Week 7 2021

HEATHER HAMPEL, MS, CGC, is a Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research and Associate Director of the Division of Cancer Genomics at City of Hope National Cancer Center. She co-leads the administration of more than 20 genetic counselors, 6 GCAs, and additional support staff who provide genetic cancer risk assessment through the City of Hope enterprise and more than 20 CRAs, LVNs and CRNs on the Precision Medicine consent team. Her research focuses on Lynch syndrome and universal tumor screening for Lynch syndrome. She has >190 publications on the prevalence of Lynch syndrome among colorectal and endometrial cancer patients, the best testing protocols, cost-effectiveness, and referral guidelines for cancer genetics. She was on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Genetic Counseling from 2006-2011, serving as President in 2009 and 2010. She has been on the Steering Committee of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable since 2016. She was on the Council of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer from 2016-2019, serving as president in 2017-2018. She served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the National Society of Genetic Counselors in 2022. She was awarded the Natalie Weissberger Paul National Achievement Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors in 2023.

Dr. Patrick Lynch is a gastroenterologist and scientist with specific expertise in cancer risk for mismatch repair gene mutation carriers. He is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at UT-MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Lynch received his Law degree and degree in Medicine from Creighton University. His internship and residency were at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He completed his Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Lynch provides surveillance for patients and families with hereditary colorectal cancers, and is actively involved in the counseling and management of these patients and families. He has led or collaborated on multiple NIH- and industry-funded studies in hereditary colorectal cancers, including basic science, clinical, chemoprevention and behavioral studies. He is a member of Council for and past President of the International Society for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumors (INSIGHT) and is past President of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer. He was recently awarded a grant under the UTMDACC “Moonshot” program for further development of a web-based registry for familial cancer families.

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.

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.

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.