Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board functions as a resource to Program Administration by anticipating changes to the landscape of the genetic counseling profession that can inform ongoing program development, implementation, and evaluation.
CHAIR
Jill Goldman, MS, MPhil, CGC
Professor of Genetic Counseling, Columbia University
Jill is an ABGC board-certified genetic counselor. She completed her genetic counseling graduate education at the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked at USCF in the Memory and Aging Center, and now works at The Taub Institute at Columbia where she specializes in hereditary neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal degeneration, and Parkinson’s disease. Jill created and coordinates “A Friend for Rachel," a companionship program in which people with early to moderate dementia are paired with Columbia students.
Jason Carmichael, MS, CGC
Manager of Genetic Counseling and Precision Medicine, Valley Children’s Healthcare
Jason is an ABGC-certified genetic counselor. He received his BS in Molecular Biology at the Florida Institute of Technology and his MS in Genetic Counseling at Brandeis University. Prior to graduate school, Jason volunteered for 3 years as an HIV/health educator in the US Peace Corps in the African countries of Mali and Cameroon. He also interned at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC where he gained experience working on national programs aimed at supporting underrepresented students pursuing advanced degrees in STEM fields. Jason is currently the Manager of Genetic Counseling and Precision Medicine at the Medical Genetics Metabolism and Maternal Fetal Medicine departments at Valley Children’s Healthcare in Madera, CA. His clinical and career interests include community engagement, carrier screening, utilization management of genetic testing, and genetic hematological disorders.
Margie Goldstein, MS, CGC
Genetic Counseling Consultant
Margie is an ABGC board-certified genetic counselor. She received her BS in Developmental Psychology from Pennsylvania State University and her MS in Genetic Counseling from University of California, Berkeley. She has worked as a prenatal genetic counselor at Children’s Hospital Oakland and provided genetic counseling services to underserved communities in the Northern CA Bay area through a state-funded program which supported these efforts. Margie served for many years in leadership roles for the Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of California, Berkeley followed by the Stanislaus State-Bay Area Genetic Counseling Program.
Matt Hay, MBA
US Director of Advocacy for Neurofibromatosis, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Matt was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) at 19. His journey with this disorder included dozens of surgeries to treat brain and spine tumors, impacting his balance and hearing. He and his wife, Nora, experienced firsthand the importance of the genetic counselor-patient relationship as they looked to start their own family. Matt applies many of these personal experiences to his role at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, working on behalf of the NF community. Matt is a longtime advocate and fundraiser for NF2 research. He has also served as a development consultant and board member for various hearing loss-related nonprofits and is a frequent guest speaker, author, and podcaster, sharing his perspective on overcoming every day challenges related to his genetic disorder. Matt earned degrees in marketing and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University, and is currently enrolled in the Public Health PhD program at Indiana University. He and Nora live in Westfield, IN with their three teenaged children (none of whom inherited NF2).
Nora Hay, BS
Senior Sales Specialist (Humira), Abbott/AbbVie
Nora’s interest in genetics began after studying the subject as part of her undergraduate and graduate degree coursework. She has had a multi-decade career with Abbott/AbbVie where she works as a Senior Sales Specialist within the gastroenterology division selling Humira, a biologic therapy. In her role, she partners with gastroenterologists across Indiana and enjoys applying her knowledge in a way that helps patients with IBD. Nora’s passion for science provided the building blocks for her career path while also providing valuable insight and perspective into her husband’s genetic disorder as they made their family planning decisions. Nora is a life-long Hoosier, growing up in Northwest Indiana and then earning her Biology Degree with honors from Indiana University. She currently lives in Westfield, IN with her husband, Matt, and their three children. Nora most enjoys spending time with her family at home, on a beach, or hiking to a waterfall at a National Park.
Parisa Hemati, MS, MBA, CGC
Senior Manager of Global Segment Marketing, PerkinElmer
Parisa is an ABGC board-certified genetic counselor. She worked at Columbia’s Institute for Genomic Medicine for several years before attending Columbia Business School to complete her MBA. Parisa is interested in commercialization of genomic products with high scientific quality and diverse roles that genetic counselors can play in the process. She currently works at PerkinElmer Genomics as the Senior Manager of Global Segment Marketing.
Brynn Levy, MSc (Med), PhD
Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University
Originally trained as a genetic counselor, Dr. Levy is now the Medical Director of the Clinical Cytogenetics Laboratory of the New York Presbyterian Hospital and a Co-Director of the Division of Personalized Genomic in the Department of Pathology & Cell Biology. He is regarded internationally as an expert in the clinical utility of genomic technologies in reproductive medicine. Dr. Levy's research areas of interest include early prenatal screening using fetal cells and cell-free fetal DNA from maternal circulation, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, and the etiology of recurrent miscarriage.
Monica Marvin, MS, CGC
Clinical Associate Professor of Human Genetics & Internal Medicine, University of Michigan
Monica is an ABGC-certified genetic counselor whose health services research focuses on improving access to genetic counseling through alternate service delivery models, psychosocial outcomes of genetic counseling and testing for inherited cancer syndromes, and the expansion of clinical descriptions of novel inherited cancer syndrome. She is the Director of the University of Michigan Genetic Counseling Program and provides clinical genetic services in the University of Michigan Cancer Genetics Clinic.
Andrés Morales Corado, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University
Dr. Morales Corado is an ABMGG board-certified geneticist in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Clinical Genetics. He attended medical school at the Universidad de San Carlos Facultad De Ciencias Médicas in Guatemala, and completed a pediatrics residency at the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in New York and a medical genetics and genomics residency at Stanford University. Dr. Morales Corado's areas of expertise include neurometabolism and neuogenetics.
Weiyi Mu, ScM, CGC
Assistant Professor Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Weiyi is an ABGC-certified genetic counselor. She received her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Weiyi’s primary work is to provide clinical genetic counseling services for patients in General Genetics, Ataxia Clinic, Huntington Disease Clinic, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Clinic, and Neurodegenerative, Dementia & Movement Disorders Genetic Counseling Clinics. She is involved in graduate-level and post-graduate level education of medical students, medical residents and fellows, and genetic counseling students at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, and affiliated institutions. Weiyi also coordinates the Johns Hopkins University Summer Undergraduate Virtual Internship in Genetic Counseling.
Aaron Viny, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University
Dr. Viny is a hematologist and medical oncologist and laboratory-based physician-scientist focusing on the study of clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndrome, and acute myeloid leukemias. His research uses genomic techniques to uncover the genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of these diseases in order to find more precise and less toxic treatment modalities. He is also a member and Assistant Director of Shared Resources at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Viny received his MD at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at NYP/Weill Cornell Medical College and fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Ronald Wapner, MD
Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Columbia University
Dr. Wapner is an ABMGG and ABOG board-certified OB/GYN with over 35 years of clinical experience. He has participated in or led randomized trials evaluating genetic prenatal diagnostic and screening technologies for more than 30 years. These include much of the original work evaluating chorionic villus sampling, biochemical and ultrasound screening for fetal chromosome abnormalities, a prospective comparison of chromosomal microarray to karyotyping for prenatal testing, microarray analysis of stillborn infants, and a comparison of cell-free DNA to biochemical and ultrasound screening in low-risk pregnant woman. His most recent work evaluated the role of expanded pan-ethnic carrier screening in prenatal care, which presented the largest experience of such testing to date and demonstrated racial and ethnic consequences in the screening recommendations, presently in practice. Dr. Wapner is currently involved in evaluating the use of genome sequencing in structurally abnormal and non-anomalous fetuses.
Jennifer Williamson, MS, MPH
Associate Vice Dean of Research Policy and Scientific Strategy; Chief of Staff, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Jennifer has an MS in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling from Sarah Lawrence College and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. Since 1998, she has worked with Columbia faculty and administrative leadership in both research and clinical operations. Jennifer supports the clinical and basic science research faculty and VP&S departments, centers, and institutes with research services and core research facilities to advance interdisciplinary research and new initiatives. She is currently focused on advancing strategic priorities across all mission areas at CUIMC, including the Initiative for Cell Engineering and Therapy, the Precision Medicine Initiative, and ongoing efforts in campus scientific planning.
Ashley Wilson, MS, CGC
Lecturer in Genetic Counseling, Columbia University
Ashley is an ABGC board-certified genetic counselor with 17 years of experience. She completed her undergraduate work in Molecular Biology & Genetics at the University of Guelph and her graduate work at Sarah Lawrence College. Ashley has been involved in the education of medical and dental students at Columbia, as well as teaching and training genetic residents and genetic counseling students. She has worked with the Simons Searchlight study, targeting single-gene causes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Ashley works as a consultant for the New York Genome Center, focused on genome sequencing.