Cancer Genetics Counseling Team

Tiffani is a certified and licensed genetic counselor and genetic counseling director at Inova Schar Cancer. She joined Inova in April 2014 and brings with her over 20 years of clinical experience counseling patients and their families at risk for hereditary cancer.

Tiffani’s areas of research have focused on alternative models of delivery of genetic counseling and family communication of BRCA1/2 genetic test results to adolescent children. She has published extensively on these topics in peer-reviewed journals and has given numerous lectures as an expert in the field of cancer genetic counseling. She also has almost ten years of experience facilitating a support group for BRCA1/2 carriers which provided long-term psychological and educational follow-up for patients. She currently also provides mentorship to genetic counseling students and medical genetics fellows as part of their educational training.

Tiffani’s genetic counseling philosophy is patient centered and focuses on helping patients make informed choices about options for genetic testing, cancer screening and medical management, and family communication through the process of facilitated decision making. She uses her prior psychoeducational experience to provide support for patients’ decisions based on their genetic testing outcomes.

Tiffani believes her prior experience will aid in the expansion of current projects and the development of new opportunities as part of the exciting genomics research team at Inova Schar Cancer. This process currently involves providing support for patients and follow-up assistance to local physicians involved in the ongoing care of both Inova’s research participants and clinical cancer genetics patients.

Tiffani currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and enjoys distance running and yoga. 

Kimberly joined Inova in June 2014 as a genetic counselor and received her certification in early 2015. She is currently the Program Manager at Inova Schar Cancer. She graduated from Rutgers University magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological sciences in 2012. She earned a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling with distinction from Arcadia University in Philadelphia, PA, in 2014, where she was a member of Alpha Epsilon Lambda Honor Society.

Kimberly became interested in genetic counseling at an early age, combining her love of biological sciences and a desire for a career in which she could help others. She enjoys providing patients with information they may use to empower their decisions regarding their medical management, and offering support, care, and guidance to patients who may be newly diagnosed with cancer, or concerned about their family history of cancer. She is excited to be a part of the expanding world of cancer genetic counseling, especially in recent years with newer genetic testing options, and loves the opportunity to continue her learning every day from her colleagues, her patients and their families. She also values her experience as part of the cancer genetic counseling team at Inova, working to provide comprehensive care to patients, and support to Inova physicians.

When she isn't meeting with patients, she enjoys being outdoors, and has a background in community-based vocal and theatrical performance. She is also an avid auto racing fan. Kimberly is married and resides in Bristow, VA. She was also elected to the Virginia Association of Genetic Counselors Board in 2018. She served as the Northern Virginia Representative from 2018-2020, and serves on Board of Directors from 2020-2022.

Dina joined Inova in June 2017 and is currently a Senior Genetic Counselor at Inova Schar Cancer. She graduated with a Master of Genetic Counseling from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, May 2017.

Dina became interested in genetics at an early age. To better understand the complexities of genetics and biology she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Genetics at Cardiff University in Wales, U.K. She was immediately consumed by the intricacies of this field. After moving to the Washington, D.C. area, Dina worked in various physician offices and hospitals gaining first-hand experience and valuable knowledge about the fundamentals of the U.S. health system. After which, she worked with a genetic testing and diagnostic company amongst different genetic counselors, exposing her to the particulars of genetic counseling and testing.

Dina grew up in Jordan, where the innovation in the field of genetic counseling is minimal. This inspired her interest in genetic counseling to become part of the growth and education in the health system worldwide.

Dina values her role in empowering patients and their families, through offering the education, support and resources needed for them to make an informed decision about genetic testing and medical management. Dina is excited to be part of this growing field of cancer genetics.

When Dina is not in clinic, she enjoys volunteering, traveling, being outside and playing sports. She is excited and proud to be part of the Inova Schar Cancer genetic counseling team.

She was also elected to the Virginia Association of Genetic Counselors Board in 2020. She serves as the Northern Virginia Representative from 2020-2022.

Emily is a board-certified and licensed genetic counselor who joined the Inova Schar Cancer Center team in the summer of 2023. A native of Murfreesboro, TN, she received her master of science degree in genetic counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to that, she graduated summa cum laude from Middle Tennessee State University, where she studied biology, chemistry, and global studies.

As a clinician, Emily is dedicated to helping patients and their families navigate the intricacies of hereditary cancer genetic testing. She strives to empower patients throughout their healthcare journey by providing support, education, and resources. One of her professional goals is to help expand access to genetic counseling in underserved areas both in the United States and abroad.

Outside of the clinic, she enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, baking, and exploring everything the DMV area has to offer.

Morgan is a Virginia licensed and nationally board-certified cancer genetic counselor at Inova Schar Cancer. She joined Inova Health System in June 2018. 

As an undergraduate student, Morgan studied biology, psychology, and chemistry at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She then completed her Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in April 2018. As a graduate student, Morgan conducted research on the impact that health insurance companies' requirements for pre-test genetic counseling have on patients' choices regarding genetic testing. Her research was granted the Outstanding Graduate Research recognition award through her program at UAB. 

As a clinician, Morgan is passionate about empowering her patients and their families through education and support regarding hereditary cancer, including navigating the choice to pursue genetic testing, medical management, and family communication. Morgan's additional professional interests include increasing the diversity of the genetic counseling workforce and their patient populations.

Morgan moved to Northern Virginia from her hometown of Lebanon, Tennessee. She lives with her wonderful partner and an extremely cute but needy cat named River. Since moving to Virginia, she occasionally believes that the opportunity to see snow is worth NOVA traffic (but three years in, she is still unsure). 
 

Katie is a board-certified and licensed cancer genetic counselor at Inova Schar Cancer. She joined Inova in the fall of 2020. Katie studied biology and Spanish as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She received her Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling from Brandeis University. 

Prior to joining Inova, Katie spent three years as a cancer genetic counselor in Orlando, FL where she helped establish a pediatric oncology genetics program at OrlandoHealth. She also helped mentor genetic counseling students as part of their educational training. 

As a genetic counselor, Katie is passionate about empowering her patients and their families through education and support regarding hereditary cancer, including navigating the intricacies of genetic testing, medical management, and family communication. She also is passionate about training and educating the next generation of genetic counselors. 

In her free time, she loves to read, run, play volleyball and tennis, and cheer on the UVA basketball team.