Program Director
Amber Gemmell, M.S., CGC graduated from the University of Manitoba in 2014 with her BS Honors in Genetics and from the University of Minnesota in 2016 with her MS in genetic counseling. She began her career as a cancer genetic counselor at UT Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, counseling patients at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes at multiple North Texas clinics, including the academic medical center, county hospital, and a pediatric oncology clinic.
In 2024, Amber was promoted to senior genetic counselor and continued her role as education coordinator for the UTSW cancer genetics program. She has a passion for working with current and prospective genetic counseling students and is actively involved in numerous educational initiatives. She has been a clinical supervisor for over 20 genetic counseling students and served as a mentor for genetic counseling assistants since 2019.
Amber developed and launched the NextGen Counseling Education Program, a 12-week self-paced online educational program for prospective students to gain a comprehensive introduction to the profession. The NextGen Counseling Education Program provides an affordable opportunity for prospective genetic counseling students to gain the knowledge and exposure needed to become successful graduate school applicants and, ultimately, genetic counselors. In 2025, Amber was honored with the Pinnacle Award for Innovation at the inaugural UT Southwestern Pinnacle Awards for the development of this educational program.
In addition to her clinical role, Amber became adjunct faculty for the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions in 2025. She developed the cancer genetics curriculum for the newly established UT Southwestern Genetic Consulting Program and was the course instructor for the program’s first two cohorts. She also served on the admissions committee for the UTSW Genetic Counseling Program and on the program’s curriculum committee.
Amber shares her passion for the field through active involvement in the Texas Society of Genetic Counselors and National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) where she has served in leadership positions. Amber has held positions as Genetic Services Chair and Grant Committee Chair for the Texas Society of Genetic Counselors. She has also served as the NSGC Cancer SIG Education Subcommittee Co-Chair and Cancer SIG Co-Chair. She is currently serving her second term as the Professional Status Survey Committee Chair and her first term as a member of the NSGC abstract working group. Amber also recently served as a Certification Exam Item Writer for the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC). She has been an author for several peer reviewed publications, served as a peer reviewer for journals, and presented over 25 abstracts as posters or oral presentations at scientific conferences.
Courses
- GENCOUN 521 Clinical Genetics
- GENCOUN 540 Professional Issues I
- GENCOUN 550 Fieldwork II
- GENCOUN 551 Fieldwork III
- GENCOUN 552 Fieldwork IV