For over 30 years, Michelle coordinated the UCLA Genetics Clinic, providing genetic counseling services to both pediatric and adult populations, including the UCLA Predictive Huntington Disease Testing Program, early onset Alzheimer and genetic neurodegenerative disorders. Her expertise is both in the provision of clinical services and clinical genetic research in the areas of newborn screening, carrier screening, diagnostic testing and predictive testing. A focus of Michelle’s work has been on the ethical issues surrounding the provision of genetic services, shared decision making in offering genetic testing and best practice in communicating genetic information. She is a member of the American College of Medical Genetics, National Society of Genetic Counselors, American Society of Human Genetics and Society of Inherited Metabolic Disorder. She taught in the UCLA School of Medicine and in the Fiat Lux series for UCLA undergraduates and is currently an invited guest lecturer in the University of California, Irvine Genetic Counseling Program and Pierce College. Michelle served on the Secretary’s Advisory Committee for Heritable Disorders of Newborns and Children Follow-up and Treatment sub-committee and on the National Society of Genetic Counselors Public Policy Newborn Screening Task Force in 2014. She was a member of the Western States Regional Genetics Network from 2010-2013. Michelle served on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Hearing Loss Guidelines Committee (2013), the American Board of Genetic Counseling Engagement Task Force (2016) and the National Society of Genetic Counselors Conflict of Interest Task Force (2017-2018). She currently serves on the Mt. Sinai Medical Center Genetic Counseling Program Advisory Board and the UCLA Genetic Counseling Program Advisory Board. Michelle provides consultation services to organizations, laboratories and businesses including Invitae, a genetic information services company. She is president of the Southern California Genetic Counselors, a non-profit organization.

Department: 

Genetic Counseling Advisory Areas: Program Teaching Faculty, Clinical Supervision