM Specialty Health® (AIM). In this role, she works closely with the Medical directors and business leadership to provide clinical expertise for the Genetic Testing utilization management program. A board-certified Genetic Counselor with over 25 years of clinical experience in prenatal, adult and cancer genetics, and 12 years as an administrator and genetic counselor for health insurance companies.

Karen completed her masters in genetics at the University of Pittsburgh in 1991 and her master’s in management at Aquinas College in 2002.

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Tara Maga, PhD, MS LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Clinical Instructor, University of Illinois-Chicago

Tara graduated from the Genetic Counseling Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014. Prior to entering UW Madison’s master program she earned her PhD in Genetics from the University of Iowa in 2012. During her time at Iowa Tara developed next generation sequencing based technologies in order to elucidate the molecular genetics of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). She still is active within the aHUS community and lectures at family conferences. Tara currently works at the UI Health Hereditary Cancer Clinic at University of Illinois- Chicago providing genetic counseling services, conducting research and acting as an IRB board member. She also co-coordinates and lectures the medical genetics curriculum for the first year medical students and is faculty in the Department of Medicine at UIC. Tara is actively involved with the Northwestern Genetic Counseling Program serving as a co-course instructor of the Research Methods Course and a member of the Research Oversight Committee. Tara also supervises students for their clinical rotation and participates in student thesis projects as a committee member and thesis advisor.

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Holley May, MS, CGC

Laboratory Genetic Counselor, Natera

Holley May graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate program in Genetic Counseling in 2013 after receiving her Bachelor?s degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology at University of Arizona. She currently works remotely as an oncology laboratory genetic counselor at Natera, a genetic testing company based out of San Carlos, California. She works to support the oncology test products offered by Natera and provides pre- and post-test information sessions for patients interested in or wanting to review results of Natera hereditary cancer genetic testing. Holley previously provided cancer and prenatal genetic counseling in the clinical setting.

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Erin McGinnis, MS, CGC

Neurology Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Erin is one of two genetic counselors in the Neurology Department at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children?s Hospital, transitioning to this role in June 2019. Previous experience at Lurie Children?s includes lab utilization management and neuromuscular genetic counseling. She received her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University and has been a board certified, licensed genetic counselor since 2016. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she identifies and consents patients for various Lurie Children's and Northwestern epilepsy and neurogenetics research projects and mentors genetic counseling students. Erin is also a member of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals (ISGP) where she serves as the chair of the Community Outreach Committee.

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Shelly Weiss McQuaid, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Shelly Weiss McQuaid graduated from the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2009, and was certified by the ABGC in 2010. She was a clinical genetic counselor at the Center for Medical Genetics at NorthShore University HealthSystem from 2009-2013. She worked as a Regional Medical Specialist at Myriad Genetic Laboratories from 2013-2016. She currently works at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago in pediatric oncology, precision medicine and laboratory utilization management. Shelly is an active member of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals (ISGP) and is on the Board of Directors for the Norton and Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics. She supervises students during rotations, has contributed to lectures in the realms of hereditary cancer, working in the industry/laboratory setting, and psychosocial issues, and has served as a committee member and thesis advisor for genetic counseling student thesis projects.

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Angelique Mercier, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Angelique Mercier graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2014 and was certified by the ABGC in 2014. She currently works at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, providing pediatric genetic counseling for a wide variety of indications, with a focus on pediatric oncology, precision medicine, connective tissue disorders, cystic fibrosis newborn screening, and general genetics. In this role, she supervises genetic counseling students, medical students, and residents and provides lectures to various groups of students and providers. Angelique is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals (ISGP). Previous clinical experience includes adult oncology, carrier screening program coordination, and educational outreach.

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Kathryn Mraz, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Grey Genetics

Kathryn Mraz graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2009 and is board certified. She currently works as a genetic counselor with Grey Genetics providing telehealth genetic counseling services for cancer and GI/pancreatitis risk assessment which has been her specialty for 11 years. Prior to her position at Grey, she held genetic counselor positions in both academic and community hospitals. Kathryn?s most notable positions were at UIC (2009-2013) and at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) (2014-2019). At UIC she managed, developed and grew the high-risk cancer/GI program at UIC which included the establishment of universal tumor testing and the Familial Cancer Clinic at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Ultimately, the growing world of genomics pulled her to UTHealth where she developed, branded, and grew the Cancer Risk Genetics Program. She was instrumental in developing the high-risk pancreatic screening program and universal tumor testing for a multi-hospital system and focused much of her efforts in various quality, research, marketing, and advocacy projects. Kathryn relocated to Chicago in 2019 and has since continued to offer clinical genetics with continued research interests in high-risk pancreatic cancer surveillance and quality care. She is an active member of NSGC through the Cancer SIG and Industry SIG. She also serves on the Research Committee of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CGA-IGC) and has played an active role with the Hereditary Colon Cancer Foundation since its start in 2012 and currently serves as a Medical Advisor.

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Jason Murphy, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Tempus

Jason received his master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2019. He currently works as a genetic counselor at Tempus where he manages the process for the clinical review of germline testing orders, supports germline classification and aids in new product development. Jason previously worked at Advocate Christ Hospital as a cancer genetic counselor where he saw patients, assisted in the clinical supervision of graduate students and gave lectures to both medical students and lay audiences. He is currently a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals. Prior to becoming a genetic counselor Jason was a research assistant in a neuro-oncology lab at The University of Chicago and an academic researcher at The Joint Commission where he helped to write healthcare standards for organizations across the country.

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Anna Newlin, MS, CGC

Senior Genetic Counselor, Neaman Center for Personalized Medicine

Anna Newlin, MS, CGC, is a board certified genetic counselor who earned her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where she trained under the tutelage of several well known clinical and research geneticists, including Dr. Francis Collins, current director of the NIH who formerly headed the Human Genome Project. Anna has a broad base of clinical experience which includes prenatal, pediatric and adult genetic counseling specializing more recently in cancer genetics. Anna spent several years involved in clinical ophthalmic genetics which provided her with the unique opportunity to work with families with hereditary eye disorders where she continues to maintain an active clinical presence. She is also involved in several of the Personalized Medicine clinical and research initiatives at NorthShore University HealthCare System.

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rachel-odonnell

Rachel O'Donnell, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Igenomix

Rachel O'Donnell earned her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2019. Rachel is currently a genetic counselor at Igenomix specializing in preimplantation genetic testing. Rachel has previous experience as a prenatal/preconception genetic counselor with the Maternal Fetal Medicine department at NorthShore University Evanston Hospital. She has acted as a clinical supervisor for genetic counseling graduate students at both of her positions. Rachel is also a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and is a current co-chair of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals Membership Committee.

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Leighanne Ormston, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Loyola University Medical Center

Leighanne graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2020 and was certified by the ABGC in 2020. She is currently practicing as a cancer genetic counselor at Loyola University Medical Center. She is a member of NSGC and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals.

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Vivian Pan, MS, CGC

Director of Genetic Counseling Services, Cook County Health

Vivian Pan graduated from the genetic counseling program at Northwestern University in 2012 and was certified by the ABGC in the same year. Vivian provided genetic counseling for prenatal, cancer and general genetics patients at the University of Chicago Medical Center (2012-2014) and Advocate Medical Group (2014-2017), was a project manager for the eMERGE Pharmacogenomics Project at Northwestern University (2012-2014) and the Lead of the Translational Research Core at the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank (2018). Vivian is actively involved in the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals (ISGP), the Midwest Genetics Network (MGN), the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC), the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC), and the National Society for Genetic Counselors (NSGC), serving on several committees and task forces. She was honored as the recipient of NSGC’s 2017 New Leader Award. Vivian currently provides prenatal and cancer genetic counseling at Cook County Health which serves a racially and ethnically diverse patient population that is predominantly under or un-insured. Vivian is also currently the Chair of the NSGC Professional Status Survey Subcommittee Chair and the NSGC Public Policy Committee Vice-Chair. Vivian co-coordinates the Research Methods class and is a clinical supervisor and thesis adviser for the NUGPGC graduate students.

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Min Seon Park, MS, CGC

Cancer Genetic Counselor, Northwestern Medical Group

Min Seon Park received her master's degree in Genetic Counseling from the Northwestern University in 2018 and was certified by ABGC in the same year. She started her career with the Northwestern Cancer Genetics Program where she provides genetic counseling, comprehensive cancer risk assessment, and coordination of medical management for individuals and families for various genetic cancer predisposition syndromes. In addition, she also provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students, medical student, and Residents. She is also a part of the the OncoSET Precision Medicine Program at Northwestern, which is a program that providers more individualized treatment recommendations based on the somatic mutation landscape of the patient's tumor. Min Seon provides insight on potential/incidental germline findings for these patients based on the somatic testing result as well as personal and family history of cancer.

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Melody Perpich, MS, LGC

Genetic Counselor, The University of Chicago Medical Center

Melody Perpich graduated from the genetic counseling program at The University of Michigan in 1987 and is board certified and licensed. She is currently a genetic counselor at The University of Chicago in the Department of Pediatrics working in Pediatric Oncology and in the Department of Medicine working with the Hereditary Hematopoietic Malignancy Program. In this position, she sees pediatric and adolescent and young adult patients with hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes, survivorship patients, pediatric and adult patients with hematologic malignancies, and adolescent and young adult patients with sickle cell disease. She is currently a member of the PTEN expert panel variant curation team through ClinGen. She developed the Cancer Risk Evaluation Program at Advocate Creticos Cancer Center where she was the program coordinator and provider of genetic counseling services. Melody previously worked at The University of Chicago as an adult cancer genetics counselor for 10 years, at Illinois Masonic Medical Center for 10 years as a prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnosis genetic counselor and for three years at the University of Illinois Chicago as a pediatric and prenatal genetic counselor. 

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Brynn Persky, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Metis Genetics

Brynn Persky graduated from the genetic counseling program at Northwestern University and was board certified in 2013. Brynn currently works at Metis Genetics, a telehealth genetic counseling company, where she primarily focuses on counseling patients and providers regarding genetic carrier screening, noninvasive prenatal testing and hereditary cancer predisposition testing. Prior to working at Metis, Brynn worked as a prenatal genetic counselor within a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic in Chicago where she provided genetic counseling for prenatal and preconception indications, supervised Northwestern genetic counseling students and was actively involved in genetics education for the center's OB/GYN residency training program.

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Kristen Postula, MS, CGC

Assistant Director, MyGeneTeam/GeneDx

Kristen Vogel Postula is a board-certified genetic counselor with over 15 years of experience in clinical cancer genetics, research, and education. Kristen is an Assistant Director at MyGeneTeam, providing services on behalf of GeneDx's Inherited Cancer customer service genetic counseling team. Prior to this, Kristen worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2005-2007 in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology, providing genetic counseling services and conducting research in the area of breast cancer genetics. In 2007, she transitioned to the Center for Medical Genetics at NorthShore University HealthSystem, providing genetic counseling services to adults at risk for a variety of adult-onset genetic diseases, with an emphasis on inherited cancer susceptibility. While at NorthShore, Kristen was the Principal Investigator for the NorthShore Pancreatic Cancer Family Registry and also served on the research team for Health Heritage, an innovative online risk assessment tool for cancer and other adult-onset diseases. Kristen has also authored a number of peer-reviewed papers on cancer susceptibility syndromes and NGS-panels for cancer susceptibility. Kristen is an active faculty member with the Northwestern Genetic Counseling program, serving as co-coordinator of the Adult Genetics Course, a member of the Research Oversight Committee, and has served as thesis committee member and/or thesis advisor for numerous students.

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Rachel Pothast, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Northwestern Medicine

Rachel Pothast graduated from the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling (NUGPGC) in 1999 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2002. Rachel is an active faculty member with the NUGPGC, serving as co-course coordinator of the Principles of Medical Genetics I, II and III, a member of the Faculty Review Committee, and has served as thesis committee member for numerous students. Rachel is past-president of the Illinois Society of Genetics Professionals and is active in the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) serving as a site-visitor, a member of the Accreditation Application Review Committee and most recently as a Chair of the ACGC Standards Committee. She is currently a genetic counselor in the Division of Clinical Genetics at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students, medical students and maternal fetal medicine fellows.

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Lauren Propst, MS, CGC

Lead Genetic Counselor, BillionToOne

Lauren Propst graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2016. She is board-certified by the ABGC and is currently licensed in 20 states. Lauren is a lead genetic counselor at BillionToOne, where she leads the report generation and report automation efforts, working in close collaboration with the engineering, bioinformatics, quality and product teams. She is also involved in product development, creating and updating SOPs, GC training and providing telecounseling for BillionToOne’s UNITY Screen (carrier screen with reflex single-gene NIPT, aneuploidy NIPT and RhD/fetal antigen NIPT). Previously, Lauren worked as a prenatal genetic counselor in the Center for Maternal and Fetal Health at NorthShore University HealthSystem, as well as a preconception/ART genetic counselor specializing in preimplantation genetic testing at Igenomix. Lauren enjoys working with genetic counseling students for their thesis projects, especially those associated with preconception or prenatal genetic testing. 

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Khateriaa Pyrtel, MS, CGC

Coordinator- Hi Risk Assessment/Genetic Counselor, Advocate Medical Group

Khateriaa earned a Master of Science degree from Northwestern University's Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling. She is licensed and board certified in genetic counseling. Khateriaa works as a clinical genetic counselor with a focus in hereditary cancer risk assessment, and she also serves as the Coordinator of Cancer Risk Assessment Program. She has a particular interest in the intersection of hereditary cancer testing and somatic/tumor genomic profiling. She provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students and also serves on the Admissions Committee of the program.

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Liya Rabkina, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Igenomix

Liya graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2020 and became board certified later that year. She is currently practicing as a preconception genetic counselor at Igenomix, where she specializes in preimplantation genetic testing. Liya previously worked as an oncology genetic counselor with the Creticos Cancer Center at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Liya is actively involved with the Northern California Coalition of Genetic Counselors through serving on the marketing and annual conference committees. She is a past board member at the Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics and past secretary for the Illinois Society of Genetics Professionals. Liya is also a member of the National Society for Genetic Counselors.

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Melissa Ramos, MS, MLS (ASCP), LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Insight Medical Genetics

Melissa Ramos graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling and was board certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2014. She currently works as a prenatal genetic counselor at Insight Medical Genetics. Melissa also serves as the genetic counselor for the Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics, where she helps educate the local Jewish community about the risk of Jewish genetic disorders and counsels patients who participate in the at-home carrier screening program. Additionally, she provides clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students during their rotations at Insight Medical Genetics. Melissa is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals (ISGP).

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Katie Rembisz, '19 MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Igenomix

Katie received a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2019. She is currently a genetic counselor at Igenomix, specializing in preimplantation genetic testing. Katie previously worked as a clinical genetic counselor at NorthShore University HealthSystem, where she specialized in cancer and adult genetics. Katie is actively involved in the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, serving on the board for the Genetic Counseling Professional Group. She is also a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals.

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Marc Rosenbaum, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Rush University Medical Center

Marc Rosenbaum received his master's degree from Northwestern University's Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2019. Previously, he attended Loyola University Chicago where he majored in molecular biology and Spanish, and he briefly trained as a medical student in Kansas City before deciding to pursue genetic counseling. He is currently working full-time in the Movement Disorders section of the Neurology Department at Rush University Medical Center on the West Side of Chicago, providing genetic counseling to patients with hereditary neurological diseases including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and hereditary ataxias, as well as assisting with clinical research and Rush's HDSA Center of Excellence clinic.

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Janine Rosenberg, MS, CGC

Laboratory Genetic Counselor, ACL Laboratories

Janine received her master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from Indiana University and was certified by the ABGC in 2011. She began her genetic counseling career as one of two full-time prenatal genetic counselors for the Fetal Diagnostics Department at Advocate Christ Medical Center. From late 2014 until present, she has been a laboratory genetic counselor at ACL Laboratories in Rosemont, IL. While Janine largely supports Cytogenetics, she has also integrated genetic counseling services into the Molecular, Referral Testing, and Business Development departments. She helped initiate a Utilization Management protocol for all cytogenetic and send out genetic testing at ACL Laboratories. She also supervises students who come to ACL for a laboratory rotation and is regularly a journal club mentor for the program.

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Maureen Smith, MS, CGC

Associate Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University

Maureen Smith received a master of science degree in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 1987 and was certified in genetic counseling by the ABMG in 1990, and by the ABGC in 1993. She has more than 14 years of clinical genetic counseling experience in the areas of prenatal, pediatric, adult and cancer genetics in academic medical centers. Maureen left clinical care to gain experience in an industry setting where she worked for several start-up companies before joining Northwestern to focus on research. Maureen joined Northwestern in 2003 as the clinical director for the NUgene genetic banking study and became the director in 2011. She has had several NIH funded awards including PI for the Northwestern electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) network, Phases 2 and 3, an NIH funded project that tests the key elements to implementing personalized medicine. Her research focus includes issues of consent for biobanking and genetic research, implementation of genomic medicine in clinical care, and involving stakeholders in genetic research. Maureen is an active member of the ASHG and the NSGC, and served as NSGC President from 1997-1998. She was the recipient of the Natalie Weissberger Paul Award in 2009 for outstanding achievement and leadership on behalf of the NSGC. Maureen retired from Northwestern in the Summer 2020, she remains active in her own research, mentoring student research, and teaching.

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Sara Spencer, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor - Assistant Professor, Northwestern Medicine

Sara Spencer graduated from the genetic counseling program at Sarah Lawrence College in 2006, and was certified by the ABGC in 2007. She worked as an adult cancer genetic counselor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from 2006-2009. She has been a cancer and reproductive genetic counselor in the Division of Clinical Genetics at Northwestern Medicine since 2009, now specializing in reproductive genetics. Sara supervises genetic counseling students, medical students and maternal-fetal medicine fellows in clinical rotation. She serves as Core Faculty for the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, thesis advisor and Research Oversight Committee member. Sara has an interest in genomics and is a volunteer biocurator for ClinGen. She has also been a column writer for Perspectives in Genetic Counseling since 2009.

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jessica-stoll

Jess Stoll, MS, CGC

Director of Genetic Counseling, Tempus Labs, Inc.

Jess Stoll graduated from the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling and was board certified by ABGC in 2014. She joined Tempus Labs as their first genetic counselor in 2019, where she currently serves as director of Genetic Counseling. She has prior clinical experience in cancer genetics, most notably as the associate director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic at University of Chicago Medicine. Her other career focus has been in educational programming, designing curriculum and presenting on clinical genetics to trainees and practicing clinicians in multiple specialties, including serving as a core faculty member of the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling. She is an active member of multiple national and regional organizations, including the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CGA-IGC) (past Council and Education Committee member and CGA-IGC Fellow), the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), and the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals (ISGP; past president and board member at large).

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Brittany Szymaniak, PhD, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Northwestern Medicine

Brittany Szymaniak graduated from Northwestern University's Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2018 and received her PhD in Genetics from University of Rochester in 2016. Her primary appointment is in the Department of Urology at Northwestern Medicine as part of the Cancer Genetics Program, where she focuses on prostate/GU and GI related hereditary cancer syndromes, as well as counseling for male infertility. Brittany is part of the core team that has developed Northwestern’s EDGe (Early Detection in Genetics) Program, which provides coordinated follow-up care with patients with inherited cancer predisposition conditions. Under this program, she also serves as the point of contact for Northwestern Medicine's VHL Clinical Care Center. Since 2019, Brittany has also been part of the development of an inherited retinal disorders clinic in Ophthalmology. She also serves as a panel member for the NCCN Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal guidelines.

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Jennifer Thompson, MS, CGC

Research Genetic Counselor, NorthShore University HealthSystem

Jennifer Thompson graduated from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University in 2017 and was certified by the ABGC in August 2017. After graduating, Jennifer worked at Rush University Medical Center, where she provided genetic counseling services to patients with a personal or family history suggestive of a hereditary cancer condition. Jennifer currently works at NorthShore University HealthSystem as a research genetic counselor. She oversees the research studies through the Center for Medical Genetics and is a member of the Center for Personalized Medicine research team. Jennifer is a member of the NSGC and the Genetic Task Force of Illinois.

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Devon Lamb Thrush, MS, CGC

Senior Genomic Specialist, Ambry Genetics

Devon Lamb Thrush graduated from the genetic counseling program at Case Western Reserve University in 2004 and was certified by the ABGC in 2005. Since 2015, she has worked at Ambry Genetics as a genetic counselor in Product Development, aiding in new product design and clinical tests, content development, system validations, and work flow management. After working in clinical practice for two years, Devon worked from 2006-2015 as a laboratory genetic counselor at Nationwide Children?s Hospital where she was active in teaching. She is a member of the ClinGen Syndromic Disorders Gene Curation Expert Panel.

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Ellen Totten, MS LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Ellen graduated with a Master of Science degree in Medical Genetics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2010, and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2011. Ellen has been a genetic counselor with Advocate Healthcare/Advocate Medical Group since 2010, seeing patients at multiple Advocate sites, but has been based primarily out of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital since 2013. Ellen?s areas of focus are hereditary cancer risk assessment and pediatrics. Ellen is involved with education by providing clinical supervision for genetic counseling graduate students as well as guest lectures for the Northwestern Genetic Counseling program.

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Melissa Vanden Berg, MS, CGC

Laboratory Genetic Counselor, Natera

Melissa Vanden Berg graduated from Northwestern University's Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2009 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2010. She has worked with several institutions as a clinical prenatal genetic counselor and participated on various committees and programs with each, including fetal care centers and leading an OB resident genetics curriculum. She previously served on the board of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals and is a past chair of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Prenatal Special Interest Group. Melissa has served as a thesis adviser and lecturer and has contributed as a clinical rotation supervisor and on several task forces within the program. Melissa currently works as a laboratory genetic counselor with Natera.

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Rebecca VanDyke, MS, LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern

Rebecca VanDyke graduated with her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from The Ohio State University in May 2017. She began her career as a genetic counselor at Northwestern Medicine West Region Central DuPage Hospital in July of 2017. She spent the past five years providing genetic counseling in multiple specialties including cancer, cardiology, general adult and prenatal genetics. In September 2022, she transitioned into the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern at Central DuPage Hospital and made cardiovascular genetics her sole clinical focus. Rebecca provides clinical supervision to students, has been a journal club mentor and has served on a thesis committee. She is a current member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

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allison-weisman

Allison Goetsch Weisman, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Allison Goetsch Weisman received her master's degree in genetic counseling from Northwestern University in 2014 and was certified by the ABGC later that year. She is a pediatric genetic counselor in the Division of Genetics, Genomics & Metabolism at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, where she works in the Sex Development Program, Neurofibromatosis Program and the hospital-wide Genomics Network (GeNe). Allison is passionate about patient care, and in 2016, was the "CodeTalker" award winner – a patient-nominated national award for excellence in genetic counseling. In addition to her clinical role, Allison is an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She enjoys teaching, supervising and serving as thesis advisor to graduate students, as well as conducting her own research. Her research interests include fertility preservation and the healthcare transition process. Allison has several publications in these areas of interest, including co-authorship of “Fertility Preservation and Restoration for Patients with Complex Medical Conditions,” a medical textbook. She is also a rare disease advocate, partnering with multiple advocacy organizations such as the Children’s Tumor Foundation and Global Genes. She previously served as president of the Illinois Society of Genetic Counselors and was appointed by the governor to the Illinois Rare Disease Commission.

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scott-weissman

Scott Weissman, MS, LCGC

Lead of Cancer Services, Genome Medical and Chicago Genetic Consultants, LLC.

Scott Weissman graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign in 1998 with a BS in biology. After graduation, he spent two years at the Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Laboratory at UIC developing expertise in molecular genetic techniques used in various hematologic and oncologic disorders. He completed the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern in 2002, and was certified by the ABGC in 2002. Scott provided adult and cancer genetic counseling at the Center for Medical Genetics in Evanston, IL for 12 years, supervising genetic counseling students in those rotations, and was a thesis advisor/committee member. He joined GeneDx in 2013 and was an Inherited Cancer Specialist working with Hereditary Cancer Panels. In 2016, he opened his own private practice genetic counseling company, Chicago Genetic Consultants, LLC and currently works for Genome Medical as well. He is active in the NSGC and is a past co-chair of the Cancer Special Interest Group and is the NSGC liaison to the Commission on Cancer and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.

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sarah-witherington

Sarah Witherington, MS, CGC

Senior Product Manager, Quest Diagnostics

Sarah Witherington graduated from the Northwestern program in genetic counseling in 2013 and was certified by the ABGC in 2014. Her bachelor's degree is in biochemical sciences from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She is currently a Senior Product Manager for Quest Diagnostics covering neonatal and pediatric genetic tests. In this position, she helps design, launch, and market genetic testing products for neonatal and NICU populations. Sarah was previously a Genomic Science Liaison with Quest Diagnostics and Athena Diagnostics. In these positions she traveled across the country giving lectures on genetic testing, helping clinicians determine testing strategies, and acting as a resource for healthcare providers. She started her career at Ambry Genetics as a Genetic Specialist covering exome sequencing, pediatrics, and oncology genetics, where she also gained supervision experience. She has a particular research interest in emerging roles for genetic counselors and professional issues related to non-clinical roles. Sarah also participates in student thesis projects as a committee member and thesis adviser, as well as a rotation supervisor for an "Emerging careers" rotation at Quest. Sarah is the current chair of the Lab and Industry SIG within NSGC with previous positions with the NSGC Membership committee, Lab and Industry SIG, and the ISGP Marketing committee.

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kristen-young

Kristen Young, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Kristen Young received her Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2019. She started her career as a prenatal genetic counselor at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, where she provided clinical supervision to genetic counseling graduate students. Kristen is currently a genetic counselor in the Chicago Institute for Fetal Health at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. She is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, serving on the Access and Service Delivery Committee. She is also a member of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals.

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alice-zalan

Alice Zalan, MS, CGC

Pediatric Genetic Counselor, University of Illinois at Chicago

Alice Zalan graduated from the Genetic Counseling Program at Northwestern University in 2018 with a master’s degree. She currently works as a Pediatric Genetic Counselor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, providing comprehensive care and genetic counseling to individuals and families affected by pediatric, adult onset, and cardiac conditions. In the coming year, she will serve as a clinical supervisor for genetic counseling graduate students.

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