WashU Medicine Program in Genetic Counseling

10/08/2026

We are thrilled to announce that one of our second year students, Kierra Hall, was awarded a Jane Engleberg Memorial Fellowship Student Research Award for her ongoing research project, "Black perspectives on variants of uncertain significance results for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer." We are beyond proud of Kierra and excited to see the culmination of her efforts in the coming year. Special thanks to the National Society of Genetic Counselors for hosting this fellowship and for supporting genetic counseling research.

09/23/2026

We love sharing proud updates from our graduates!

Today, we're putting the spotlight on Irania Santaliz Moreno, MS ('23). Since graduating from our program, Irania has been working toward her PhD in Biomedical Informatics & Data Science here at WashU Medicine.

Throughout her time with us and beyond, her dedication to supporting patients and providers on critical issues related to sexual health and cancer—particularly breast, gynecologic, and gastrointestinal cancers—has never wavered.

Now, she’s bringing that expertise to our community.

🗓️ Upcoming Presentation:
Topic: Your Body, Your Voice: Body Image and Talking to Your Care Team About Sexual Health
Host: The Gold Thread: Childhood Cancer Survivor Program at Siteman Cancer Center
When: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual (Zoom)
Audience: Adult survivors of pediatric cancer (ages 18+)
📲 Learn more & register: [https://siteman.washu.edu/patient-resources-and-supportive-services/support-groups/the-gold-thread-childhood-cancer-survivor-program/] or scan the QR code on the flyer!

08/28/2026

We just wrapped up our first week of the new academic year! 🎉

It was wonderful welcoming the Class of 2027 back after a summer filled with clinical experiences, research progress, and well-deserved R&R. We were equally excited to welcome the Class of 2028 as they stepped onto campus to begin their journey!

Visit our updated Current Students page to read about our inspiring incoming class: https://geneticcounseling.wustl.edu/students/

Here’s to an exciting year ahead. A huge thank you to our amazing faculty, staff, and alumni for everything you do to help our program grow and thrive!

Meet the Current Students! Class of 2028 L>R: Malaysia Brown, Rachel Horrmann, Neli Charles, Jasmine Kongmanychanh, Alicia Brown, Monet Slabach Alicia Blair Alicia Blair was born and raised in t…

08/14/2026

Save the date! The virtual Prospective Genetic Counselor Student Fair, hosted by National Society of Genetic Counselors, will be held Thursday, September 24th from 11a-3p CT. Our program will participate and will have program leaders and current students available to answer questions to prospective students. Please register and join us! Check back closer to the date for our program's staffing schedule.

2026 Fair Schedule Register Navigating the Fair Resources for Prospective Genetic Counselors GCEA Genetic Counseling Admissions Match ACGC Accredited Program Directory Enter the fair CLICK HERE ENTER THE FAIR Click Here TRAINING PROGRAM INFO Click Here NAVIGATION TIPS Click Here HELP DESK Click Here...

07/14/2026

Our program is well-represented this week at the virtual Genetic Counselor Educators Association Annual Conference, with several of our leaders and an alum contributing to the conversation on best practices in GC education.

We are especially proud of recent graduate Josie Cleveland, MS ('26), who presented her graduate research on the gap year experiences of prospective genetic counseling students. Josie was a featured speaker in a session focused on expanding pathways and access to the profession—a discussion moderated by our Assistant Program Director and Research Director, Erin Linnenbringer, PhD, MS, CGC. Seeing our recent graduates present their hard work on this stage is a testament to their dedication and the impact of their research.

Our faculty's involvement continues throughout the conference:
Program Director Rachael Bradshaw, MS, CGC is participating in a panel discussion tomorrow focused on the integration of interprofessional education within genetic counseling curriculums.

Associate Director Tomi Toler, DrPH, MS, CGC and Course Director Andrea Stacy Lehman, MS, CGC are also attending to bring new insights and educational strategies back to our classrooms.

Congratulations to Josie on an excellent presentation, and thank you to our leadership team for their ongoing commitment to advancing our field!

06/24/2026

Today, we gathered with area genetic counselors for our program's annual virtual retreat. It was a fantastic day of learning together, collaborating on how to best support our students, and strengthening our shared mission.

We also took some time to honor the incredible educators who go above and beyond for our students. Please join us in congratulating this year’s award recipients! 🏆

👏 Chloe Cevan, MGC, CGC – Outstanding Supervisor Award
👏 Rachel Slaugh, MS, CGC – Outstanding GC Educator Award

Thank you both for your incredible dedication and mentorship and for providing exceptional educational experiences for our students. We are so grateful for all that you do! 🙌

06/19/2026

This week, providers from WashU and SLU had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural PRIME (Pre-college Immersive-training Medical Experience) Program put on by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Geneticists, genetic counselors, genetic counseling students, genetics nurses, and dietitians delivered learning opportunities and hands-on activities to students from McCluer High School to give them exposure to the many things that are awesome about working in Medical Genetics. The week of genetics modules was coordinated through the Program in Genetic Counseling with the help of 15 different providers and students. We all had so much fun working with the students and hope we inspired some future colleagues!

06/15/2026

We are here to celebrate Marysa Cristofaro, Class of 2027, for recently receiving the Martin and Margaret Israel Scholarship for the 2026–2027 academic year from the Fragile X Resource Center of Missouri. This award speaks to her commitment to supporting individuals and families with rare genetic conditions such as fragile X syndrome. Congratulations, Marysa!

06/01/2026

After years of studying, Associate Director Dr. Tomi Toler officially graduated from the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Leadership, Advocacy, & Equity. She traveled to New Orleans recently for her formal hooding ceremony and graduation. She is excited to enrich the training of the students in the Program in Genetic Counseling with all she learned during her doctoral training.

05/27/2026

We love a great interprofessional collaboration! 🌟

Program Director Rachael Bradshaw and Chloe Cevan (Lecturer/Clinical Supervisor) recently were given the opportunity to direct a course, "Genetics in Hearing Loss", for the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences - PACS at WashU Medicine.

Today, Jessica Glunt (Class of '25) joined as a guest lecturer to present on "Psychosocial & Ethical Considerations in Genetic Testing for Hearing Loss."

Thank you to Chloe and Jessica for also demonstrating a live role play, highlighting the nuanced, critical support genetic counselors provide to parents navigating an unexpected diagnosis of hearing loss in their newborn.