KGI Week 5

Lisa Madlensky, PhD, is a board-certified genetic counselor who provides cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling for patients and their families. She helps people investigate their family health history, navigate the genetic testing process, and understand and adapt to the medical or psychological implications of genetic diseases.

As director of the Family Cancer Genetics Program at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, Dr. Madlensky helps ensure that patients and families with an increased risk of cancer receive outstanding care, with a focus on cancer prevention and early detection.

In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Madlensky is a researcher at Moores Cancer Center. Her work centers on cancer prevention in those at increased risk of disease because of their family history or genetic predisposition. Her research themes include clinical genetic testing and follow-up for families with Lynch Syndrome and BRCA1/2 mutations; the public health implications of cancer genetic testing; quality of life in those at increased risk of cancer; the integration of cancer risk assessment into family practice; and family-level cancer prevention.

Dr. Madlensky earned her doctoral degree from the University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. She obtained a Master of Science in genetic counseling from McGill University in Montreal Canada.

Julie Culver, MS, LCGC, CCRP is a licensed genetic counselor and Clinical Instructor specializing in cancer genetics. She received her Master’s degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1994. Ms. Culver then worked in Cancer Prevention and Public Health at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research in Seattle for almost a decade. In 2004, she joined the City of Hope Division of Clinical Cancer Genetics where worked for 8 years and served as the Assistant Director of the Cancer Screening & Prevention Program Network and conducted research pertaining to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and decision-making for woman carrying deleterious BRCA mutations and variants of uncertain significance. In 2012, she moved to the USC Norris Cancer Comprehensive Cancer Center where she currently serves on the faculty of Medical Oncology and is the lead genetic counselor. Her research pertains to hereditary cancer panel testing, cancer risk perception, and medical decision-making following genetic testing. She has served on the faculty for the City of Hope Intensive Course and taught cancer risk assessment to health professionals and students since 2004.