Week 12 2022

SUSAN SHEHAYEB, MS, CGC, is a licensed board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics with the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics at City of Hope National Medical Center. She is fluent in Arabic and has competency in Spanish. She has a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling from University of California Irvine. Ms. Shehayeb's clinical role has centered on widening patient access to genetic counseling and testing throughout the City of Hope network and on genetics representation and expertise in the setting of gynecologic oncology. Her past research has focused on lifestyle choices in the context of hereditary cancer testing, hereditary causes of multiple breast cancers, and hereditary gynecologic cancers. Her special interests include hereditary gynecologic cancers and hereditary genodermatoses, furthering education of providers in the setting of genomic cancer risk assessment, and advocacy for diversity and equity in the field of cancer genetics. She is a faculty member of the City of Hope Intensive Course in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment, and a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Southern California Genetic Counselors.

Lauren Gima, MS, CGC is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor at City of Hope in Duarte, CA where she specializes in clinical cancer genomics. She earned her MS degree in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University and BS degree in Human Biology from University of California San Diego. Her primary clinical responsibilities include providing cancer genetic counseling services for City of Hope’s patient population. She is a clinical rotation supervisor for students of the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) Genetic Counseling program, the University of California Irvine Genetic Counseling program, and the University of California Los Angeles Genetic Counseling program. She also serves as a community mentor for the KGI Genetic Counseling program, providing ongoing support and guidance for new genetic counseling students. Lauren is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers, the Southern California Genetic Counselors, and the Minority Genetics Professionals Network.

RACHELLE MANOOKIAN, MS, CGC is a licensed and board-certified cancer genetic counselor specializing in pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She was previously with the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics at City of Hope, and before that, a general genetic counselor at the VA Medical Center serving six VA hospitals via telehealth. She has a special interest in genitourinary cancers. She brings her growing expertise in medical education to her role as an adjunct faculty member for the Keck Graduate Institute Genetic Counseling and Genomic Data Analytics master’s programs. She serves as a faculty mentor, graduate capstone supervisor, and rotation supervisor for current genetic counseling students. She is actively engaged in the Fanconi anemia community and has been a volunteer at Camp Sunshine Fanconi Anemia week since 2016, and she is a two-time nominee of the Heart of Genetic Counseling Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors

Deanna Erwin MS, CGC, is a licensed, board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics. She has a Master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Her primary clinical focus is providing risk assessment and genetic counseling services to individuals concerned about hereditary cancer risks. Ms. Erwin joined the City of Hope Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics in 2019, and previously worked as a genetic counselor at the Baylor College of Medicine Adult Genetics Clinic in Houston, TX. She is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Access and Service Delivery Committee. As part of her role in NSGC, she has contributed to multiple resources designed to increase provider efficiency and access to genetic counselors.

ELYSSA ZUKIN, MS, CGC is a licensed, board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics at City of Hope National Medical Center. She has a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Irvine, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Zukin joined City of Hope in 2020 as part of the Center for Precision Medicine. Her past research investigated the implications on clinical care when patients are found to carry genetic variants in genes associated with hereditary cancer syndromes that have conflicting interpretations by different genetics laboratories. She is a faculty member of the City of Hope Intensive Course and Clinical Cancer Genomics Community of Practice, and a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Southern California Genetic Counselors.

ELISE SOBOTKA, MS, MPH, CGC is a licensed, board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA. She has a Master of Science in genetic counseling and a Master of Public Health in health management and policy from the University of Michigan. Elise joined the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics in 2020 and is affiliated with City of Hope's Duarte location. Her past research has focused on understanding barriers to cancer genetic services for underserved populations and eliciting ideas for interventions to increase uptake. In addition to access to genetic services, her special interests include alternative service delivery models, genetic testing and genetic privacy policies, Health IT, and the intersection of public health and genetic counseling. She is currently a faculty member of the City of Hope Intensive Course in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment and vice-chair of the NSGC Position Statement Committee.

Jasmine Alcantara, BS has been at City of Hope since February, 2021and has recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with her BS in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and a minor in Environmental Systems and Society. She has had experience working as a counselor and program coordinator for one of UCLA’s student retention programs, as an undergraduate researcher in environmental science and microbial genomics, and most recently, as a COVID-19 Case Investigator for Orange County. In her role at City of Hope, she supports clinical operations and patient communication for both Clinical Genetics and the Precision Medicine Program.

John Luna, MS is an Education Assistant for the Cancer Genetics Education Program at City of Hope. He earned his Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Rosalind Franklin University and his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Southern California. He has experience as a volunteer in STEM education outreach, a research assistant in an inorganic chemistry laboratory, and a medical scribe in an urgent care. At City of Hope, John assists with developing the CCGCoP Portal and administering the Intensive and Self Paced courses.