Week 1 2025

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 and her primary research interest is in hereditary GI cancer syndromes. Ms. Gima is a faculty member of the City of Hope Intensive Course and Clinical Cancer Genomics Community of Practice, and an adjunct faculty member for the Keck Graduate Institute Genetic Counseling and Genomic Data Analytics masters’ programs. She serves as a clinical rotation supervisor for genetic counseling students and as a 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, the Minority Genetics Professionals Network, and the Alliance for Genomic Justice.

SUSAN SHEHAYEB, MS, CGC,  is a licensed board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics. She has a Master’s of Science degree in genetic counseling from University of California Irvine. Previous to completing her master’s degree, Ms. Shehayeb earned her bachelor’s degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology from University of California Los Angeles. Ms. Shehayeb joined the City of Hope Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics in 2017, having previously undergone clinical training at City of Hope. She is fluent in Arabic and is in the process of achieving fluency in Spanish.

Ms. Shehayeb's clinical role has centered on widening patient access to genetic counseling and testing throughout the City of Hope clinical network and on genetics representation and expertise in the setting of gynecologic oncology. She co-leads the curriculum development for educational initiatives within the City of Hope Clinical Division of Cancer Genomics. Her research work and special interests focus on hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, hereditary genodermatoses, precision medicine in hereditary cancer care, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in cancer genetics training. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Southern California Genetic Counselors.

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 West VA Medical Center. 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 Fanconi Anemia Family Week since 2016, and she is a two-time nominee of the Heart of Genetic Counseling Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Kathryn Reyes, MS, CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics at City of Hope. She earned her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Stanford University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining City of Hope in 2022, Kathryn previously worked as a cancer genetic counselor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In addition to her role providing patient care, Kathryn has interests in genetic counseling research and education. Her research investigates the psychological effects of undergoing multi-gene panel testing for hereditary cancer susceptibility. She also serves on the Research, Quality and Outcomes Committee of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. Kathryn gives lectures on cancer genetics topics to local Southern California genetic counseling programs and is currently one of the Education Co-Chairs of the Southern California Genetic Counselors group.