Prof. Tony Holland, UK

Professor of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK. President, International Prader Willi Organisation

Dr. Chung Hon Yin Brian, Hongkong

MD Gold medalist (Sir Patrick Manson Gold Medalist) in Medicine, Clinical genomics from University of Hong kong in 2018.

Dr. Chung is a clinical Associate professor at Dept of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and serve as Honorary Consultant Geneticist for

1. The Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
2. Queen Mary Hospital
3. Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital and
4. Clinical Genetic Services at Department of Health.

His expertise is in Clinical application of whole genome technologies, Clinical genetics & genetic counseling, Epigenetics & Human diseases. Dr. Chung is a member and editor of many journals including American journal of medical genetics, Hong kong journal of pediatrician and 33 other journals.

In his career Dr. Chung also held positions of Secretary, President, Medical advisor in different international society.

Dr. Thomas Liehr, Germany

Dr. Thomas is a Biologist and Professor of Psychiatry at University of Cambridge, UK. He is also the President of International Prader Willi Organisation at Jena University Hospital , Institute of Human Genetics, Invited Professor and honorary doctor (Dr. h.c.) of the Yerevan State University in Armenia, Visiting Professor of the University of Belgrade.

He is honored with diploma , Ph.D and habilation in Human Genetics.

The research fields of Dr. Thomas includes clinical genetics, leukemia cytogenetics and 3D structure of the interphase and the human chromosomes. His particular expertise is small supernumerary marker chromosomes, chromosomal heteromorphisms, multicolor FISH and uniparental disomy.

Dr. John Belmont, USA

Dr. Belmont is a Medical Geneticist and Pediatrician with more than 38 years of experience in human genetics. He recently retired as Senior Principal Medical Scientist at Illumina, Inc. He is a Professor (Adjunct) at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA and is the Principal and Founder or Genetics & Genomics Services, Inc. He is involved in Genetic Counseling and on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Dr. Madhuri Hegde, USA

SVP & Chief Scientific Officer, PerkinElmer Global Genomic Laboratories Adjunct Professor of Applied Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology Perkin Elmer, 940 Winter Street, Waltham

Dr. Alka Chaubey, USA

PhD, FACMG, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

Alka Chaubey is double board-certified in clinical cytogenetics/genomics and clinical molecular genetics/genomics by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG).

Previously, she was the Head of Cytogenomics at PerkinElmer Genomics, where Dr. Chaubey led the successful development and launch of several innovative products including the CNGnome test (low-pass whole genome sequencing), and a new FSHD assay utilizing Saphyr. She has also played an integral role on Vanadis team at PerkinElmer in their efforts to bring a new PCR-free NIPT technology to the market. Prior to PerkinElmer Genomics, Dr. Chaubey was the Director of the Cytogenomics Laboratory at the Greenwood Genetic Center, SC, USA. She also holds an academic appointment as the Scientific Director of the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory, Scientific Director of the Cytogenetics Laboratory of the Augusta University Medical Center and Adjunct Assistant professor of Pathology of the medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Dr. Chaubey serves on the Board of Directors for the Cancer Genomics Consortium and is also the Genetics Subdivision Nominating Committee representative of the Association of Molecular Pathologists (AMP). She originally received her Doctorate degree (PhD) from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India and completed her post-doctoral studies at Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, India, and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Dr. Sucheta Bhatt, Illumina, USA

Dr. Sucheta Bhatt is currently Medical Director in Medical Affairs at Illumina, Inc, overseeing Reproductive Health and Genetic Disease Testing segments for Americas and Asia-Pacific regions. She joined Illumina, Inc. in September 2012 as Director, Genetics. Before that she was at Genzyme Genetics (now Integrated Genetics) where she was Medical Director, and Director of Prenatal Diagnosis Center responsible for the quality of testing, counseling and medical care provided by all clinical staff members, including satellites. She received her medical degree from University of Bombay, India and did her residency in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Genetics from UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angels. When she is not working, she loves to read and travel to explore various cultures.

Ms. Juliana Lee

Juliana Lee is a pioneer genetic counsellor in Malaysia and certified by the Human Genetic Society of Australasia (HGSA). After completing the Graduate Diploma in Genetic Counselling at the University of Melbourne in 2003, she began practice at University Malaya Medical Centre in 2004 till 2010 before moving on to the private healthcare setting. She has made significant contributions to the development of the genetic counselling profession and improved access to genetic counselling services in Southeast Asia. Her research interest is in reproductive genetics and rare diseases.

Affiliations:

• President, Professional Society of Genetic Counselors in Asia (PSGCA) 2019-2022
• Secretary, Genetic Counselling Society Malaysia (GCSM)
• Registered Genetic Counsellor, HGSA
• Registered Counsellor, Board of Counsellors Malaysia

Ms. Tanya N Eble, USA

Manager, Adult Genetics, Assistant Professor and Board-Certified Genetic Counselor Dept of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, USA

Dr. Liesbeth Siderius, USA

Liesbeth Siderius, aspires to optimize care for children with rare and disabling conditions. Trained in pediatrics and genetics she has experience of working in hospital (secondary)pediatrics, clinical(academic)genetics and preventive(primary)child health care in the Netherlands. She works as volunteer for patient organizations, acknowledging the mere existence of patient organization and their expertise needs permanent advocacy.

Today, digital tools can be provided to em-power people to co-manage their health, prevent illness and enable communication with healthcare providers. Experience within the advanced Dutch digital network might help to develop a global interoperable child health network that leaves no child behind.

Affiliations:

Youth heath provider at Youth Health Care Almere, The Netherlands Co-coordinator Rare Disease Working Group European Academy Pediatrics Board Member Rare Care World Foundation, The Netherlands

Board member Schwachman Syndrome Support Holland, The Netherlands

Prof. Carmencita D Padilla, Philippines

MD, MAHPS
Chancellor of University of the Philippines Manila

Dr. Padilla is Professor of Pediatrics and currently Chancellor of University of the Philippines (UP) Manila. She was conferred Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology in 2008.

Dr. Padilla is a pioneer in genetics in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. In the Philippines, she is responsible for setting up the clinical genetic services and the various genetic laboratories now housed at the National Institutes of Health Philippines. She is instrumental for the development of the Clinical Genetics Fellowship Program and the MS Genetic Counseling, at the Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, UP Manila.

She is also responsible for setting up of the national comprehensive newborn screening services in the Philippines. Newborn screening is currently available in 7400+ hospitals and birthing centers in the country, being served by a network of 7 Newborn Screening Centers, 3 Centers of Human Genetic Services and 14 Newborn Screening Continuity Clinics for long term care of the patients.

In the Asia Pacific region, she is part of the pioneering group that established the Asia Pacific Society for Human Genetics and served as president in 2008-2010. Dr. Padilla is Council member of the Human Genome Organization, an international organization of scientists from 69 countries. She is immediate past Vice President and Treasurer of the International Society for Neonatal Screening.

Dr Padilla has more than 120 publications. In the area of policy making, she is responsible for the Newborn Screening Act of 2004 and the Rare Disease Act of 2016.

Ms. Pamela Todd, Canada

Pam Todd has worked in the rare disease space for over 14 years, providing patients, caregivers and leaders with resources, tools and information customized to meet their unique needs. She is committed to creating rich and accessible content to help organizations build capacity, support patients and families, engage in scientific collaborations and advance treatment development. Global Genes is currently launching a set of resources for rare disease patients and caregivers who are considering gene-based diagnostics, including toolkits on:

• Genetic Testing: Getting to a Diagnosis
• How a Genetic Counselor Can Help You
• Diagnosis or No Diagnosis: What’s next?
• Shared Decision Making for Genetic Testing and Gene Therapy Clinical Trials

Ms. Vruti Mehta, USA

Ms. Mehta completed her Master of Science in Biotechnology from University of Mumbai in 2008 and her M.S. in Genetic Counseling from University of South Carolina in 2012. Prior to joining Ambry Genetics in 2014, she worked as a laboratory genetic counselor for Signature Genomics. As a Rare Disease Genetic Counselor Supervisor, she overlooks the SNP array and exome reporting teams.

Ms. Erynn Gordon, USA

Erynn is a board-certified genetic counselor with 20 years of clinical, research, and industry experience. She is currently the Founder and President of Ripple Genetics Consulting. Prior to founding Ripple Genetics, Erynn has held roles as VP of Clinical Operations at Genome Medical, Director of Clinical Development at 23andMe, and Director of Genetic Counseling for the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative. In addition to her recent work in industry, Erynn has held traditional clinical roles at Children's National Medical Center and the University of Maryland. Erynn has been deeply engaged in the genetic counseling community, having served as past president of the American Board of Genetic Counseling and on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Ms. Cary M. Armstrong, USA

Cary M. Armstrong, MS, LCGC is the Director of Genetic Counseling Services at Gene Matters. She has 19 years of genetic counseling experience for cancer predisposition syndromes. Prior to joining Gene Matters, Cary developed expansion sites for tele genetic consultations and provided genetic counseling in a variety of traditional settings. In addition to her clinical work, Cary co-facilitated a support group for individuals identified to carry BRCA mutations and established a clinical rotation site and supervised genetic counseling graduate students. Cary has her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Master of Science in Behavioral Science, from the University of Connecticut.

Ms. Molly McGinniss , USA

Ms. Molly McGinniss , MS, CGC, is Senior Director of Client and Partner Relations at Genome Medical, a digital health company and specialty medical group focused on genetics and genomics. She is a board-certified genetic counselor with extensive clinical and commercial expertise. Molly joined Genome Medical from Illumina where she held market development roles focused on expansion of sequencing applications into emerging clinical markets through evidence generation and strategic partnerships. She began her career as a clinical genetic counselor providing prenatal, pediatric, and adult genetic counseling services.

Molly has served on the Board of Directors for The Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) since 2018. She currently serves as the Program Review Committee Chair and will become President on July 1, 2021. She has held additional leadership roles for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). Molly received her Bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University and her Masters in Genetic Counseling from the Boston University School of Medicine.

Ms. Parvathy Krishnan, USA

Parvathy Krishnan is the Foundation Alliance Manager for Global Genes. She earned her MS from Rutgers University, NJ and her clinical training from Mayo Clinic of Health Sciences, Rochester, MN. She has worked as a clinical dietitian at Duke University Medical Center and has gained experience in the nonprofit world from her role as a Patient Engagement Advocate in NC. Parvathy is a speaker, panelist and often serves on national and international efforts to promote patient and caregiver experience. She serves as an advisor on national and internal rare disease boards as a Subject Matter Expert. As a mom to 2 medically complex children (Yash and Ira), Parvathy is passionate in helping others find their voice and message. She loves sunshine, gardening and traveling.

Ms. Kerry Cresswell, UK

Genetic Counselor, Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK

Ms.Cressswell has 19 years’ experience in clinical genetics, which includes cancer, prenatal, neurological and adult onset, pediatric and neonatal genetics.

Ms. Breana Cham Wen Min, Singapore

Principal Genetic Counsellor, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore.

Ms.Breana is a pioneer genetic counsellor in Singapore and has more than a decade of experience in the field of genetic counselling. Her experience includes the genetics of rare diseases, genetic counselling in multicultural settings and genetics education for health professionals. She has contributed to the development of national guidelines for the provision of genetics services and testing. Her interests include communication in healthcare and genetic counselling processes in the genomics era.

Executive positions in Committees:
Asia-Pacific Society of Human Genetics Professional Society of Genetic Counsellors.

Dr. Joy Tumulak, Philippines

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics - Philippine General Hospital, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines (UP), Manila.

University Researcher and Genetic Counselor, Institute of Human Genetics - National Institutes of Health, UP Manila.

Dr.Joy Tumulak took her Doctor of Medicine degree and Master of Science in Genetic Counseling, at University of the Philippines Manila. She has authored several published articles on genetics, and handled numerous research projects for the Institute of Human Genetics. Her interests are in hemoglobinopathies and cancer counseling. By being a genetic counselor, she hopes to be able to help families in coping with the diagnoses of genetic diseases.

Ms. Laura Winter-Paquette, UAE

Genetic Counselor, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), UAE

Ms.Winter-Paquette earned a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Toronto in 2011, and maintains Certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling. She joined the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) in early 2020. As part of the largest healthcare network in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), she works in the corporate head office to help grow and strengthen genomics initiatives across SEHA’s network of public hospitals and clinics. Prior to moving to the UAE, she worked at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Registry in Toronto, Canada and in Auckland at the New Zealand Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service. She has been involved with application review and clinical supervision of students with the University of Toronto, appointed as Adjunct Lecturer with the Department of Molecular Genetics.

Dr. Kunal Sanghavi, USA

Senior Program Manager, Genetic Counseling,

The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine

Kunal Sanghavi completed his medical training in Mumbai, India and genetic counseling program in Boston, USA, following which he is received board certification by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC). Kunal leads projects on the strategic growth of genetic counseling workforce, ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) program, regional genetic networks, genetic counselors in somatic space, and virtual genetic counseling training initiatives at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) for Genomic Medicine. He also leads the research task force of the somatic subcommittee at the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). He developed an online course on emerging technologies for genetic counselors. Prior to joining JAX, Kunal has worked on clinical projects including telemedicine and genetics service delivery at both, Johns Hopkins, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He remains interested in somatic – germline correlation, genomics workforce development and genomic health equity.

Ms. Nicole Fleischer, UK

VP Product & Research, FDNA

A molecular biologist by training from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Nicole has worked for the past 15 years in clinical research of cutting-edge medical technologies. For the past 5 years, she has been leading the research studies at FDNA, a company whose technology combines different forms of artificial intelligence with phenotype genotype correlations. Her focus is in next-generation phenotyping (NGP) technologies, which couples the automated phenotype analysis with the continuously growing genomic knowledge. The aim is to open new ways to rapidly reach an accurate molecular diagnosis for patients with genetic syndromes and, as a result, contribute to the emerging field of precision medicine.

Ms. Meagan Farmer, USA

Introduction:
Meagan Farmer is a licensed certified genetic counselor. She has been with My Gene Counsel, a digital health company, since 2018 and now serves as the Genetic Clinical Operations Director. Farmer is the former Director of Cancer Genetic Counseling at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She remains at UAB part time, seeing patients in-person and by telehealth, as well as taking part in teaching and research activities.

Affiliation
My main role is as Genetic Clinical Operations Director at My Gene Counsel.

Ms. Ambreen Khan, USA

Ambreen Khan is a board-certified and licensed genetic counselor with a master’s degree in genetic counseling from University of Utah. Ambreen began working at Huntsman Cancer Institute from May 2019. She provides genetic counseling regarding hereditary cancer risks to patients and their families in the Family Cancer Assessment Clinic. She also provides genetic counseling for benign blood disorders (hemophilia, von Willebrand disease) to patients

Dr. Didier Goidin , PhD

Senior Clinical Genomics Scientist
Agilent Technologies, France

Didier Goidin is a Clinical Genomic Scientist at Agilent Technologies and is involved at EMEAI level. He holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology – Neuroendocrinology from the Pierre and Marie Curie Paris University. In 2001, he joined Agilent Technologies as Genomics Application Scientist covering south Europe territories. Over the past 20 years, he gained expertise in gene expression, miRNA, epigenetics, cytogenetic and next-generation sequencing, and has demonstrated good scientific acumen to developed custom design strategies adapted to complex projects. He has been involved in several internal projects such as OneSeq, OnePGT and more recently GenetiSure Cyto Microarray as well as external collaborations across Europe resulting in several peer-review papers.

Dr. Yassmine Akkari, USA

Yassmine Akkari, PhD, FACMG is the Scientific Director of Cytogenetics and Molecular Pathology at Legacy Health in Portland, Oregon. Born and raised in Lebanon, she earned her Bachelor of Sciences degree in Biology from the American University of Beirut. Her interest in Genetics brought her to the U.S. to pursue a PhD in Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University. Following postdoctoral work on Fanconi anemia and liver gene therapy at the Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU), she successfully completed OHSU’s fellowship program in Clinical Cytogenetics and Ph.D. Medical Genetics. She then joined Legacy Health as a scientific director of Cytogenetics. Few years later, while working full time, Dr. Akkari completed the OHSU’s fellowship training program in clinical Molecular Genetics and became the technical director of Molecular Pathology at Legacy Health. As part of her responsibilities, she and her team of cytogenetic and molecular technologists oversee clinical genetic testing including conventional cytogenetics, chromosomal microarray analysis and FISH on all specimen types, as well as somatic next-generation sequencing and infectious disease. In addition, she provides genetic counseling services for patients with complex genetic results in both the pediatric and prenatal clinics. She is currently serving as the President of the Cancer Genomics Consortium, the Vice Chair of the CAP/ACMG Cytogenetics resource Committee, Vice-Chair of AMP’s Training and Education Committee, and is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group Cytogenetics Committee. She has published more than thirty peer-reviewed articles and two book chapters.

Dr. Michael Richardson, Ph.D

Business Development, APJ
Reproductive Health, Thermo Fisher Scientific

• Michael gained his Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of London in 1996. Since then, Michael has been applying genomic technologies to answer complex biological problems for over 20 years in both academia and commercial research laboratories.

• Michael joined Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2013 as a Clinical Application Specialist, helping to establish the Ion Torrent Next Generation Sequencing platform in clinical research.

• In 2015, Michael turned his focus to Business Development for Reproductive Health. In this time Michael has established many collaborations in the region and introduced new technologies and applications to the region, as well as playing a key role in establishing Thermo Fisher Scientific as a leader in reproductive health in the Asia Pacific region.

Ms. Christin, Senior Manager, Medical Affairs, Illumina

Christin is a licensed certified genetic counselor with over 19 years of experience in clinic, research, and industry. Christin is currently a Senior Manager in Medical Affairs at Illumina, supporting both Precision Health and Reproductive Health for the Americas. Christin spent the first 12 years of her career as a clinical genetic counselor in cancer, adult and prenatal genetics. Christin joined Verinata Health (now part of Illumina) in January 2012, where she helped to launch noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in the United States by educating healthcare providers across the USA. Christin received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Colgate University and her Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Human Genetics from The University of Utah, where her graduate research focused on molecular analysis/gene identification for an autosomal dominant adult-onset leukodystrophy (ADLD). Christin then went on to receive a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Genetic Counseling from The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Christin is passionate about clinical genetics and genomics in reproductive health, rare disease, and precision health and the subsequent education of health care providers and lay audiences.

Dr. Tristan Hardy, Australia

Dr Tristan Hardy MBBS (Hons) MRMed PhD FRANZCOG FRCPA.

Medical Director Genetics, Monash IVF Group; Consultant Gynaecologist, Repromed; Consultant Genetic Pathologist, SA Pathology.

Dr. Tristan Hardy is a dual-trained obstetrician and gynaecologist and genetic pathologist. He is the Medical Director of Genetics for Monash IVF Group, a consultant gynaecologist at Repromed and a consultant pathologist at SA Pathology. His PhD in preimplantation genetic testing focussed on improving diagnostic outcomes for couples affected by pregnancy loss. He is passionate about genomics education and is part of the Global Education Outreach Committee of the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis.

Dr. Laurence Lohmann, France

Ms. Susan Hancock, MS CGS (USA)

I am a Genetic Counsellor of 20 Years
I have both The Clinical Perspective & The Laboratory Perspective