Genetic Counselling

Abby is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor in the Newborn Screening Program, which is part of the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. She trained at the University of British Columbia Genetic Counselling Program and joined SickKids in 2018. She sees patients who have had a positive newborn screening test, assists these families through the newborn screening follow-up process, and helps families understand the genetic basis of the condition(s) identified through newborn screening. Her areas of clinical specialty include newborn screening, metabolics, and cystic fibrosis. Abby provides clinical supervision in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto.

Andrea is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. She completed her Masters degree in biological sciences and genetic counselling from the University of Cincinnati in 1992, and joined SickKids in 2003. Andrea is a lecturer and clinical supervisor in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto and holds a Project Investigator appointment at SickKids Research Institute. Her areas of clinical specialty include neurofibromatosis, genodermatoses and 22q11 deletion syndrome.

Amy is a board-eligible genetic counsellor in the Genetics and Genome Biology program at SickKids. She completed her Master's in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto in 2024. In her role, Amy is primarily involved with research in the translational genomics space focusing on genome sequencing and rare diseases. She also has a special interest in pharmacogenomics. Amy is a member of the Genomic Research Genetic Counsellors at SickKids and the Ontario Association of Genetic Counsellors.

Anna is an ABGC and CBGC certified genetic counsellor; she joined SickKids in 2020 as a laboratory genetic counsellor in the Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine after completing her M.Sc. in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto. She received her honours bachelor of science in Human Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Toronto in 2015. Prior to pursuing a career in genetic counselling, she also completed a master’s thesis focused on Li-Fraumeni syndrome and cancer genetics research at the University of Toronto.

Anna is a CBGC certified genetic counsellor who completed her M.Sc. in Genetic Counselling at the Université de Montréal in 2010. She joined SickKids in 2015 as the DNA Resource Centre coordinator and genetic counsellor in the Genome Diagnostics Lab. Anna currently provides genetic counselling in the hypotonia clinic in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics and collaborates on research activities for The Centre for Genetic Medicine. She is a Lecturer, clinical supervisor, and course coordinator in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto. She is also a member of the Genomic Research Genetic Counsellors. Her areas of specialty and research interests include neurogenetics, genetic analysis, and translational genomics.

Bailey Gallinger is an ABGC-certified genetic counsellor in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics at SickKids. She joined SickKids in 2014 and is the genetic counsellor for the SickKids Cancer Genetics Program. Bailey assesses the cancer risk of patients and families, helping them navigate the complexities of hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. Bailey is an Instructor in the University of Toronto M.Sc. Program in Genetic Counselling. She holds a Project Investigator appointment at SickKids Research Institute. Her areas of research include psychosocial experiences of families/patients participating in pediatric precision oncology and screening recommendations for cancer predisposition syndromes.

Cheryl is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor who completed her Master of Science in Medical genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990. She joined the Department of Genetic Counselling at SickKids in 1991 working within the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. Cheryl is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and clinical supervisor in the MSc Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto. She holds a Project Director appointment at SickKids Research Institute based on her involvement in clinical research and supervision of graduate students. Cheryl has a special interest in 22q11 Deletion Syndrome, overgrowth syndromes, epigenetics and knowledge translation.

Ege is a board-eligible genetic counsellor in the Autism Research Unit of the Genetics and Genome Biology program at SickKids. She joined SickKids in 2023 after completing her M.Sc. in Genetic Counselling at the University of British Columbia. In her current role, she is involved in research focusing on autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders. She provides genetic counselling in a research setting to families enrolled in the genetics of autism research study, and supports the multidisciplinary DAGSY clinic with translation of genomic information. Her areas of research interest include neurodevelopmental conditions and family-centered care.

Eriskay is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor in the Department of Paediatrics and is the Program Director of the Precision Child Health Initiative. She earned her Master of Science in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 2003. Eriskay joined SickKids in 2011 as a Genome Diagnostics Lab Coordinator then transitioned into the Cardiac Genome Clinic. In her current role in Precision Child Health, Eriskay promotes the translational of genomics into clinical and research initiatives. Eriskay is a member of Genomic Research Genetic Counsellors at SickKids, and is a Lecturer, clinical supervisor, and course coordinator in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto. Her areas of specialty include clinical genetics research and translational genomics.

Heather is an ABGC and CBGC certified genetic counsellor who completed her MSc in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto. She joined the Department of Genetic Counselling at SickKids in 2012. Since 2014, she has worked as a genetic counsellor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences. Heather is a Lecturer and clinical supervisor in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto. She sees patients and families who experience symptoms related to an underlying genetic condition affecting primarily the eye and is involved in research work investigating the cause of inherited eye conditions.

Jennifer is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor who completed her Master of Science in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College. She practiced as a prenatal and cancer genetic counsellor at Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York for 5 years before joining the SickKids Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as a laboratory genetic counsellor in the Genome Diagnostic Laboratory in 2019. In 2020 she joined the Department of Dermatology as a genetic counsellor in the Café-au-lait Macules (CALM) Screening Clinic. Jennifer provides clinical supervision in the University of Toronto M.Sc. Program in Genetic Counselling.

Kaitlin is a board-eligible genetic counsellor who completed her MSc in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto in 2024. She started working as a research coordinator in the Cardiac Genome Clinic at SickKids in 2020, and now works as a research genetic counsellor in the Genetics and Genome Biology program. As a research genetic counsellor, Kaitlin supports families in accessing research studies aimed at identifying genetic diagnoses for patients suspected of having a rare genetic condition. Outside of her day-to-day work, Kaitlin also has a special interest in research on occupational burnout in genetic counsellors.

Kimberly is an ABCG certified genetic counselor in the Division of Neurology who completed her training at the University of Pittsburgh. She joined the neuromuscular clinic at SickKids in 2013 and later the Genetic Brain Malformation clinic. Kimberly is a Lecturer and clinical supervisor in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto. She currently sees patients with neuromuscular conditions and changes on brain MRI. Her research focuses on the natural history, genetic causes, and clinical trials of therapies for neuromuscular conditions. Kimberly is a member of the Canadian Gene Cure Advanced Therapies for Rare Disease (Can-GARD) and the Neuromuscular Disease Network for Canada (NMD4C) .

Laura is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor who completed her M.Sc. in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto. She joined the Department of Genetic Counselling at SickKids in 2009 and has worked in various subspecialties including oncology and neurology. She also served as an interprofessional education specialist focusing on cross-cultural communication. Since 2013, Laura has worked as a cardiac genetic counsellor in the Labatt Family Heart Centre. Laura is a Lecturer, clinical supervisor, and course coordinator in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto and holds a Project Investigator appointment at SickKids Research Institute.

Lucie is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor who completed her MS in Genetic Counselling at Brandeis University. In 1998, she joined the Department of Genetic Counselling at SickKids. Lucie's primary interest is in skeletal dysplasias. She is a key member of the multidisciplinary Bone Health Dysplasia Clinic at SickKids and an honorary member of the Little People of Ontario, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about dwarfism. She is involved in multiple research studies related to inherited bone disorders. Lucie is a Lecturer, clinical supervisor, and course coordinator in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto.

Marci is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor and the program manager for the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research Cardiac Genome Clinic. The Cardiac Genome Clinic is a research project that uses genome sequencing to better understand the causes of heart failure and returns results to patients for use in clinical care.

In her role as Program Manager, Marci supports the study team by assisting with research administration, genome analysis, and other related tasks to ensure the study is progressing and running smoothly.

Mitch is a board eligible genetic counsellor. He completed his Master's Degree in Genetic Counselling at the University of British Columbia in 2024. He is a member of Genomic Research Genetic Counsellors and Project Coordinator for the Canadian Genodermatoses Registry Study at SickKids. In this role, Mitch works on gene discovery and translation of genomic data into clinical care for patients with rare genetic skin conditions. His areas of interest include genodermatoses, the genetics of Autism, and psychiatric genetics.

Nada is an ABGC and CBGC certified genetic counsellor in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics who received her Master of Science in Genetic Counselling from McGill University. Since joining SickKids in 1998, she has provided genetic counselling to families in various specialty clinics including cancer genetics, skeletal dysplasias, connective tissue disorders, neurogenetics, and cardiac genetics. Her current areas of clinical focus include craniofacial differences, sex chromosome differences, primary ciliary dyskinesia and hearing loss. Nada is a Lecturer, clinical supervisor, and course coordinator in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto.

Nicole is a board-certified genetic counsellor who works with the Epilepsy Genetics program and the Ehler-Danlos clinic at the SickKids Hospital. On the research side, she works on the Gene-STEPS study, a rapid whole-genome sequencing study for infants with epilepsy. Nicole is a clinical supervisor and lecturer in the University of Toronto M.Sc. program and a hub member of the Project ECHO Epilepsy team.

Ny is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor in the Autism Research Unit of the Genetics and Genome Biology program. She joined SickKids after receiving her Master of Science in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 2011. In her current role, she specializes in autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Ny is a Lecturer, clinical supervisor, and course coordinator in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto. She is a member of Genomic Research Genetic Counsellors at SickKids and an administrator of Genetic Counsellors of Ontario. Her areas of research interest include genomic technologies, autism spectrum disorder, and knowledge translation.

Olivia is an ABGC and CBGC certified genetic counsellor. She completed her Master of Science in genetic counselling at the University of Toronto in 2021. Upon graduating, Olivia joined the SickKids team focusing on genome-wide sequencing and inpatient care. In 2023, she transitioned into her current role, where she meets with patients and families at risk for heart failure to discuss the option of pursuing genome-wide sequencing on a research basis through the Cardiac Genome Clinic. Olivia is also a lecturer and clinical supervisor in the University of Toronto MSc Program in Genetic Counselling.

Regan is a CBGC certified genetic counsellor in the Department of Genetic Counselling. Following graduation from the MS program in Medical Genetics at the University of Cincinnati, she joined SickKids in 2002 and participated in a number of general and specialty clinics within the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics until 2012. She is currently affiliated with the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences. Regan is a Lecturer and clinical supervisor in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program at the University of Toronto and a member of the Research Ethics Board. Her areas of clinical specialty include Ocular Genetics and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT).

Riyana is an ABGC certified genetic counsellor in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. She joined SickKids in 1993 and is currently affiliated with numerous specialty clinics including the MUG (Multidisciplinary Urogenital) clinic. Riyana is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto and Assistant Program Director, Operations of the M.Sc. program in Genetic Counselling. She holds a Project Investigator appointment at SickKids Research Institute. Her areas of clinical specialty include autism and disorders of sexual differentiation.

Stacy is an ABGC and CBGC-certified genetic counsellor who completed her M.Sc. in Genetic Counselling at McGill University. She joined the Department of Genetic Counselling at SickKids in 2000 working within the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. Stacy was appointed Director of the Department of Genetic Counselling at SickKids, and Program Director of the M.Sc. Program in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto in 2020. Stacy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto.

Tamara is a ABGC certified genetic counsellor. She completed her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College in 2017. Prior to joining SickKids, Braid worked as a cancer genetic counsellor in New York, NY, before joining SickKids in 2022. She is both a laboratory genetic counsellor in the Genome Diagnostics Laboratory, and sees general pediatric genetics patients in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics. Tamara is also a clinical supervisor for the University of Toronto MSc Program in Genetic Counselling. She is an active member of the Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors (CAGC), and serves as a co-chair for CAGC’s Education Committee.

Thanuja is an ABGC and CBGC certified genetic counsellor in the Autism Research Unit of the Genetics and Genome Biology program. She completed her M.Sc. in Genetic Counselling at the University of Toronto in 2019 and practiced as a laboratory genetic counsellor at CHEO prior to joining SickKids in 2020. In her current role, she is involved in research focusing on autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders. She is a member of Genomic Research Genetic Counsellors at SickKids and is part of the CAGC Scientific Planning Committee.