Week 12 2022

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.

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 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.

Deanna J. Erwin is a genetic counselor at Color Health. She previously was a clinical genetic counselor in the Adult Genetics Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine and at the City of Hope.
 
She has a M.S. in Genetic Counseling from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Biology and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  
 
She is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), where she participates in multiple special interest groups (Health IT, Leadership and Management, and Cancer), and committees (Access and Service Delivery and the Research, Quality, and Outcomes). She has a special interest in underserved populations and increasing access to genetic services.

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 current research projects are focused on understanding cancer risks, penetrance, prevalence, and clinical outcomes in unselected populations undergoing genetic testing, and leveraging the electronic health record to improve genomic care.  She is currently a faculty member of the City of Hope Intensive Course in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment, chair of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Position Statement Committee, and an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Southern California Genetic Counselors.

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.