Past UUGPGC Spotlights 2022-2024

Melissa is a second year genetic counseling student from Essex, VT. She earned a B.A. In biology from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2014 and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2019. Melissa moved to Utah in 2015 to work for a wilderness therapy company focused on adolescent mental health. She worked as a field guide, leading groups backpacking and living in the backcountry. One of her favorite parts of this job was teaching wilderness survival skills, such as fire-making, shelter building, and spoon carving. She dabbled in other social-work related careers, such as school counseling, before finding the field of genetic counseling. She was drawn to this field as it utilizes her counseling experience with her education in the sciences.

Melissa loves to explore the mountains and open spaces of Utah. She has had a great time skiing, backpacking, and biking all over the west. One of her biggest goals in her 20’s was thru-hiking the three long trails in the US-the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail. In 2021 she completed this goal and is forever grateful to the people and places that she met along the way. Her most recent challenge is training for a desert trail marathon with her dog, Bolt, who is a great motivator.

Shivani is from Gilroy, CA.  She earned her B.S. in Genetics & Genomics and a Minor in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, in 2022. As an undergraduate student, she was involved in the Genetic Counseling Club.

As the president, she aimed to maintain a community where students could seek their interest in genetic counseling. Senior year, Shivani was trained to volunteer for Crisis Text Line as a resource for individuals.

Since graduation, she has worked at Golden Vision as an Optometric Technician, where she assisted patients in their appointments and was trained in Dry Eye Treatments. From working at an eye clinic, it has fostered her love for Ophthalmology. Shivani enjoys making funny food reviews for her friends and family in her free time and hanging out with her cohort.

Sierra is a Salt Lake native. She earned her BS in Biology with a molecular emphasis from Loyola University Chicago in 2017. She worked at Shriners Children’s prior to starting the Master’s in Genetic Counseling program at the University of Utah. Sierra discovered her passion for complex, multidisciplinary healthcare in a pediatric setting as a team member of the Shriner’s family.

She recently completed a pediatric cardiology rotation at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, which affirmed her enthusiasm for pediatrics. Sierra is eager to join the pediatric genetics community here in Utah upon graduation. She is abundantly thankful for her training here at the University of Utah.

Christian is from Chicago, IL, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Butler University. After graduating from Butler, he gained experience as a genetic counseling assistant for a preimplantation genetic testing lab, Reproductive Genetic Innovations. Christian was drawn to genetic counseling by his previous volunteer experience and work with families living with genetic conditions. He is excited to make the most of his time with the UUGCGP and use his education to work with families through their genetic diagnostic journey. Christian enjoys engaging in outdoor activities and looks forward to enjoying the diverse nature around Salt Lake City and throughout Utah.

Carolina is from Midlothian, Virginia. She earned her BS in Biology with a focus in cellular and molecular biology from Old Dominion University in 2018. She worked at Planned Parenthood and a private OB/GYN practice prior to beginning her journey of earning a Masters in Genetic Counseling at the University of Utah. During that time, she held numerous leadership roles while gaining abundant crisis counseling experience and formed a keen interest in prenatal health care. Her consistent collaboration with prenatal genetic counselors and laboratory genetic counselors helped solidify her decision to pursue genetic counseling. In her free time, Carolina enjoys practicing yoga, creative cooking and going on walks with her dog, Rosie. She is looking forward to hiking with friends and exploring Salt Lake City.

Melanie Emmerson, MS, CGC, is a genetic counselor in pediatric cardiology at Primary Children’s Hospital. She graduated from the University of Utah Genetic Counseling Program in 2020 where she began her career in the Adult Cardiovascular Department at Intermountain Healthcare before transitioning to her current role. Here, she counseled individuals with potentially inherited cardiac conditions, such as cardiomyopathies, inherited arrhythmias, aortopathies, and dyslipidemias. She loves working with her collaborative and innovative team at Primary Children’s, where she’s gotten to see a wider variety of syndromic indications, and stretch her role to include counseling in the inpatient and fetal settings for children with congenital heart defects.

More recently, she began working part-time for the ReSeq research program, which uses novel diagnostic pathways to pursue genetic diagnoses in children who have not yet received a clear diagnosis through standard genetic testing. In addition to her clinical work, Melanie is actively involved with the UUGPGC, co-directing the GC Seminar II and III courses. She enjoys working with students and appreciates the enthusiasm and diverse experiences & perspectives that students bring to the field.

Originally from Toronto, Canada Melanie grew up skiing icy slopes and now enjoys the powder of the Utah ski scene. In her free time, she loves hiking Utah’s trails with her super-cute border collie, Maisy, and visiting National Parks. She and her partner recently bought a fixer-upper near Liberty Park and have been learning new DIY skills together.

Dr. Lynn Jorde has been on the faculty of the University of Utah School of Medicine since 1979 and holds the Mark and Kathie Miller Presidential Endowed Chair in Human Genetics. He was appointed Chair of the Department of Human Genetics in September 2009. Dr. Jorde’s laboratory has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles on human genetic variation, high-altitude adaptation, the genetic basis of human limb malformations, and the genetics of common diseases such as autism, hypertension, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr. Jorde is the lead author of Medical Genetics, a textbook that is now in its 6th edition and translated into multiple foreign languages. He has received 12 teaching awards at the University of Utah School of Medicine, including the Outstanding Pre-Clinical Professor Awards from the graduating medical classes of 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005; the Leonard W. Jarcho Distinguished Teaching Award in 2003; and the University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006. He is the co-recipient of the 2008 Award for Excellence in Education from the American Society of Human Genetics. During his career, Dr. Jorde has taught more than 4,000 medical students and hundreds of graduate students, residents, and fellows at the University of Utah. Through non-profit organizations, he has provided genetics education to hundreds of state and federal judges.

Dr. Jorde was elected as President of the 8,000-member American Society of Human Genetics in 2011. In 2012 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the Executive Director of the Utah Genome Project and Co-Director of the University of Utah Center for Genomic Medicine. He currently serves on the National Advisory Council of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Jorde is an avid hiker and cross-country skier, and he enjoys photography, gardening, traveling, and playing the piano. He has the peculiar distinction of once having been invited to appear on the Jerry Springer Show.

David Viskochil, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pediatrics and director of the Neurofibromatosis Clinic at the University of Utah. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Arizona and his doctorate in biochemistry and medical degree from the University of North Carolina. He completed his residency and clinical genetics fellowship at the University of Utah Affiliated Hospitals. His medical genetics training at the University of Utah was mentored by Dr. John Carey and Dr. Ray White.

Dr. Viskochil has focused his research in the molecular genetics of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and is now working on the clinical aspects of NF1, including clinical trials. He was the recipient of a Young Investigator Award from the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation (now CTF; Children’s Tumor Foundation) in 1988.

He is the director of the medical genetics training programs and serves as the medical director of the UUGPGC. He is on the advocacy and legislative affairs committee of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and serves as the chair of the Utah Newborn Screening Program. He is also a member of the Utah Rare Disorders Advisory Council and executive committees of the Penelope Program, Center for Genomic Medicine, and the Utah Prader-Willi Syndrome Clinic.

Not so much of a hiker or skier, Dave likes to knock a golf ball around and shoot hoops with the old farts. He has a lovely partner (Barb), 2 boys (Rich and Joe + Kayla), and 2 neat grandkids (Hadley and Holden) who live too far away. His favorite chromosome is 17.

Dr. Nicola Longo received his M.D. and Ph.D. in molecular biology and pathology from the University of Parma, School of Medicine in Italy. He then trained in Pediatrics, Medical and Biochemical Genetics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA He is a Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor of Pathology, Nutrition and Integrative Physiology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. He is also the Chief of the Division of Medical Genetics, Director of the Metabolic Service, Director of the Training Program in Medical Biochemical Genetics and Medical Director of the Biochemical Genetics Lab at ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City. His clinical research concerns the molecular bases of metabolic disorders, their identification through newborn screening, their natural history, and the development of novel therapies. He is the principal investigator on more than 20 active clinical trials and directs clinical activities for the diagnosis and management of a large number of patients with rare disorders. He has published >180 peer-reviewed articles, in addition to >20  review articles and about 30 book chapters on metabolic disorders.