Meet Our Team

Program Director, Genetic Counseling Program
Clinical Associate 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 include a range from clinical care across many specialties (prenatal, pediatrics, neurology and cancer); advocacy work at the national level with the Children’s Tumor Foundation overseeing the NF Clinic Network and at the community level with the Dominican Women’s Development Center where she trained promotores de salud; public health work with the New York State Department of Health focused on raising disability awareness and at The Guttmacher Institute where she supported research specific to reproductive health; and in industry as a Medical Affairs Genetic Counselor at the former Counsyl, Inc.  Kathleen is currently active on committees for the National Society of Genetic Counselors, the American Board of Genetic Counseling and the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling. She holds current leadership positions as President of the New England Regional Genetics Group and as a member of the Executive Committee for the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors.  Kathleen is passionate about teaching the next generation of genetic counselors in a student centric, inclusive and supportive training environment. She was recognized as the 2018-19 Graduate Medical Sciences Educator of the Year and recognized in 2021 for Outstanding Mentoring by Graduate Medical Sciences.

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.

Assistant Director, Student Research
Assistant Professor, Medical Sciences & Education
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Nikkola received a BA in Mathematics and a BMus in Vocal Performance from Rice University and an MA in Musicology from the University of Chicago before discovering her true career path in genetic counseling. She pivoted with a MS in Genetic Counseling from Brandeis University, and then went on to complete a PhD in Health Professions Education at Simmons University, where her dissertation was a qualitative study focused on the training experiences of genetic counseling students who identify with a racial or ethnic minority group. Prior to joining the faculty at Boston University, Nikkola worked as a clinical and research genetic counselor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. For the last 4 years, she has specialized in pulmonary genetics, providing genetic counseling to adult and pediatric patients with lung disease and spearheading gene discovery initiatives. Nikkola‘s research interests are centered on the education of genetic counseling students, the creation of equitable and inclusive training environments for students with identities that are currently underrepresented in the profession, and the ways in which being bicultural impacts genetic counselors’ interactions with patients. 

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

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.

Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Kim earned her BS from Brandeis University, where she triple-majored in Neuroscience, Biology, and Psychology, and minored in Mathematics. She received her MS in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Stanford University School of Medicine. Before joining the BUGC team in 2020, Kim worked at UMass Memorial Health, counseling patients in general, prenatal, cancer, and cardiac genetics clinics. She worked at Boston Medical Center as a cancer genetic counselor before transitioning to her current role in research. Kim’s research focuses on advancing healthcare equity for historically marginalized communities, leveraging community-engaged methods to inform inclusive clinical practices. She completed a research fellowship through the GC-FIRST program through the University of Minnesota. She is currently funded by the Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship for research that addresses cancer risk assessment and considerations around top surgery for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. She serves as a Deputy Editor and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Integration for the Journal of Genetic Counseling. Kim dedicates much of her time to advancing justice for the LGBTQIA+ community in genetics through talks, blogs, research, and working groups. She received the AGCPD Outstanding Clinical Supervisor Award in 2021 and the NSGC Leader in Cultural Advocacy Award in 2022.

Lead Genetic Counselor, BUMG/BMC
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Licensed Genetic Counselor

Phil earned a BS degree in Biochemistry from Northeastern University, an MS degree in Genetic Counseling from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and an MPH degree concentrated in Health Policy & Law at Boston University School of Public Health. Prior to joining the BUGC team in 2015, Phil worked in the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Phil is an Assistant Professor and Lead Genetic Counselor for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. He is also the Lead Genetic Counselor for Boston University Medical Group/Boston Medical Center, facilitating professional development and genetics services across the institution. Clinically, Phil sees patients and families in the Antenatal Testing Unit for reproductive and prenatal genetic counseling. Phil’s research interests focus largely on the intersection between genetics, public health and public policy – including access issues and disparities in health outcomes in genetics and medicine, topics regarding reproductive justice, and the development of genetic counseling as an inclusive profession for historically excluded and underrepresented individuals. Phil is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors as a slated Director-at-Large for the 2023-2025 Board of Directors, and as a past Chair of the Membership Committee.

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.

Assistant Professor, Medical Sciences & Education; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Maggie received a BS in Biology and Biotechnology from Endicott College and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. During her time in the BUGC program, she enjoyed interfacing with the exceptional patients and providers at Boston Medical Center and formally joined the Genetics team following graduation. She is a clinical genetic counselor in the Cancer Center at Boston Medical Center and appreciates the opportunity to come together with patients to discuss how genetic information can impact their health. Improving healthcare equity and access to genetic services are some of Maggie’s primary focuses. Her research centers around the impact of systemic exclusion of diverse communities in the field of genetics, particularly related to trust, awareness, accessibility, and variant interpretation. She recently joined Dr. Catharine Wang and team at the Black Women’s Healthy Study on a trial returning cancer genetic research results to participants across the country. Outside of genetics, Maggie is a figure skating coach and enjoys supporting skaters throughout their journey in the sport.

Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Darius received a BS in Biology and a BA in Religious Studies from Stonehill College. Prior to pursuing genetic counseling, he worked as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at Boston University. He then received his MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. After graduating, Darius joined the genetic counseling team at Boston Medical Center where he sees patients in both the Antenatal Testing Unit and the Cancer Center. He is particularly passionate about LGBTQIA+ justice and intersex care.

Clinical Instructor; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Kat obtained her BS from St. Lawrence University in biology with a minor in chemistry. She then went on to attend Boston University School of Medicine, graduating with her MS in Genetic Counseling in 2011. Upon graduation, Kat spent the next three years working as a Genetic Counselor in the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine at Partners HealthCare. With a desire to move to Northern New England and gain more clinical experience, Kat started practicing as an oncology genetic counselor at Maine Medical Center. In 2022, she returned back to laboratory analysis and interpretation as a Senior Clinical Variant Analyst at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard’s Clinical Research Sequencing Laboratory. Kat has always maintained a passion for working with students in her various roles as a genetic counselor. She currently co-instructs the Genetic Diagnosis and Laboratory Methods course at BU.

Instructor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Page has an undergraduate degree in biology and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Bay Path University.  At the start of her career, she worked in non-profit development as the executive director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Western MA. There she worked with inspiring families that sparked her interest in medical genetics and psychosocial care, which later translated well for entry into the field of genetic counseling.  Today Page is a board certified clinical genetic counselor in the Cancer Center at Boston Medical Center and coordinates BMC’s high-risk cancer genetics clinic.  She is excited about the opportunity this clinic presents— to bridge the gap between hereditary cancer diagnosis and access to high quality risk management.  Her work aims to care for patients with complex needs, and support families on their own familial genetic journey.  Outside of her professional work, Page enjoys yoga, hiking the hills of western MA and traveling with her family.

Instructor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Lucas received their BA in Biology from the University of Utah with minors in Chemistry, Modern Dance, and Psychology in April 2020. Prior to graduate school, he worked with the Utah AIDS Foundation in Salt Lake City as a prevention counselor and intern in the HIV/STI Test Site, graphic designer for the Pride Planning Committee, and volunteer in the Food Bank serving clients with HIV. He received his Master of Genetic Counselor Studies degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in 2023, where he has served on their advisory committee and gender affirming clinical care committee, with a majority of his clinical training in a rural setting in the Marshfield Clinic Health System. As a queer, first-generation American and college graduate, Lucas hopes to continue to provide care to patients from underserved communities as a clinical genetic counselor in the BMC Cancer Center. Along with patient advocacy, their professional interests include teaching and pharmacogenomics.

Clinical Instructor, Licensed Genetic Counselor

Kira received a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling in 2003 from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/National Human Genome Research Institute. She is board certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and a licensed genetic counselor in Massachusetts. She has aided in the development and implementation of multiple clinical trials in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome and Rett Syndrome performed at Boston Children’s Hospital (NCT0078982, NCT01713946, NCT01289912, NCT01777542, NCT02991807) She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the CureAP4 advocacy organization, the Professional Advisory Board for the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, as Treasurer and Executive Board Member for the New England Regional Genetics Group, and as a coordinator for the Neuroscience Family Advisory Research Council at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is currently completing a fellowship in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School.  She was recognized with a Code Talker award in 2017 for excellence in genetic counseling.

Assistant Professor, Hematology & Medical Oncology; Licensed Genetic Counselor

Samson received his BA at Boston University in Biology with a specialization in Cell, Molecular & Genetics before receiving a MS in Genetic Counseling at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. During his graduate training where he was involved in efforts to expand genetic testing services within the Caribbean and more specifically Puerto Rico, Samson grew passionate working with non-English speaking populations and coordinating genetic testing within the oncology, prenatal, and nephrology space. At BMC, he hopes to continue providing equitable care for these and other historically underserved populations. Samson is also passionate about variant interpretation and translating novel genomic insights into improved patient care.

Clinical Instructor, Licensed Genetic Counselor

Mary received a BS in Biology at Emmanuel College and her MS in Genetic Counseling at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Prior to pursuing genetic counseling, she worked as a math and science teacher for grades 6-8. She currently works as a clinical genetic counselor in the cancer and general genetics clinics at Tufts Medical Center. Her professional passions include providing equitable care and access to genetic counseling for underrepresented populations and training GC students through clinical supervision. 

Academic Program Coordinator

Haylie is originally from Mansfield, MA, and graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Delaware. She previously worked as the Administrative Coordinator for Instructional Labs in the Biology department on the Charles River Campus. Now, she splits her time between Genetic Counseling and the Physician Assistant Programs. Haylie also has a graduate certificate in Urban Policy and Planning from BU, and in her free time, she enjoys teaching dance at the studio where she grew up, cheering on the Patriots, and going to the beach. Most importantly, she has a Chihuahua-Beagle mix named Bean, who she absolutely adores.

Student Tutor

Maia received a BA in Biology from Boston University College of Arts and Sciences and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University School of Medicine. After graduating, Maia moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado and worked for two years as a prenatal genetic counselor in Maternal Fetal Medicine. There, she served southern Colorado’s diverse patients by building an effective genetic testing protocol from the ground up and collaborating with patients, providers, and labs alike. Throughout her time in graduate school and as a clinical genetic counselor, Maia has always been passionate about education, support, and outreach for genetic counselors and the profession. Her professional passions include outreach and education regarding the genetic counseling profession alongside advocacy for adoptees and genetic testing. After Colorado, Maia moved back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be near family and is excited to join the BUGC team remotely. She tutors genetic counselors preparing to take boards through StudyRare and is thrilled to support and tutor BUGC students!  Outside of genetic counseling, Maia enjoys reading, spending time with her dog, and traveling!