Faculty, Students & Alumni

Faculty and Staff

Kathleen Berentsen Swenson, MS, MPH, CGC
Program Director, Genetic Counseling Program
Assistant Professor, Medical Sciences & Education
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Kathleen received a BS in Natural Science and Psychology from Muhlenberg College, an MS in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College, and an MPH from Columbia University focusing on Population and Family Health. Kathleen’s contributions to the genetic counseling profession range from clinical care across many specialties (prenatal, pediatrics, neurology and cancer); advocacy work at the national level with the Children’s Tumor Foundation and at the community level with the Dominican Women’s Development Center; public health work with the New York State Department of Health; research across multiple spheres; faculty work at the Sarah Lawrence Genetic Counseling Program; and most recently in industry as a Medical Affairs Genetic Counselor at the former Counsyl, Inc. Kathleen became involved in the Boston University training program in 2010 as a lecturer and has since been an active capstone advisor. She is also an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, New England Regional Genetics Group, and the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors. She has participated on committees for the American Board of Genetic Counseling, Leadership and Management Special Interest Group of NSGC, and the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling. Kathleen is passionate about teaching the next generation of genetic counselors and was recognized as the 2018-19 Graduate Medical Sciences Educator of the Year and recognized in 2021 for Outstanding Mentoring by Graduate Medical Sciences. Her scholarship interests include the use of standard patients in genetic counseling education, inter-professional education and improving access to genetic counseling through the use of technology.

Jodi Hoffman, MD

Medical Director, Genetic Counseling Program
Section Chief for Genetics, Dept. of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine

Dr. Hoffman received her medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, completed a Pediatric residency at Yale Children’s Hospital in New Haven, and completed Medical Genetics training at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she developed special interests in Jewish genetic diseases, hereditary cancer syndromes, connective tissue disorders and the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Dr. Hoffman joined the faculty at Boston Medical Center/Boston University in 2015. She is the Section Chief for Genetics in the Division of Pediatrics where she practices as a general medical geneticist and provides counseling and diagnosis regarding preconception care, neonates, children and adults with personal or family history of genetic conditions. She serves as the medical director for the BU Master’s Program in Genetic Counseling where she enjoys teaching in the classroom and mentoring in the clinic. Prior to joining the Department of Pediatrics at BMC, Dr. Hoffman was Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medical, where she served as Program Director for the Medical Genetics residency. She also practiced medical genetics at Tufts Medical Center and was Director of the Victor Outreach and Screening Program for Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Diseases in Boston for 10 years. Dr. Hoffman serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association. Dr. Hoffman is an active member of American College of Medical Genetics, was past president of the ACMG Social Ethical and Legal Issues Committee and currently serves on the ACMG Program Committee. Locally, Dr. Hoffman is member of the BUMG Work Life Harmony Committee, devotes time to genetic test utilization optimization at BMC, and works with the Framingham Heart Study on disclosing medically actionable results.

Lillian Sosa, MS, CGC

Lillian Sosa, MS, CGC
Assistant Program Director
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Lillian received a BA in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration from Skidmore College. Prior to pursuing genetic counseling, Lillian worked as a research technician and lab manager in an epigenetics laboratory at MIT. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. Before joining the Boston University team, Lillian worked as the senior genetic counselor at Maimonides Cancer Center and the program coordinator for the Division of Pediatric Genetics at Maimonides Infants & Children’s Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. At Maimonides, Lillian served on the multidisciplinary cleft lip and palate team and was actively involved in the pediatric residency genetics core curricula. At Boston Medical Center, Lillian is a clinical counselor in the Antenatal Testing Unit, providing counseling in a prenatal setting. In addition Lillian oversees fieldwork coordination and initiatives in clinical education for the BU Genetic Counseling Program. Lillian is an active member of the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors and National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Phil Connors, MS, MPH, CGC

Assistant Director, Admissions and Recruitment
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Phil received a BS in Biochemistry from Northeastern University and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. Prior to joining the BUGC team in 2015, Phil worked in the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In this role, he counseled patients for a variety of oncologic diagnoses and gained expertise in next-generation sequencing technology and the implications of gene panel testing. Phil’s clinical and research interests include the intersection between genetics, public health and public policy, maternal and child health, and ethical considerations in genetics and genetic counseling. At Boston Medical Center, Phil is a clinical genetic counselor in the Antenatal Testing Unit, providing prenatal genetic counseling services to patients and their families. Phil is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counseling as Chair of the Cultural Competency Subcommittee. He recently obtained his MPH degree in Health Policy & Law at Boston University.

Kim Zayhowski, MS, CGC

Licensed Genetic Counselor

Kim received her BS from Brandeis University, triple majoring in Neuroscience, Biology, and Psychology, and minoring in Mathematics. She received her MS in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Stanford University School of Medicine. Prior to joining the BUGC team in 2020, Kim worked as a general genetic counselor at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, MA. In this role, she counseled patients in general, prenatal, oncology, and cardiology genetics clinics. Kim’s research within genetic counseling has primarily focused on improving equity in healthcare for marginalized populations. She has dedicated much of her time to spreading awareness about healthcare needs of the LGBTQIA+ community, and has published several studies regarding improving genetic counseling services for transgender patients. At Boston Medical Center, Kim is a clinical genetic counselor in the Cancer Care Center, providing cancer genetic counseling to patients and working in clinical research.

Maggie Ruderman, MS, CGC

Licensed Genetic Counselor

Maggie received a BS in Biology and Biotechnology from Endicott College. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine, and works as a clinical oncology genetic counselor at Boston Medical Center. Improving healthcare equity and access to genetic services are some of Maggie’s primary interests at BMC. With a background in clinical research, she is also passionate about the need to include minority groups and diverse populations in research, and serves on the BUGCP Anti-Racism Task Force

Gauri Anand, MS, CGC

Gauri received a BS in Molecular Genetics & Microbiology and Health & Disease from the University of Toronto. She received an MS in Genetic Counseling from Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University. At Boston Medical Center, Gauri works as a clinical counselor in the Department of Pediatrics and in the Cancer Care Center. Gauri’s clinical and research interests include promoting access to genetics education and increasing diversity within the field of genetic counseling.

Catharine Wang, PhD
Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences
School of Public Health

Dr. Wang obtained her doctorate in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan and has expertise in survey research methods, intervention development, and program evaluation. Her research has spanned across several areas including public health genomics, health communication/e-health, health literacy, and cancer prevention and control. Dr. Wang currently serves as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s PDQ Cancer Genetics Editorial Board. Much of Dr. Wang’s work focuses on the effective translation of genomic discoveries into clinical and public health practice. She has been the Principal Investigator on several grants to examine how people understand and use complex risk information to make health decisions. Her work also examines how individuals adopt new health technologies, including genomics and molecular diagnostics, and examines barriers to the adoption and implementation of these technologies among underserved patient populations.

Nadine Channaoui, MS, CGC
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Nadine graduated with a BA in Psychology from Brandeis University and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. She has provided clinical genetic counseling services in the cancer and cardiovascular settings and currently works at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in their Cardiovascular Genetics Center. Within the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Nadine has held various volunteer and leadership positions, primarily centered around diversity inclusion efforts. As a former Fulbright U.S. Student Grant awardee and experienced yoga teacher, Nadine merges cultural and societal consideration, introspection, and wellness prioritization within her roles as a clinical genetic counselor, student supervisor, and course instructor.

Kira A. Dies, ScM, CGC
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Kira (Apse) Dies received a BA in Biology and Spanish from Bucknell University and a Master of Science degree (ScM) in Genetic Counseling from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is board certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and a licensed genetic counselor in Massachusetts. Her experience includes establishing a new clinic, the Comprehensive Brain Malformation Program, at Children’s Hospital Boston and coordinating research on the genetics of brain malformations and cognitive disorders. She then served as the Director of the Family Research Network for the non-profit Autism Consortium and coordinated multi-site research and family programs. Kira is currently the Co-Director of the Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs Service for the Translational Neuroscience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. She coordinates clinical trials and provides genetic counseling for patients in the Neurology department. Since the graduate program’s inception, she has also been a coordinator of the Research Seminar Series for the BUSM Genetic Counseling graduate program and aids in the development of student capstone projects.

Meghan Towne, MS, LGC
Licensed Genetic Counselor

After obtaining her B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry from Boston College, Meghan attended Boston University School of Medicine for her graduate studies in Genetic Counseling. Her studies piqued her interest in the impact of innovative technologies on diagnosing and connecting families with rare genetic disorders. Meghan worked for seven years at Boston Children’s Hospital developing the institutional infrastructure for gene discovery, enhancing research collaborations, and evaluating the utility of genomic sequencing in newborns. In 2016, Meghan joined Ambry Genetics as an exome reporting genetic counselor on the clinical genomics team before transitioning to the Clinical Affairs team as a Senior Clinical Affairs Research Specialist in 2019. Meghan also maintains her research connections to the Boston community by serving as a voting member of the Massachusetts General Hospital IRB and as a course coordinator for research seminar series at Boston University.

Grace VanNoy, MS, CGC
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Grace received a BS in Biology from Bates College where she also studied anthropology and public health. She then earned her MS in Genetic Counseling from the Boston University School of Medicine. Following her graduate studies, Grace pursued her interest in clinical research at Boston Children’s Hospital. At BCH she was involved in developing and co-managing research studies focused on rare pediatric diseases, genomic sequencing in newborns, and rapid whole exome sequencing for sick neonates. In her current role at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, she is the Project Manager for the Rare Genomes Project, which aims to expand access to genomic sequencing for individuals with rare, undiagnosed diseases.

Elizabeth Fieg, MS, CGC

Licensed Genetic Counselor

Elizabeth received her BS in Genetics from Connecticut College and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. Since graduating in 2014, Elizabeth has been involved in the Boston University training program as a lecturer and clinical fieldwork supervisor. Elizabeth is a senior genetic counselor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she works with adult patients in a general genetics clinic, endocrine genetics clinic, and pharmacogenomics clinic. In addition to her clinical roles, Elizabeth is the site coordinator and genetic counselor for the BWH Harvard site of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, an NIH clinical research program that utilizes genomic sequencing and clinical phenotyping to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. She is also the program manager of Brigham Genomic Medicine, a research initiative through Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School focused on genomic reanalysis and novel gene discovery.

Todd Kates, PhD
Dr. Kates has served as the Chief Executive Officer of United Cerebral Palsy of MetroBoston since 1997 having worked for UCP in a variety of roles since 1983. He served as the chairperson of Department of Developmental Services’s Human Rights Advisory Committee and as a Board Member for the Association of Developmental Disability Providers. For several years he volunteered with AIDS Action Committee running the first support group for family members of persons with AIDS. Dr. Kates is an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University and Boston University School of Medicine in the Counseling Psychology Departments. He has been active on local boards of directors of 2 theater companies and volunteers with a summer hosting program for Russian orphans and works with Friends of Russian and Ukrainian Adoption. Dr. Kates is the course director for Fundamentals of Counseling in Genetics and has previously taught in the Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program.

Emily Dalton, MS, CGC
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Emily earned a BA in Cell and Molecular Biology from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. She then attended the Boston University School of Medicine Genetic Counseling program, where she earned her Master’s in Genetic Counseling. Soon after graduating, Emily started her position as a cancer genetic counselor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, where she had both clinical and research responsibilities. She joined Ambry Genetics in 2013 as an Oncology Genetic Specialist, and is currently the Director of the Genetic Specialist team. She is a current member of the BU Program Advisory Board, and has also stayed involved with the BUGC Program through course coordination, guest lecturing, and student capstone involvement.

Victoria Suslovitch, MS, CGC

Licensed Genetic Counselor

Victoria received her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the Boston University School of Medicine. Before becoming a genetic counselor, Victoria got her BA in Biology at the University of Tampa, studied Biological Anthropology at the University of Oxford, and worked at the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva. She now works as a research genetic counselor at Boston Children’s Hospital, in a laboratory studying the development of genomically targeted therapeutics for children with rare neurological diseases (www.theyulab.org). In the Yu Laboratory, she supports the logistical, educational, and emotional needs of patients and families enrolled in translational genomics studies.

Kimberlin Humphrey-Kiger, M.Ed.

Administrative Coordinator

Kim received a BA in Developmental Psychology from Emmanuel College and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration at Northeastern University. She has always found the intersection between health sciences and psychology fascinating. Upon graduation, she joined AmeriCorps and was an academic counselor and mentor to high school students in the Greater Boston area. She also has experience in admissions, operations, and administration in both the Higher Education and Nonprofit fields, with her most recent position working in operations for Northeastern University’s Engineering co-op program . Kim is also deeply committed to incorporating principles of diversity and equity into her professional career.

Class of 2023

Evelyn Fisher

Evelyn was born and raised outside Philadelphia. In 2010, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, and in 2012 earned a Master in Social Services from Bryn Mawr College. Throughout her social work career, she has held positions working with those struggling with mental health concerns, substance abuse issues, and homelessness. Through all this, she just couldn’t shake her love of genetics and knew that genetic counseling was the perfect blend of her passions. Evelyn has been living in Denver, CO for the past several years but is excited to be back on the east coast. In her spare time, you can find her exploring the outdoors, spending time with her dog, or trying new foods.

Andrew Giles

Andrew was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Following an early passion for genetics, he attended Clemson University in South Carolina. While there, he became involved with The Clemson Backpacking Club and became President by his senior year. He graduated with a B.S. in Genetics with a minor in Psychology in 2019. After graduating, he started working at GeneDx in Maryland as a Genetic Counseling Assistant for the Array program. Outside of work, Andrew volunteered with a local Knoxville pediatric genetics clinic and with Crisis Text Line as a crisis counselor. He is excited to learn so much at BU and explore the Boston area. In his free time, he enjoys yoga, hiking, paddle boarding, and playing music.

Natalie Jones

Natalie is originally from Syracuse, NY and graduated from Northeastern University in December 2019 with a combined degree in Biology and Mathematics. Natalie has worked as a research coordinator in several clinical research settings, including the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research at Boston Children’s Hospital as an undergrad, and more recently at the VA Boston Healthcare System on the GenoVA Study. Natalie loves to perform and was able to pursue many musical opportunities during undergrad. She was president of her a cappella group Treble on Huntington, performed in several musical theatre performances and played alto sax in the rock ensemble. Natalie is very excited to be staying in Boston as it is close enough to drive home for a weekend to visit her family, and she can attend as many Red Sox games as possible!

Haley Leishman

Haley grew up splitting her time between Connecticut and Montana, but has called Boston home for a few years now. She graduated from Holy Cross in 2018 with a double major in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies. In 2021, Haley received her master’s from Tufts University in Child Study & Human Development. While at Tufts, Haley was inducted into their Honos Civicus society for her dedication to civic engagement. Some of her roles included being a one-to-one aid for students at a residential therapeutic school, a volunteer support group facilitator for children grieving the loss of a parent, and an intern within the MGH HealthySteps program. Haley is an avid runner and enjoys being a sighted-guide for visually impaired runners. She also has a passion for hiking, coffee, traveling, and drawing. Haley found out about genetic counseling during a developmental psychology class her senior year at Holy Cross, and cannot wait to pursue this career at Boston University!

Natalie Lillie

Natalie grew up in Los Altos, California, and became a frequent traveler of Highway 5 to attend Scripps College in Claremont, California. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience where she presented her senior thesis on the influence of dopamine and D2 dopaminergic receptors on monogamous pair bond formation in zebra finches. When Natalie wasn’t managing her professor’s lab and helping birds fall in love, Natalie led prospective student programming and gave campus tours as the co-head of the tight-knit Scripps Admissions Team. She also found great joy in being the Spirit Captain of her club ultimate frisbee team. After college, Natalie worked briefly in healthcare tech at Intuitive, a company focused on optimizing patient outcomes through robotic assisted surgery, before transitioning into a clinical, patient-facing role as a clinical research coordinator in the Day Lab at Stanford University. She worked primarily with and cared for both familial and sporadic ALS patients, and her experiences and interactions with neuromuscular rare disease patients and their families motivated her to pursue genetic counseling. Natalie’s favorite forms of self-care include running and biking (any form of movement, really!), collaging, watching Bay Area sports, and spending time with her family and friends. She is so grateful for and excited about the opportunity to train as a genetic counselor at Boston University – it’s a dream come true, and she can’t wait to get started!

Darilyn Mahoney

Darilyn was born and raised in Beltsville, MD. She graduated with a B.S. in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of Maryland, College Park. After graduation, she started working at GeneDx as a genetic counseling assistant in cardiogenetics and was later promoted to genetic counseling program assistant. Outside of the lab, she volunteers as a crisis intervention specialist at an online crisis chat organization and teaches dance classes at the competitive level. In her free time, she loves to do anything creative including baking, sewing, painting, and dancing. Darilyn also likes to explore new places and relax with some good TV.

Margaret Meserve

Margaret grew up in Portland, Maine and graduated in 2019 from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior. In college, Margaret was involved in research on genetic testing and social understandings of Autism Spectrum Disorder. She was also very involved in her dorm’s community and served as a member of the Club coordination council. After graduation, Margaret spent two years exploring Chicago and working as a clinical research coordinator at the Northwestern University School of Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys reading, trying new crafts and exploring coffee shops and restaurants.

Mary Nahorniak

Mary grew up in Chicopee, Massachusetts and moved to Boston to attend Emmanuel College, where she received her B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Health Sciences. Since graduating in 2019, she has been working as a middle school math and science teacher in Brookline, Massachusetts. Mary also volunteers as a Friendly Visitor for FriendshipWorks, an organization working to reduce social isolation in older adults in the Boston area. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, rehearsing with a local dance company, knitting, traveling, and trying new recipes.

Erica Ogert

Erica is a native of New Hampshire Her undergraduate degree is in Biology with a minor in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. Erica has known she wanted to become a genetic counselor since the 7th grade when she learned all about genetics and inheritance. For fun, Erica enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and traveling the world. Erica would really love to explore every country out there to see all that it has to offer, and is waiting for a time when we are all able to do so safely. Erica is incredibly excited to be able to receive an education and someday work in the Boston area where she has frequently visited museums, restaurants, and other local attractions

Jessica Tsang

Jessica Tsang grew up in Philadelphia, PA and graduated this past June from Drexel University with a degree in Biology and a certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice. At Drexel she was involved in research focusing on Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) at the University of Pennsylvania, volunteer work with Crisis Text Line, and English tutoring with the Washington English Center. With her experience working in both research and outreach, she knew that genetic counseling aligned with her passions. Jessica looks forward to the next couple years in Boston where you can find her trying new restaurants, in a museum, or catching up with friends and family at her favorite coffee shop.

Anna Verwillow

Anna grew up in the Bay Area and stayed for school, attending Stanford University where she received a Bachelor’s in Computer Science with a concentration in Biocomputation and a Master’s in Biology. During school, she took and TA-ed a class about empathetic and honest communication, spent Friday afternoons swimming with the Special Needs Aquatics Program, and volunteered in the Stanford Cancer Genetics Center and the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease clinic. After graduating, she worked at Genome Medical, automating components of genetic counseling pre-appointment education and genetic test ordering. When she’s not listening to podcasts on walks with her dog, she loves playing frisbee and sharing a bunch of random items off of a menu.

Class of 2022

Rachel Epstein

Rachel grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and is excited to be back in New England! She graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a B.S. in Human Development and Psychological Services and a minor in Psychology. In college, she researched the psychology of women’s body image and volunteered for a peer listening service on campus. She also developed an interest in neurodevelopmental disorders and spent time doing research in Northwestern’s Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Lab and completing an internship with the Pediatric Developmental Center at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. In her free time, Rachel loves to run, do jigsaw puzzles, volunteer for Crisis Text Line, and try out new ice cream shops.

Karina Franca

Karina grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts and graduated this past May from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Biology & Biotechnology and a minor in Psychology. The summer after her sophomore year she became a research assistant in the Shell Lab where she began exploring the regulatory function of the rne 5’ UTR in M. smegmatis in order to learn more about the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. During her free time, she loves drawing, painting, eating anything from a Brazilian bakery (especially an acai bowl), and spending time with family, friends, and her dog!

Silvia Gunderson

Silvia graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick in 2017 with degrees in Genetics and Spanish. At Rutgers she was involved in research focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. After graduating, she interned with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Manhattan while shadowing genetic counselors. After her internship ended, Silvia worked for a biotech company for 2.5 years before applying to genetic counseling programs. In her free time Silvia enjoys reading, exercising, and exploring new places with friends and family.

Darius Haghighat

Darius is originally from New Bedford, MA and currently lives in Cambridge. He graduated from Stonehill College in 2016 with a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Religious Studies. After graduation, he worked in college admissions and gained counseling experience that way. In fact, he was an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions right here at BU prior to starting his journey as a graduate student. He can often be found in coffee shops across Boston and Cambridge because of his caffeine addiction. He’s always ready to discuss pop culture, comedy, and music.

Liz Kearns

Liz is from Norwood, MA and moved to North Carolina for her undergraduate education at University of North Carolina at Wilmington. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Biology from UNCW, she began working as a coordinator and biocurator for the Clinical Genome Resource at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She enjoys taking her dogs for walks and has been boxing for the past year.

Gillian Prinzing

Gillian was born in Miami, Florida but grew up in Buffalo, New York. She attended Cornell University and graduated in May 2019 with a Biological Sciences degree, concentrating in Molecular and Cell Biology, with a minor in Infectious Disease Biology. During her undergrad, she conducted wet lab research focusing on the relationship between aging, reproduction and metabolism in C. elegans. She also partook in new student programming, mental health awareness and worked as a teaching assistant. After graduating, Gillian worked as a project coordinator and medical scribe in the Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Center at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center while also volunteering for Hospice Buffalo. She first heard of genetic counseling during an introductory genetics lecture but became interested in pursuing it as a career while taking a medical genetics class while studying abroad at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. In her free time, Gillian enjoys traveling, figure skating, reading, watching television and catching up with friends and family.

Julia Schiller

Julia was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated in May from Drake University in Des Moines, IA where she double majored in Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology, and Psychology. During her time at Drake she participated in both a social psychology lab focused on action and advocacy research and a molecular genetics lab investigating the mechanisms of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome. She found genetic counseling to be the perfect intersection of her academic interests and personal strengths and is so excited to be living in Boston. In her free time she likes to be creative, explore the city, sing, cook new foods, and be outside.

Riley Schweig

Riley is originally from Oswego, IL. She graduated from Elmhurst College in 2019 with a degree in biology and psychology with minors in medical humanities and chemistry. While there she played softball, served as the president of the Relay for Life board, and was an orientation leader. During her gap year, Riley worked as an ABA behavior technician helping kids on the autism spectrum develop behavioral, academic and social skills. At home, Riley has 3 huskies, 3 cats, and a goofy younger sister. Her hobbies include reading, spending time with her friends and family, singing, shopping, and cooking. Riley has wanted to be a genetic counselor since 7th grade biology and is thrilled to be pursuing her passion!

Maia Sowers

Maia grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Boston University. Following her sophomore year at BU, she completed a genetic counseling internship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in the Ophthalmology department. Over the course of the internship, she shadowed genetic counselors and created a database of positive genetic tests for the department. During her junior and senior years at BU, Maia volunteered for Crisis Text Line and ACEing Autism. In her free time, Maia enjoys reading, playing tennis, traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family!

Malika Sud

Malika grew up in Bedford, Massachusetts before moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, where she received a degree in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. She first discovered her passion for genetics in a plant biology lab at the University of Amsterdam, and later worked on identifying genetic causes of pediatric epilepsy in a lab at UW Medicine. After graduating, she came back east to work at the Broad Institute, where she researched the genetic mechanisms underlying complex diseases like ulcerative colitis and lung cancer. In Cambridge, she volunteered with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center as a medical advocate, and with Cambridge Public Schools to help students understand more about careers in STEM. She loves music (playing, listening to, talking about), reading, spending time outdoors, and baking.