Student Awards and Recognition
Award for Advocacy and Volunteerism in Genetic Counseling
This award recognizes graduates who exemplify the goals of advocacy, service, and outreach in support of the field and improved patient care, essential components of the genetic counseling profession.
| Class of 2023 | Brianna Berlin |
| Class of 2022 | Deirdre Kessler |
| Class of 2022 | Katie Rose Sullivan |
| Class of 2021 | Brigitte Cronier |
Excellence in Counseling Award
The Excellence in Counseling award is presented at graduation to the student who exemplifies the best counseling skills in his/her clinical placements and has strong academic credentials. The Excellence in Counseling Award committee, composed of clinical supervisors and previous award recipients, reviews the students nominated for the award.
| Class of 2025 | Sarah Upp |
| Class of 2024 | Mackenzie Coston |
| Class of 2023 | Amy Ren |
| Class of 2022 | Samantha Williams |
| Class of 2021 |
Isaac Elysee |
Genetic Counseling Distinguished Student Award
One student from each graduating class is chosen by the Genetic Counseling Program leadership for both academic excellence (GPA, as provided by the Registrar's office) and application of counseling theory to provide personalized and empathetic patient care.
| Class of 2025 | Lily Elman |
| Class of 2024 | Anna Prentice |
| Class of 2023 | Kellyn Madden |
| Class of 2022 | Jake Squicciarini |
| Class of 2021 | Stacey Cohen |
LabCorp Genetic Counseling Award
The University of Pennsylvania Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program is one of only two selected by LabCorp (formerly Integrated Genetics) to participate in this program. Interested students apply for this two-year scholarship following the announcement of the Match, and the selected student receives a substantial scholarship award during each of their two academic years as well as a summer stipend to defray expenses for a required eight-week prenatal genetic rotation at a LabCorp clinical site between the first and second years of the program. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients are expected to meet the requirements for and accept an offer of employment for three years with LabCorp at one of its many clinical locations.
| Class of 2025 | Corinne Merlino |
| Class of 2024 | Mackenzie Coston |
| Class of 2023 | Isabel Anez Bruzual |
| Class of 2022 | Raza Chaudhry |
| Class of 2021 | Samantha Krahling |
LEND - The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The LEND program at CHOP is funded by a grant from the Maternal Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Applicants for the LEND fellowship have a particular interest in pediatrics, neurodevelopmental disability, advocacy, and underserved populations. LEND supports fellows in developing expertise and skills in these areas and provides an opportunity to work with interdisciplinary teams and directly with community programs designed to improve care for these populations. Fellows spend one day each week with the LEND team and receive a substantial stipend. More about the LEND program at CHOP.
LEND has been a fantastic experience. I enjoy learning with and from students from other disciplines, such as occupational therapy, nutrition, nursing, social work, and psychology. Together, we learn how to use an interdisciplinary approach in clinic and in research by observing the Regional Autism Center (RAC), interacting with families outside of clinic, and collaborating on projects. Nicole Kasatkin
| Class of 2025 | Lily Elman |
| Class of 2025 | Sam Miller |
| Class of 2025 | Jillian O'Toole |
| Class of 2024 | Susanna Birnbaum |
| Class of 2024 | Baergen Schultz |
| Class of 2024 | Kara Skorge |
| Class of 2023 | Brianna Berlin |
| Class of 2023 | Anna Duemler |
| Class of 2023 | Kellyn Madden |
| Class of 2022 | Nicole Kasatkin |
| Class of 2022 | Allison Mazzella |
| Class of 2021 | Anna Iversen |
The Marie Barr Genetic Counseling Research Award – CdLs and Related Diagnoses
This is a competitive award given each spring to a first-year student with strong academic and counseling credentials who is interested in completing a thesis project on Cornelia de Lange syndrome or other rare developmental diagnoses. The award honors the late Marie Barr, one of the first genetic counselors in the Philadelphia area. It seeks to "promote the development of expertise in genetic counseling issues related to rare developmental diagnoses." The award was established in 2014 by Marie's husband, Laird Jackson, MD, and Ian Krantz, MD, director of the Center for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and Related Diagnoses at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It includes a stipend of $2,000 to fund the student's thesis project.
| Class of 2024 | Caroline Mayk |
| Class of 2023 | Kaley Arnold |
| Class of 2022 | Anna Platt |
| Class of 2021 | Jacqueline Cappadocia |
Published Research Award
This award is presented on Thesis Day to the graduate from the previous year who is the first in the graduating class to have their thesis research accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
| Class of 2024 | Katie Gianforcaro - Gianforcaro K, Pilchman L, Conway L, Moldenhauer JS, Rychik J, Soni S. Is there an increased risk of genetic abnormalities in fetuses with congenital heart disease in the setting of growth restriction. Prenatal Diagnosis. 2024 June;44(6-7):879-887. doi: 10.1002/pd.6597. PMID: 38804584 |
| Class of 2023 |
Isabel Anez Bruzual - Anez Bruzual I, Coughlin S, Clay D, Heiman J, Dungan M, Weber M, Almario CV, Leung G, Ahmad NA, Ginsberg GG, Kochman ML, Valverde KD, Long JM, Katona BW. Assessment of the Psychosocial Impact of Pancreatic Cancer Surveillance in High-Risk Individuals. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Dec 23;16(1):86. doi: 10.3390/cancers16010086. PMID: 38201514; PMCID: PMC10777978. |
| Class of 2022 |
Katie Rose Sullivan - Sullivan, K.R., Ruggiero, S.M., Xian, J., Thalwitzer, K.M., Ali, R., Stewart, S., Cosico, M., Steinberg, J., Goss, J., Pfalzer, A.C., Horning, K.J., Weitzel, N., Corey, S., Conway, L., Son Rigby, C., Bichell, T.J., Helbig, I. A disease concept model for STXBP1-related disorders. (2023). Epilepsia Open. https://doi.org/10.1002/epi4.12688 |
| Class of 2021 |
Jeshua DeJesse - DeJesse J, Vajravelu RK, Dudzik C, Constantino G, Long JM, Wangensteen KJ, Valverde KD, Katona BW. Uptake and outcomes of small intestinal and urinary tract cancer surveillance in Lynch syndrome. World J Clin Oncol 2021; 12(11): 1023-1036. DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v12.i11.1023 |
Special Recognition
Class of 2025
Cameron Bell - Perelman School of Medicine Master’s Student Colloquium Poster Award, 2025
Class of 2024
Camille Brown - North American Mitochondrial Disease Consortium 2023/2024 Gateway to Mitochondrial Medicine Grant
Mackenzie Coston - Best Student Abstract, 2024 Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors Conference
Ingrid Lee - Top Abstract Commendation, ACMG Annual Meeting 2024
Apurba Mainali - Perelman School of Medicine Master's Student Colloquium Best Abstract Award Winner, 2024
Anna Prentice - Top Abstract Commendation, ACMG Annual Meeting 2024
Class of 2023
Brielle Gehringer - Best Student Abstract, 2023 Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors Conference
Kellyn Madden - Perelman School of Medicine Master's Student Colloquium Best Abstract Award Winner, 2023
Class of 2022
Allayna Frank - Best Student Abstract, 2022 Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors Conference
Class of 2021
Avi Anantharajah - recipient of a Student Annual Conference Scholarship funded by NSGC. His article, “Redefining Medical Mistrust in the Post-Pandemic Era,” was selected for publication in the Genetic Counselor Insights section of Perspectives in July 2021.
Jamie Atondo - first place in the Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors' annual essay contest
Brigitte Cronier - honorable mention in the Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors' annual essay contest
Michaela Mundt - Best Student Abstract Award at the 2021 Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors Conference for “Genetic counseling supervisors’ perceptions on working with multiple programs”