MSGC Admission Committee Bios

Jenn Beazer is a metabolic dietitian at National PKU News, the first national PKU organization in the US! Previously, she was with St Luke’s Genetics and Metabolic Clinic in Boise. She has a vast history in the treatment rare disease including many years in cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, general genetics, and biochemical genetics. She loves the city of Boise and though she is not a BSU grad (did attend for 1 year), she is a proud Bronco!

Meg is currently the Research Director at a rare disease non-profit organization, Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA), where she focused on patient centered outcomes-based research. Previously she was a Lead/ Senior Genetic Counselor at GeneDx and was a member of the National Hemophilia Program Coordinating Center (NHPCC) Genetics Work Group. As part of the NHPCC work group, she also serves as Chair of a subcommittee focused on integrating genetic and genetic counseling into bleeding disorder research. Recently she has served in leadership positions within the National Society of Genetic Counselor as Chair of both the Annual conference Abstract Committee and the AHSPA Board. She graduated from the genetic counseling program at University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005. Prior to joining GeneDx, she worked as a genetic counselor at Children’s National Medical Center where she was part of a multidisciplinary clinic, and also coordinated and developed multiple research studies. She went on to receive her Masters in Clinical and Translational Research at The George Washington University where she focus was on health communication, and genetics of rare disorders, using a mixed method approach.

Mitchell graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI in 2013 and began his counseling career at the Harvard – Partners Laboratory for Molecular Medicine (LMM) where he specialized in cardiomyopathy variant curation and reporting. He later expanded his interests at the LMM into the RASopathies and joined the ClinGen RASopathy Expert Panel to adapt the ACMG gene and variant curation guidelines to the those associated with RASopathies. In 2016, he continued his career at the Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Laboratory, now Sema4 in NYC, and is currently the Director of Laboratory Genetic Counseling Services for reproductive health and other tests offered at Sema4. Mitchell primarily focuses his efforts on remote and in-house GC operations, improving GC-related customer service, and quality improvement through efficient design, automation, and communication. Mitchell is passionate about data sharing efforts and spends his free time watching movies and geocaching

Kelly Donahue received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from University of Pittsburgh. She has more than 20 years of experience in prenatal genetics and is passionate about providing information and counseling that empowers patients to make decisions about prenatal testing that are consistent with their personal needs and values. In addition to her experience in the clinical setting, Kelly has worked in the molecular laboratory setting and brings a depth of understanding regarding the potential benefits, drawbacks and limitations of new molecular technologies. Kelly has given numerous invited presentations on topics related to prenatal genetics. She is an active volunteer with the American Board of Genetic Counseling.

Jennifer Eichmeyer is the director for the Boise State MS in Genetic Counseling program. She graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center with her MS in genetic counseling in 2002. She started her career in Idaho as a prenatal genetic counselor at St. Luke’s Health System and established the first cancer genetic counseling clinic for the state. Subsequently, Jennifer worked in pediatric genetic counseling while continuing to grow and expand the oncology clinic. In 2011, she transitioned to cancer full time and served as the lead genetic counselor at St. Luke’s to a team of other full time genetic counselors staffing multiple sites across the state until 2017. Jen has been involved in expanding other genetic services in the state of Idaho through the development of a High Risk Breast Clinic, NICU genetics, implementation of universal screening for Lynch syndrome, telehealth genetic counseling services, and pharmacogenetics. Jennifer was involved in the genetic counseling licensing legislation in the State of Idaho in 2015. She is actively involved with NSGC and ABGC.

Leah Fleming is an ABMGG board certified clinical geneticist and graduated from the University of Washington, Seattle as a Doctor of Medicine. She trained in a variety of settings including the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Johns Hopkins University and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, before accepting a position at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, ID.  She is honored to assist in the evaluation and care of children and adults with genetic conditions in Idaho. Leah serves as the medical director for Boise State’s MS in Genetic Counseling Program.

Barbara Harrison, MS, CGC is a Certified Genetic Counselor at Howard University in Washington, D.C with 24 years of experience. Barbara is an Assistant Professor teaching in the areas of genetics, genetic testing, genetic counseling and ethics. She is also the Director for Community Outreach and Education for the Howard University (HU) Center for Sickle Cell Disease and provides genetic counseling services at Howard University Hospital, primarily in prenatal genetics. Barbara’s interest in connecting with people and increasing genetics awareness led her to become a Certified Genetic Counselor. She received her Master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995. Working in genetic counseling as the Director for Community Outreach and Education for the HU Center for Sickle Cell Disease has allowed Barbara to focus on making a difference in people’s lives, particularly those in need of support.

Priscila D. Hodges graduated from Northwestern University in 2015. Since the beginning of her career, Priscila has served the Hispanic community by offering bilingual genetic counseling. Priscila has collaborated on research that has focused on cultural competence related to the use of interpreters, as well as the experiences of Latina immigrants in the medical system. Priscila also helped in the development of a trilingual lexicon called Lexigene® which contains genetic counseling specific terminology.

Priscila is focused on the recruitment and provision of genetic counseling services for Hispanic patients who are interested in participating in the PD GENEration (PD GENE) study in order to increase knowledge about Parkinson’s disease and provide a better service for the Hispanic community.

Heather Hussey has over 12 years of clinical experience primarily in oncology genetics. She joined St. Luke’s Maternal Fetal Medicine in Boise, Idaho in 2007, providing prenatal genetic assessment for high-risk pregnancies. In 2009, she began seeing hereditary cancer patients at St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI). After leading the effort for licensure in her state, as well as writing the legislation adopted by the legislature and signed by the Governor in 2015, she is currently the chairman of the Idaho Genetic Counselors Licensing Board. She now serves as an advocate and expert resource for genetic counseling legislative efforts in states across the country. Her research interests include the ethics of genetics and genetic counseling, incidental findings in genetic testing, with a primary publication focus on the advances and psychosocial issues in hereditary melanoma. She joined Invitae in 2017 and currently serves as the oncology clinical science liaison for over a dozen states in the western US. She earned her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Leslie Ordal graduated with her MSc. in Genetic Counseling from the University of Toronto in 2014. She started her career working for the research ethics board (IRB) then moved to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital as the manager of a pediatric neuroscience lab. Prior to becoming a genetic counselor, Leslie worked as a medical writer and editor, with two years spent developing continuing medical education for paramedics in the province of Ontario. Leslie is active in clinical research, collaborating in studies to assess patient preferences in receiving whole genome sequencing results, evaluate methods for delivering clinical interventions to children with severe and complex disabilities, and improve primary care for intersex individuals. She is currently a Fellow with Building Healthcare Collectives, a joint initiative of Michigan State University and Ohio State University designed to foster collaboration between medical and humanities scholars. Leslie is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. She has been involved in efforts to promote mentorship opportunities within the NSGC, especially for early career genetic counselors looking to publish their Master’s research. Leslie serves as the Assistant Director for Boise State’s MS in Genetic Counseling Program.

Kathleen Romito received her BS in Microbiology from the University of California-Berkely, and her MD from the University of California, San Diego. As a family physician, she brings a solid educational foundation in science, 19 years of clinical experience, 8 years of specialization in patient education and shared decision making, and 3 years of Family Medicine medical student/resident education to contribute to the Genetics Counseling program. Practicing full-spectrum family medicine, she educates patients and their families about complex health issues that had medical, psychological, social and ethical components. The issues ranged from prenatal care to end-of-life issues. Kathleen is adjunct faculty at Boise State’s MS in Genetic Counseling Program.

Born and raised in India, Shruti Shenbagam is an American board-certified genetic counselor. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2017. Post-graduation, she worked for two years as a prenatal and pediatric genetic counselor at Valley Children’s Hospital. Following this, she moved to India where she practiced as a freelance genetic counselor working with both North American and Indian companies further specializing in prenatal, cancer, adult, and general genetic counseling. Shruti joined Al Jalila Children’s Hospital, Dubai in 2022 as a pediatric and laboratory genetic counselor where she provides genetic counseling to patients and families with a genetic diagnosis and those seeking genetic testing.

Anne Cottrell Spencer graduated in 1991 from the MS in genetic counseling program at the University of California, Berkeley and in 2012 she earned an MA in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. From 1991-1994 she worked as a pediatric genetic counselor at Children’s Hospital Seattle where she also worked on the Epidermolysis Bullosa Registry. In 1994 she moved to Idaho where she was the first genetic counselor in the state. She worked primarily in prenatal counseling but assisted in other areas such as cancer, hemophilia, neurology, and public health as well as offer multiple education programs for medical professionals and the general public. In 2001, Anne shifted to pediatric genetic counseling in the Idaho State Genetics clinic and assisted with the state newborn screening follow up programs. Anne began offering counseling for presymptomatic testing for Huntington’s Disease in 1996 and in 2004 she founded a support group for families dealing with Huntington’s Disease which she continues to lead. Anne has held leadership positions at the National Society of Genetic Counselors and has served on the program committee for regional and national genetic counseling conferences. Anne serves as the Psychosocial Development Coordinator for Boise State’s MS in Genetic Counseling Program.

Matt Tschirgi earned his BS degree from Washington State University, and his MS in genetic counseling from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He has more than 14 years of combined experience in clinical and industry genetic counseling, in addition to over 10 years of academic research experience. He is currently a Senior Manager of Genomic Services at Quest Diagnostics, overseeing the reproductive health genetic counseling team. As an entrepreneur, he started a consulting company, Genetix Consulting, LLC. Matt’s professional interests include prenatal genetics; academic and industry partnerships; and professional issues such as continuing education, multi-state licensure, and incorporating genetic counseling assistants in both clinical and industry settings.