Dismantling the -Isms of Genetic Counseling

Gayun Chan-Smutko, MS, CGC

Gayun Chan-Smutko, MS, CGC, is an Associate Professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and Associate Chair of the Genetic Counseling department at MGH Institute of Health Professions. She serves on the IHP Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion or JEDI Council, the Racial Equity, Justice and Inclusion “Leading for Change” Taskforce, and is a member of the JEDI Community of Practice.

Prior to joining the IHP, Ms. Chan-Smutko was a senior genetic counselor in the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment, where she provided genetic counseling services to patients within the diverse clinical programs at the MGH Cancer Center and Outreach clinics from 2002-2018. Her clinical and academic work focused on hereditary renal cell carcinoma syndromes. She was also Assistant Director of the MS in Genetic Counseling Program at Brandeis University from 2014-2018 and was part of the Brandeis Class of 2002.

Ms. Chan-Smutko has served on work groups and sub-committees for the VHL Alliance, National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) including the NSGC J.E.D.I. Action Planning Taskforce, and Genetic Counselor Educators Association (GCEA). She is a founding member of the AGCPD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce.

Janelle Villiers, MS, CGC

Janelle Villiers received her Master’s in Human Genetics from Graduate Program in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College and received her BAS from the University of Pennsylvania in Bioengineering.  In addition to teaching, Janelle oversees the admissions and recruitment efforts for the Sarah Lawrence Program, is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Coordinator for the program and is also on the faculty of the New York Medical College where she is involved in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program. She has had over 8 years of personal development training and is an author of a book on shame: "I Slept with a Married Man. Am I Still a Good Person?"

Most recently she has co-presented a project that received the Audrey Heimler Special Project Award at the 2022 NSGC annual conference. She also previously co-led a pre-conference workshop at the 2020 NSGC annual conference entitled "How Do You Get to Nashville? NBI Assessment"

Sharl Azar, MD

Dr. Sharl Azar is a hematologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the medical director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Center. He received his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University where he also completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology while also serving as Chief Fellow. He went on to complete an advanced fellowship in hemostasis and thrombosis at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Azar is passionate about the care of patients with Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassemia, and other hemoglobin disorders. His work focuses on improving systems of care and political advocacy for patients living with sickle cell disease to build a true medical home while combatting inequities in health care. @TheSickleDoc on Twitter and Instagram. 

Lillian Torrey Sosa, MS, CGC

Lillian Torrey Sosa is the assistant program director at Boston University Genetic Counseling Program at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is a reproductive genetic counselor at Boston Medical Center, where she is on the health equity steering committee for the department of OB/GYN. Lilly runs a monthly supervision group for fieldwork supervisors in New England. She was awarded the Educator of the Year Award in 2023 for the Master’s Programs at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and the AGCPD Outstanding Clinical Supervisor Award in 2022. 

Kim Zayhowski, MS, CGC

Kim Zayhowski is a genetic counselor and assistant professor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is also one of the inaugural research fellows in the GC-FIRST program through the University of Minnesota. Kim dedicates much of her time to advocating for justice in healthcare for the LGBTQIA+ community through talks, blogs, and research. Kim co-founded and runs a process group for LGBTQIA+ genetic counselors and students. She is also the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Genetic Counseling. She was awarded the AGCPD Outstanding Clinical Supervisor Award in 2021 and the NSGC Leader in Cultural Advocacy Award in 2022.