Catherine A. Wicklund, MS, CGC
Director
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for
Genetic Medicine
Cathy Wicklund received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the
University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Master of Science degree in genetic
counseling from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University
of Texas Graduate School in Biomedical Sciences at Houston. After graduation,
Cathy worked in prenatal and pediatrics at Cooper Hospital in New Jersey.
Cathy joined the University of Texas Medical School-Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences in 1996 where she was the Director
of Prenatal Genetic Counseling Services. In addition, she was the Co-Director
of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of Texas.
During her time at the University of Texas she was involved in program administration,
designing and coordination of the curriculum, clinical rotations, supervision
and was a thesis advisor or committee member on several students’ thesis
research projects. She was a co-recipient of a grant from the SMART Foundation
to work on cross cultural communication within the graduate program and exploration
of a program offering a Spanish language option. Besides cross cultural communication,
her research interests include psychosocial and counseling issues, prenatal
diagnosis, decision making and adult education.
After 10 years at the University of Texas she joined the Northwestern Graduate
Program in Genetic Counseling as the Associate Director in 2006. In addition,
she provides prenatal genetic counseling services in the Department of Obstetrics
and Gynecology.
Cathy is also very active in NSGC. She co-chaired the 2005 Annual Education
Conference and was on the Board of Directors as Region V Representative (1999-2001)
and Secretary (2002-2004). She is currently President Elect and will begin
her presidential term in January of 2007.
As Director of the Graduate Program, Cathy is responsible for teaching material
in many facets of the program, overall curriculum development, and working
with students on a variety of professional issues. She works closely with
instructors and clinical supervisors to provide a cohesive experience for
students.
Judith Feigon Schiffman, MSW
Assistant Director
Instructor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Center for
Genetic Medicine
Judith Feigon Schiffman is a clinical social worker with a master’s
degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a graduate
of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program at the Institute for Psychoanalysis.
She has worked extensively with children and their families, having a special
interest in developmental issues of children with chronic illness and disability
and their siblings. Judy is also on the faculties of the Institute for Clinical
Social Work and the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program, in which she
teaches a two-year course in infant observation. Judy has been with the graduate
program since its inception and designed the sequence of psychosocial courses;
she was appointed Assistant Director in 2002. Judy is responsible for teaching
coursework in psychosocial aspects of genetic counseling, women’s health
issues in genetic counseling, and developmental disabilities and their impact
on the family, as well as an advanced genetic counseling seminar.
Lee Shulman, MD, FACOG, FACMG
Medical Director
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Head, Section of Reproductive Genetics
Lee P. Shulman MD is Northwestern Memorial Hospital Distinguished Physician,
Professor and Head of the Section of Reproductive Genetics in the Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern
University in Chicago, Illinois. He received his bachelors degree from Cornell
University and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College.
Dr. Shulman then completed his internship and residency in Obstetrics and
Gynecology at North Shore University Hospital in New York, where he served
as Chief resident during his final year. From there he completed a fellowship
in Reproductive Genetics at the University of Tennessee, Memphis under the
guidance of Drs. Joe Leigh Simpson and Sherman Elias. In 1989 he joined the
Ob/Gyn faculty of the University of Tennessee, Memphis and became the Director
of Reproductive Genetics in 1994. In 1999 he relocated to the University of
Illinois at Chicago where he served as Deputy Head of the Department of Obstetrics
and Gynecology, Director of the Divisions of Reproductive Genetics and Ambulatory
Care Services and Practices and as Medical Director of the Center of Excellence
in Women’s Health.
Dr. Shulman is a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
and the American Board of Medical Genetics, a Fellow of the American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a Founding Fellow of the American College
of Medical Genetics. Among his current appointments are Senior Lecturer in
the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rush-Presbyterian-St.Luke’s
Hospital/Rush University Medical School and the University of Illinois at
Chicago.
Dr. Shulman is a member of numerous regional, national and international organizations
that pertain to the health and care of women. He is the Editor-in-Chief of
the emedicine.com textbook and the Yearbook of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
the Corresponding Editor of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine and is the
Associate Editor of The Female Patient. He also serves on the editorial board
of three other journals and as a peer-reviewer for 21 journals. A frequent
contributor to the peer-reviewed and informational literature with over 100
peer-reviewed articles and over 40 book chapters, Dr. Shulman serves on governmental,
foundation and pharmaceutical advisory boards and is currently on the Medical
Advisory Board for the Chicago Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases. His major
research focus is in reproductive genetics, contraception and medical education.
Sharon Aufox, MS, CGC
Coordinator, NUgene Research Project; Center for Genetic Medicine
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Sharon Aufox graduated from the Sarah Lawrence Genetic Counseling program
in 1996, and was certified by the ABGC in 1996. Sharon worked in prenatal
and pediatric genetics at Wake Forest University between 1996 - 2000, and
as a prenatal genetic counselor for Rockford Memorial Hospital from 2000-2002.
Since 2002, she has been a research coordinator for the NUgene project in
the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern. Sharon is involved in co-teaching
the Research Seminar, and supervising students in the research rotation.
Barbara Burton, MD
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Burton is a Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Medical
School and the Clinical Practice Director for the Division of Genetics at
the Children's Memorial Hospital. Prior to coming to Northwestern, she served
as Head of the Division of Genetics at the University of Illinois at Chicago
and previously at the Wake Forest University Medical School. Dr. Burton is
Board Certified in Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics and Biochemical Genetics.
She directed the Reproductive Genetics program at Michael Reese Hospital for
ten years and, prior to that, developed and directed a statewide maternal
serum AFP screening program in North Carolina. She has authored over 100 publications
in the medical literature, many of them focused on the areas of prenatal diagnosis
and maternal serum screening.
Joel Charrow, MD
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Joel Charrow is a Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Medical
School, and the Director of the Section of Clinical Genetics at Children's
Memorial Hospital, where he has directed the clinical program and diagnostic
laboratory since 1981. Board certified in Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics and
Biochemical Genetics, he has a wealth of experience in genetic counseling
and carrier screening for genetic disorders. He has published numerous articles,
reviews and book chapters on various areas of pediatric and general genetics,
with a particular focus in Neurofibromatosis, Jewish Genetic Disorders, and
lysosomal storage diseases.
Lisa Dellefave, MS, CGC
Instructor, Center for Medical Genetics, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
Lisa Dellefave graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2001, and was
certified by the ABGC in 2002. She was a genetic counselor in the Department
of Neurology at Northwestern from 2001-2005, and currently works as an adult
genetic counselor at Evanston Hospital, where she supervises genetic counseling
students and coordinates the genetic lecture series.
Sherman Elias, MD, FACOG, FACMG
Professor and Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Sherman Elias is currently the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, and is a clinical geneticist with over 20 years of experience.
Dr. Elias was awarded his medical degree from the University of Kentucky,
and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University
of Louisville, followed by fellowships in genetics at Yale University and
Northwestern University. Dr. Elias's professional career began at Northwestern
in 1978, where he held a faculty appointment until 1986, followed by appointments
at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.
Most recently Dr. Elias was the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1998-2003. Dr. Elias is distinguished
internationally in reproductive endocrinology and genetics. He is a member
of many prominent academic societies, including the American Association for
Advancement of Science and has held important leadership positions in many
professional societies.
Taya J. Fallen, MS, CGC
Instructor, Department of Medicine
Taya Fallen graduated from the genetic counseling program at Northwestern
in 2001, and was certified by the ABGC in 2002. Taya worked at Mayo Clinic
in Rochester, MN from 2001-2002, providing prenatal and cancer genetic counseling.
She has been at Northwestern since May 2002, and currently works with Boris
Pasche in Hematology/Oncology in the Cancer Genetics Program. Taya supervises
the cancer genetics rotation, and teaches the cancer genetics coursework for
the program.
Mara Gaudette, MS, CGC
Coordinator, Illinois Teratogen Information Service
Mara Gaudette graduated from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at
Northwestern University in 1999, and was certified by the ABGC in 2002. After
graduation, she spent several years working in the Department of Neurology
at Northwestern University, providing neurogenetics genetic counseling, and
working with students in the genetic counseling program. Between 2001-2002,
Mara performed prenatal genetic counseling at the University of California,
Irvine, and was also involved in supervising genetic counseling students at
the UCI program. In 2002, Mara returned to Chicago to provide prenatal genetic
counseling and teratogen counseling at Northwestern Reproductive Genetics.
She provides clinical supervision in the teratology rotation, and teaches
the teratology coursework for the program.
Jessica Greenberg, MS, CGC
Genetic Counselor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jessica Greenberg graduated from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2003
and was certified by the ABGC in 2005. She worked from 2003-2004 as a Prenatal
and Pediatric Genetic Counselor for Winthrop University Hospital in Long Island,
NY. In January 2005, she began working in her current position as a Prenatal
Counselor in the Division of Reproductive Genetics. She is co-supervisor of
Prenatal and General Genetics rotations, and provides various related lectures
for the program.
Megan Shepard Hinton, MS, CGC
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Megan Shepard Hinton received her master’s degree from the Graduate
Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University in 2000, and was
certified by the ABGC in 2002. She was most recently at the Fetal Diagnostic
Center of Evanston Hospital and the Evanston Health Department, and has been
at Northwestern since 2001. Megan is active in the National Society of Genetic
Counselors, participating in the Abstract Committee and Regional Conference
planning committee, and previously as the Illinois State representative. Megan
is also a member of the Illinois Genetic Task Force, and she has been active
in the legislative pursuit of genetic counseling licensure in Illinois. Megan
currently provides both prenatal and general genetic counseling, and supervises
graduate students in the both clinics, providing comprehensive prenatal and
preconception genetic counseling for a variety of indications.
Michelle Kambich, MS, CGC
Genetic Counselor, Fetal Diagnostics Center, Evanston Northwestern Hospital
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Michelle Kambich received her master’s degree from the University of
Michigan in 1990, and was board certified by the ABGC in 1993. She was a perinatal
genetic counselor at the University of Illinois Medical Center from 1991 to
1992. She is currently a genetic counselor and served as the Perinatal Diagnostic
Coordinator at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. She provides clinical supervision
in the ENH prenatal rotation, various lectures and research project oversight.
Katherine Kim, MS, CGC
Genetic Counselor, Children’s Memorial Hospital
Katherine Kim received her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh
in 1998, and was certified by the ABGC in 1999. She currently provides pediatric
genetic counseling at Children’s Memorial Hospital, with a focus on
skeletal dysplasias and General Genetics. Katherine supervises graduate students
in the above clinics, providing comprehensive pediatric genetic counseling
for a variety of indications, and is active on various committees and in research
project supervision.
Elizabeth Leeth, MS, CGC
Fetal Diagnostics Center, Evanston Northwestern Hospital
Clinical Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Beth Leeth received her master’s degree from Indiana University in 1993,
and was certified by the ABGC in 1996. For the past 10 years, she has provided
prenatal genetic counseling at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in the Fetal
Diagnostics section, where she is currently the Assistant Manager. Beth is
active in the NSGC and the Genetic Task Force of Illinois (previously serving
as Secretary in 1996), and is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the
Disorders of Chromosome 16 Foundation. Beth is both a supervisor of the prenatal
rotation at ENH and the instructor for the three primary genetics courses.
Most recently, Beth was elected to the NSGC Board of Directors as the Region
4 Representative.
Suzanne O’Neill, MS, PhD, CGC
Center for Medical Genetics, Evanston Northwestern Hospital
Dr. O’Neill received a Masters in Genetics from SUNY Stony Brook before
receiving her masters degree in genetic counseling from the University of
Pittsburgh in 1998; she was certified by the ABGC in 1999. Dr. O’Neill
went on to complete a PhD in Human Genetics in 2001, and her dissertation
was the development a computerized method to perform breast cancer genetic
risk assessment. Dr. O’Neill is currently a clinical researcher and
genetic counselor at the Center for Medical Genetics at Evanston Northwestern
Healthcare, and is interested in developing risk assessment models and understanding
the psychological aspects of risk assessment and provision. Dr. O’Neill
is active in mentoring the research of genetic counseling students, provides
a variety of lectures on quantitative genetics and risk assessment, and supervises
students in the adult genetics clinics at ENH.
Stacey Plaga, MS
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Stacey Plaga graduated from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling Northwestern
in 2005. She is currently a genetic counselor in Reproductive Genetics at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and will provide clinical supervision and
related lectures with the program.
Eve Simi, MS, CGC
Genetic Counselor, Fetal Diagnostic Center, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Eve Simi graduated from the Northwestern Genetic Counseling program in 1999,
and was certified by the ABGC in 2002. Eve worked in prenatal and pediatric
genetics at Cook County Hospital in Chicago from 1999-2003. She has been a
prenatal genetic counselor since 2003 in the Fetal Diagnostic Center at Evanston
Northwestern Healthcare. Eve also supervises the prenatal rotation at Evanston
Hospital and gives lectures for the Genetic Counseling Program.
Amber Pakilit Trivedi, MS
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Amber Pakilit received her master’s degree from the Graduate Program
in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University in 2005. She currently provides
cancer and prenatal counseling at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and she
will be involved in providing clinical supervision for cancer and prenatal
genetics, and teaching related lectures with the program.
Maureen Smith, MS, CGC
Clinical Director, NUgene, Center for Genetic Medicine
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Maureen Smith received a Master of Science degree in Human Genetics from Sarah
Lawrence College in 1987 and was board certified in Genetic Counseling by
the ABMG in 1990. She has over 14 years of genetic counseling experience in
the areas of prenatal, pediatric, adult and cancer genetics. Maureen joined
Northwestern in 2003 as the Clinical Director for the NUgene genetic banking
study. She has extensive experience in project management, obtaining informed
consent for genetic testing and research and developing educational materials
on genetic topics for public and professional audiences. Maureen is an active
member of the ASHG and the NSGC, and served as NSGC President in 1997-1998.
Maureen teaches the Topics in Genetics class, organizes seminars on professional
topics and mentors student thesis projects.
Scott Weissman, MS, CGC
Center for Medical Genetics, Evanston Northwestern Hospital
Scott Weissman graduated from the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign
in 1998 with a BS in Biology. After graduation, he spent two years at the
Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Laboratory at UIC developing expertise in molecular
genetic techniques used in various hematologic and oncologic disorders. He
completed the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern in 2002,
and was certified by the ABGC in 2002. Scott provides adult and cancer genetic
counseling in the Center for Medical Genetics in Evanston, and supervises
genetic counseling students in those rotations. He is active in the NSGC,
currently as the co-chair of the Cancer Special Interest Group.
Carin Yates, MS, CGC
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Carin Yates graduated from the genetic counseling program at Indiana University
in 1998, and was certified by the ABGC in 1999. From 1998-2001, she worked
at Indiana University and at the Community Hospitals of Indianapolis providing
prenatal, pediatric, and cancer genetic counseling and working with the Indiana
genetic counseling program. Carin has a long-standing interest in infertility
and genetic counseling, and was previously the co-chair of the NSGC Assisted
Reproductive Technologies special interest group, and a member of the Annual
Education Conference planning committee. Carin has been at Northwestern since
2001, and currently coordinates the genetic carrier-screening program, provides
both prenatal and general genetic counseling, and supervises graduate students
in the both clinics, providing comprehensive prenatal and preconception genetic
counseling for a variety of indications.
OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACULTY
_____________________________________________________________
Northwestern-Affiliated Clinical Supervisors
Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago
Brad Angle, MD (Associate Professor)
Barbara Burton, MD (Professor)
Joel Charrow, MD (Professor)
Kristin Culp Clemenz, MS, CGC**
Dania D’Achille, MS**
Bethany Friedman, MS
Michelle Gileats, MS
Katherine Kim, MS, CGC*
Karen Niedermeyer, MS, CGC
Andrea Paras, MS, CGC**
Danielle Hartung Perron, MS, CGC**
Victoria Roberts, MS
Evanston Hospital, Evanston
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Kathy Blum, MS (Instructor)
Leslie Geibel, MS, CGC (Instructor)**
Michelle Kambich, MS, CGC (Instructor)*
Elizabeth Leeth, MS, CGC (Instructor)*
Ira Salafsky, MD (Associate Professor)
Richard Silver, MD (Associate Professor)
Eve Simi, MS, CGC (Instructor)*
Center for Medical Genetics
Lisa Dellefave, MS, CGC
Anna Newlin, MS, CGC**
Suzanne O’Neill, MS, PhD, CGC *
Wendy Rubinstein, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor)
Scott Weissman, MS, CGC*
Other Chicago-Area, ABGC-Approved Clinical Rotation Sites
Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn
Terri Blasé, MS
Kate Kramer, MS
Jeannette Israel, MD, FACMG
Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital, Chicago
Rachel Pothast, MS, CGC**
Gwen Steffen, MS, CGC
Cook County Hospital, Chicago
Rebecca Burr, MS
Susan Ecchiveri, MD
Kiren Mann, MS
Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood
Monica Barth, MS, CGC
Carolyn Jones, MD, PhD
Bhuma Krishnamachari, MS, CGC
Kelly Moyer, MS, CGC
University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago
Department of Cardiology
Genetic counselor currently being hired
Department of Hematology/Oncology
Shelly Cummings, MS**
Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD
Melody White, MS, CGC**
Laura Dudilielk, MS, CGC
Department of Molecular Genetics
Rebecca Brown, MS, CGC*
Soma Das, PhD
Melissa Dempsey, MS, CGC*
William Dobyns, MD
Sarah Halbach, MS
Rachel Lorenz, MS**
Stuart Schwartz, PhD
Darrel Waggoner, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Marion Verp, MD
Elyse Weber, MS, CGC
University of Illinois, Chicago
Center for Handicapped Children
Richard Dineen, MS, CGC
Heather Hall Wetzel, MS
Catherine Harris, MD
George Hoganson, MD
Allan Horowitz, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Lindsay Sultan, MS, CGC
Christina Laning, MS, CGC
Rush University Medical Center
Kisha Johnson , MS , CGC
Paul Wong, MD
* indicates level I (primary) faculty member
** indicates level II contributing faculty member