Bailey Leal, MS

Bailey is originally from the rural community of Tulare, CA. She graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in Society and Genetics. During her time at UCLA, she served as a coach for Special Olympics and volunteered at a shelter for home-insecure college students. She gained direct exposure to genetic counseling through a Medical Genetics internship at Cedars-Sinai’s cancer center. During her internship, she shadowed multiple genetic counselors on a variety of cases, which solidified her passion for the field. After graduating, Bailey worked full-time as a genetic counseling assistant for GeneDx’s Inherited Cancer team. She enjoyed her time at GeneDx and is confident the skills she learned will serve her well as a student and as a genetic counselor. Bailey’s goal for both graduate school and her career is to increase accessibility to genetic counseling services for historically underserved communities. She looks forward to working in diverse clinical settings, partaking in the supplemental activities UCLA’s program has to offer, and soaking up the sunshine of Southern California! In her free time, she enjoys taking trips to the beach, trying new restaurants, and visiting local farmer’s markets.

Master's Research (Capstone) Project: Awareness and perceptions of genetic counseling: surveying a diverse urban population