Genetics Care Team

Vanessa Alas is a genetic counselor assistant in Medical Genetics. She was an EMT for Santa Clara county and later joined Stanford Medicine Children’s Health in 2018 and worked in the Complex Care Department. She transitioned to a position as a medical assistant with the Division of Medical Genetics and then became the first genetic counselor assistant for Stanford Medicine Children's Health in 2022.

Connor Benson is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Oregon in 2015 and his master’s degree in genetic counseling from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2022. He joined Stanford Children's Health in 2022 and sees patients at the Perinatal Diagnostic Centers at El Camino and Stanford.

Devon Bonner is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics at the Stanford University Center for Undiagnosed Diseases. She received her undergraduate degree from University of South Florida in 2011 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the Johns Hopkins University/National Human Genome Research Institute in 2017. She joined the Stanford University Center for Undiagnosed Diseases, clinical site of the Undiagnosed Disease Network, in 2017 and joined Medical Genetics in 2018.

Stephanie Burke is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California in 1993 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 2005. She previously worked at Integrated Genetics as a prenatal genetic counselor. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2019 and sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center in Fremont.

Laurel Calderwood is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics and clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics. She received her undergraduate degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2009 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Boston University in 2012. She started her career at Boston Children’s Hospital. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2016 and focuses her clinical work primarily in the Metabolic and Neurometabolic clinics.

Brooke Dunleavy is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University in 2015 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Ohio State University in 2018. She was a LEND fellow at the Ohio State University, where she completed coursework and research in neurodevelopmental disabilities. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in June 2018 and participates in the Medical Genetics clinic as well as the Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) multidisciplinary clinic. She serves as the clinic coordinator for the Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) multidisciplinary clinic.

Kyla Dunn is a genetic counselor with the Pediatric Inherited Cardiovascular Disorders program. She specializes in inherited cardiomyopathies, inherited arrhythmia syndromes, inherited pulmonary hypertension, and unexplained sudden cardiac death in the young. She has experience with postmortem genetic testing and is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Postmortem Group. She received her undergraduate degree from Yale College in 1993 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2011. She joined the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center in 2012 as its first genetic counselor.

Natalie Dykzeul is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from California State University Stanislaus in 2016 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2018. She was a trainee in the Virginia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (Va-LEND) program while in graduate school. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2018 and is currently working in both the Medical Genetics and the Biochemical Genetics clinics. She is also the dedicated genetic counselor in the multidisciplinary Cleft & Craniofacial and Craniosynostosis clinics.

Ellyn Farrelly is the genetic counselor supervisor in Medical Genetics and a clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics. She received her undergraduate degree from California State University, Sacramento in 1995 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2010. She also has a master’s degree in Divinity and Ethics from University of Chicago. Before returning to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2015, Ellyn worked at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center providing genetics care across the life span, including prenatal, pediatric, and adult genetics. She has been the genetic counseling supervisor in Medical Genetics since 2018. She helps coordinate the RASopathy/Neurofibromatosis clinic in Medical Genetics.

Josephine Gao is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2019 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Keck Graduate Institute in 2021. She previously worked at the University of California, San Francisco as a pediatric and metabolic genetic counselor. She joined Stanford in 2024 and sees patients at Stanford Children’s Hospital and the Perinatal Diagnostic Center, Redwood City.

Kristi Guinon is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from University of the Pacific, Stockton, in 1985 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990. She previously worked at the UCSF Prenatal Diagnostic Center as a prenatal genetic counselor. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 1992 and sees patients at the Perinatal Diagnostic Center Sequoia site.

Andrea Hanson-Kahn is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1996 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Irvine. She has been at Stanford since 2000 and has worked in the Medical Genetics, Genetic/Dermatology, Craniofacial Anomalies, and outreach clinics. She has been the associate director of the MS in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling training program at Stanford since 2009.

Caitlin Harrington is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Notre Dame in 2019 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2023. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2023 and sees patients in the Medical Genetics clinic and multidisciplinary Vascular Anomalies Clinic.

Marian Hart is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Riverside in 2017 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Irvine in 2020. She joined the Stanford Children’s perinatal genetic counseling team in 2020 and sees patients primarily at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Whitney Heinrichs is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2002 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 2005. Whitney first joined the hospital as a summer volunteer, an administrative assistant, a genetic counseling intern, and as a genetic counselor in 2005. She has been the primary genetic counselor at the Santa Cruz satellite clinic since 2006.

Wesley Ho is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. He received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in 2015 and his master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2022. His graduate research evaluated the impact of the revised 2021 Neurofibromatosis Type 1 diagnostic criteria on time to diagnosis. He joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in 2022 and participates in the Medical Genetics clinic and coordinates the Down Syndrome Clinic.

Meg Homeyer is a genetic counseling supervisor and patient care coordinator in the Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1989 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1999. Homeyer joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 1999 as a Perinatal genetic counselor. In 2009, she became the patient care coordinator for the center for the Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program.

Hannah Ison is a cardiovascular genetic counselor with the Pediatric Inherited Cardiovascular Disorders program. She specializes in caring for patients and their family members with inherited cholesterol conditions and works in both the adult and pediatric lipid clinics. She also provides genetic counseling and testing to patients with a history of isolated congenital heart disease. In addition to her clinical work, Ison has been the co-chair of the Dyslipidemia Working Group through the National Society of Genetic Counseling for many years. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2014 and her master’s degree in medical and molecular genetics from Indiana University in 2018. She joined the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center shortly after.

Anna Iversen is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the Northeastern University in 2018 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in 2021. She previously worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a Genetic Counseling Intern, and at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a Clinical Research Assistant. Anna joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2021 and sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center.

Jenny Kim is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 2017 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Northwestern University in 2020. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2020 and works in both the Medical Genetics and Biochemical Genetics clinics as the prenatal liaison.

Lauren Mattas is a genetic counselor in the Pediatric Neurogenomics Program. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 2012 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2014. She began her career at the Mills Peninsula Dorothy Schneider Cancer Center in San Mateo, providing cancer genetic counseling. She then practiced at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland and joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2020.

Ronit Mazzoni is a genetic counselor in the Fertility and Reproductive Health department. She received her undergraduate degree from Scripps College in 2005 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Northwestern University in 2007. She previously worked at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center as a genetic counselor seeing prenatal, pediatric and adult patients. Ronit joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2021 and works with patients utilizing preconception carrier screening and preimplantation genetic testing.

Molly McGuinness is a genetic counselor at the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases. She received her undergraduate degree from Villanova University in 2016 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Boston University School of Medicine in 2020. After graduation, She spent two years working in cancer clinical research at Columbia University Medical Center. In 2020, she joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, where she sees pediatric oncology patients and their families.

Melissa Mills is a relief genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1998 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2010. Melissa joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2010 and works with patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Kathleen Murphy is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oxford with a degree in 2011  and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2021.  Kathleen joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2021 and sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center.

Sunny Norton is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics and clinical instructor, Department of Pediatrics. She received her undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University in 2007 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Colorado Denver in 2010. Before joining the Perinatal Genetics group, she was a laboratory genetic counselor at Diagnostic Cytogenetics, Inc., in Seattle, where she served as a client liaison, providing information and resources to medical providers for prenatal, pediatric, and hematologic cases. She sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center, Salinas.

Shami (Sharmila) Ravi is a genetic counselor with the Pediatric Inherited Cardiovascular Disorders program. She specializes in cardiovascular connective tissue disorders. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, in 1995 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2001. She previously worked as a genetic counselor in a cancer risk center and in a prenatal diagnostics center. Ravi joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2022 and sees patients in the Cardiovascular Connective Tissue Disorders clinic and in the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center.

Susan Schelley is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics and clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1979 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1983. Over her 30 years at Stanford University, she has been very involved in teaching genetics, including lecturing for various medical student courses and supervising genetics residents, postdocs, and genetic counseling students.

Jenice Sican is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from California State University Stanislaus in 2009 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of California, Irvine, in 2011. She previously worked at Integrated Genetics before joining Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2017. She sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center, Modesto.

Carly Siskind is a genetic counselor in Neurology and clinical associate professor of neurology (affiliated) who specializes in neuromuscular genetics and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2004 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Northwestern University in 2007. Before joining the neuromuscular team in 2011, she worked in neurogenetics at Wayne State University in Detroit. She sees patients both at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Carly Smith is a genetic counselor and patient care coordinator with the Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 2019, and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Vanderbilt University in 2021. While in graduate school, she was a trainee at the Vanderbilt Consortium LEND program. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2021, seeing patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center.

Emma Smith is a genetic counselor in Medical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 2015 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of British Columbia in 2017. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2017 and provides genetic counseling in the Medical Genetics clinic, including serving patients in the general genetics clinic as well as subspecialty clinics, such as the RASopathies and vascular anomalies clinics.

Jenna Stoltzfus is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston University in 2013 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2020. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2020 and sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Centers at El Camino and Stanford.

Karina Talreja is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 2015 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Stanford University in 2017. After graduation, she worked as a prenatal genetic counselor with Integrated Genetics in San Jose before joining the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford perinatal genetic counseling team in 2019. She sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center and through the Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program.

Rachel Zimmer is a genetic counselor in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from SUNY Binghamton in 2000 and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Sarah Lawrence College in 2003. She worked for 11 years as a prenatal genetic counselor for Genzyme Genetics and Integrated Genetics seeing patients at various clinics in the Central Valley and Bay Area. She joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2014 and sees patients in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center Salinas.

Laura Trejo is a genetic counselor assistant in Perinatal Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles in 2017. Laura joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2022 and works with the genetics team in the Perinatal Diagnostic Center. 

Hayley Wright is a genetic counselor with the Cardiac Connective Tissue Disorders. She received her undergraduate degree from UC Santa Barbara in 2016, a master's degree in biochemistry-molecular biology at UC Santa Barbara and her master's degree in genetic counseling from CSU Stanislaus in 2020. Hayley joined Stanford Children's Hospital in 2023 and sees patients in the Children's Heart Center.

Tiffany Yip is a genetic counselor in the San Francisco Specialty Services department. She received her undergraduate degree from San Jose State University in 2014 and her master's degree in genetic counseling from Emory University in 2018. After graduating from Emory, Tiffany worked as a pediatric research genetic counselor at UCSF Institute for Human Genetics. She also previously worked as a lab genetic counselor at Natera on the carrier screening team. She joined Stanford Children's Health in 2023 and works with pediatric and adult patients in San Francisco.

Holly Bernal is a nurse practitioner in Biochemical Genetics. She received her undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University in 1991 and her master’s degree from University of California, San Francisco in 1999. She received her Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner from San Francisco State in 2015, prior to joining Stanford Genetics. In her current role she is a provider in Metabolic Clinic and the Enzyme Replacement Therapy program, coordinates the Newborn Screening Program, participates in didactics for the Medical Genetics Residents, and supervises APP students.

Robin Newman is a social worker.