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Our Staff & Advisors

Executive Staff

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Ryan Phelan, Founder & President

Ryan Phelan is an entrepreneur and businesswoman - influential in diverse fields from education and health care to software development and the equestrian industry. She excels at starting for-profit businesses, as well as non-profit organizations, building their staff, board, and partnerships, turning concept into reality, resulting in high quality service and products.

Phelan's current business and focus is DNA Direct, a company that provides guidance and decision support for genetics to consumers, healthcare plans, healthcare providers and laboratories.

Phelan has been a strong consumer health advocate for the past 25 years, having started the first medical library for consumers in 1978. As Founding Director of Planetree, a nonprofit consumer health care organization, she helped create a national model for humanizing hospitals, (an experimental 13-bed medical surgical unit at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco)  and a national model for providing health information to the public, the Planetree Resource Center.

Today the Planetree Alliance is a group of over 85 innovative hospitals and health care institutions with shared values, goals and experiences dedicated to implementing Planetree programs. http://www.planetree.org/about.html

In 1995 she founded Direct Medical Knowledge (DMK). DMK was an extensive consumer health web site highly regarded for its unique content depth and innovative search interface. DMK developed proprietary software that enabled users to drill down through the most current medical literature and retrieve personalized health and medical information. As CEO of DMK, Ms. Phelan forged alliances with major medical institutions, national health care plans, publishers, and consumer groups. In 1999 Direct Medical Knowledge was acquired by WebMD, a leader in the Internet health information industry. DMK's content became the backbone of WebMD's consumer health site, http://my.webmd.com

She is a co-founder of the ALL Species Foundation, a global science initiative to discover all life on Earth in the next 25 years. In 2002, Phelan served as CEO for the ALL Species Foundation.

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Trish Brown, MS, CGC, Vice President, Clinical Affairs

Trish Brown is an executive with over 15 years of experience in the business of medical genetics. She is a board-certified genetic counselor with a passion for personalized medicine and consumer advocacy. Prior to joining DNA Direct, Trish was an Associate Vice President at LabCorp and Director of Strategic Technology Management and Implementation. In this role she oversaw the commercialization of new technologies and developed expertise in operations, project management, strategic planning, and product development. She was also responsible for LabCorp’s genetic information services which included a specialized genetics call center and clinical genetic counseling services.

Trish received her undergraduate degree in Genetics at the University of California, Davis. She obtained her genetic counseling degree at Sarah Lawrence College, and then practiced prenatal and craniofacial genetic counseling at St. Peter’s Medical Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her next career step was at Duke University Medical Center in the Maternal Fetal Medicine department where she provided prenatal counseling and was on the Faculty for the Department of Pediatrics and Genetics for the Medical Genetics Fellowship Program. Trish has authored over forty five peer reviewed posters, publications, and presentations. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Women Business Leaders of the U.S.

Cynthia Brown, Vice President, Finance

Cynthia has over twenty years of experience leading organizations through strategic change, revitalization and accelerated growth. She has led the integration of mergers, has been involved in multi-million dollar product launches and raised funds from angel investors. Cynthia is responsible for finance, accounting, human resources and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining DNA Direct, Cynthia was the VP of Finance for Enclara Health, a start up that delivers pharmacy services to hospice and end-of-life case management to health plans. Prior to Enclara Health, she built a billing department that supported the growth of the Medicare and health plan business for LifeMasters Supported Selfcare, Inc. and developed a client profitability model that was then integrated into the contract pricing process. Cynthia also, managed the contract pricing and financial analysis departments for a pharmaceutical distribution division of Bristol-Myers Squibb. She started her career in the brokerage industry working for Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab & Co, Inc. Cynthia is a CPA and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Economics with a Management Concentration from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982.

Leah Sparks, Vice President, Strategy

Leah Sparks has worked in a variety of business development roles for 10 years. Prior to joining DNA Direct, Leah had a 6-year career at McKesson Corporation, a Fortune 50 healthcare services corporation. At McKesson, she most recently served as Vice President, Oncology Services. In that role, Leah was responsible for developing and implementing a business plan to jumpstart McKesson's entry into the oncology market. The execution of that business plan ultimately led her to oversee a large sales organization focused on community-based oncology providers.

Prior to her leadership position in the Oncology Services unit, Leah held a variety of strategy and business development roles within McKesson. Her responsibilities included developing competitive strategy recommendations, leading due diligence for major acquisitions, and ensuring the operational integration of acquired business units. Additionally, she sourced, structured and negotiated complex distribution services contracts with pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers.

Before business school, Leah led the marketing efforts at a specialized architecture firm with a worldwide practice. Leah received her MBA from the University of Virginia in 2001 and holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Tennessee.

Melinda Thiel, Vice President, Sales and Business Execution

Melinda Thiel is currently the Vice President of Sales and Business Execution. She has been with Medco Health Solutions since 1998. She started working with the Personalized Medicine and Molecular Diagnostic programs in 2009. Beginning in 2011, she took over responsibility for the operations, sales and product management for the Medco Personalized Medicine product portfolio, including the DNA Direct by Medco products and services.

Previous to her role in the DNA Direct by Medco organization, Melinda spent time in several other areas of Medco including, Disease Management, Retail Networks and New Markets. Prior to joining Medco, Melinda worked with various non-profit organizations to design, develop and implement Community Health Education programs. She worked at the American Lung Association and the New Jersey Thoracic Society as well as Hackensack University Medical Center. Melinda has a Bachelor's Degree in Community Health Education from William Paterson University and a Masters in Health Care Management from the College of Saint Elizabeth.

Nick Caulfield, Senior Director, Technology

Nick Caulfield is a technology executive with over 12 years experience focusing in the healthcare and retail industries. Prior to joining DNA Direct, Nick was Director of Enterprise Architecture at a leading retailer and managed strategic direction for transactional and analytical systems. Prior to his architecture role, Nick spent 7 years consulting for healthcare clients, specializing in business integration and data analytics for specialty pharmaceutical services and distribution programs. Nick also worked for a web consultancy, Proxicom, and Accenture delivering transactional applications, portals, and content management systems for clients.

Nick received his Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Clinical Leadership

Thomas Musci, MD, Medical Director

Thomas J. Musci, M.D., is DNA Direct's Medical Director. He is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Medical Genetics. Following his training, he was a tenured faculty member at University of California, San Francisco in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Dr. Musci remains on the clinical faculty of UCSF as an Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. Dr. Musci specializes in prenatal diagnosis, including CVS, amniocentesis, and genetic screening for a variety of indications. Dr.Musci has published extensively in the areas of clinical obstetrics, clinical genetics, and basic molecular genetics. He also serves on national committees involved in establishing policy in obstetrics and gynecology.

Stephen Brown, MD, Medical Geneticist

Stephen A. Brown, MD, is DNA Direct's Medical Geneticist, and is associate professor of Ob/Gyn at the University of Vermont. He is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Molecular Genetics and Molecular Genetic Pathology. Dr. Brown has a broad experience in reproductive genetics, including prenatal diagnosis of single gene disorders, chromosomal disorders, malformation syndromes and related issues. Currently, his lab is researching patterns of differential DNA methylation in human placenta and its relevance to prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal disorders.

Heather Harris MS, CGC, Clinical Manager

Heather Harris is a board-certified genetic counselor with experience in genomic medicine and genetic disorders of complex and multifactorial inheritance. Prior to joining DNA Direct, Heather was the Program Manager of the Developmental Research Program at Children?s Hospital Boston, a collaborative program devoted to the study of genetic and other causes of developmental disorders. She also practiced for several years as a research genetic counselor in the Program in Genomics at Children?s Hospital, and conducted genetic research at the University of California, Davis and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City.

Heather received her BS in Genetics from University of California, Davis and her MS in genetic counseling from University of California, Irvine. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, board-certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling, and a licensed genetic counselor in the state of Indiana and South Dakota.

Theresa Boomer MS, CGC, Senior Genetic Counselor

Theresa Boomer is a board-certified genetic counselor with specialized laboratory expertise in both Molecular Biology and Cytogenetics. Prior to joining DNA Direct, Theresa was a Genetic Counselor at Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute in San Juan Capistrano, CA. She served as the primary clinical liaison between the Cytogenetic laboratory and ordering physicians, hospitals, and clinics, ensuring all critical results were relayed as quickly and clearly as possible. She also developed expertise in oncology cytogenetic testing and result interpretation. Theresa practiced for several years as a genetic counselor conducting rural outreach clinics for Shodair Children's Hospital in Helena, MT. There she met the unique challenge of providing prenatal, pediatric, adult, oncology, laboratory, and fetal pathology counseling all in one setting. In addition to clinical services, she also functioned as the Administrative Director for Department of Medical Genetics.

Prior to clinical practice, Theresa spent many years in the laboratory as both a Cytogenetic and Molecular Technologist. She enjoyed positions at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, Dianon Systems in Stratford, CT, Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO, and briefly at the University of Chicago.

Theresa received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Colorado College in Colorado Spring, CO, and her graduate degree in Genetic Counseling at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Theresa has authored over 35 posters, publications and presentations. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, board-certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling, and has dual certifications in Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology through the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA).

Tracy Futch MS, Ph. D, CGC, Genetic Counselor

Tracy Futch is a board-certified genetic counselor with a background in laboratory genetics and molecular biology. Prior to joining DNA Direct,Futch was a laboratory genetic counselor at LabCorp working with the biochemical genetics, molecular genetics, and cytogeneticslaboratories. Her roles included writing genetic test reports, discussing results with providers, and preparing educational materials.Futch has also worked as a clinical counselor at the Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colorado.

Futch received her undergraduate degree in Biology form the University of North Carolina. Before attending graduate school, she worked inresearch laboratories at the University of North Carolina and the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Futch received her Ph.D. in molecularand cellular biology and her master of science degree in genetic counseling from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. As agenetic counselor, Futch enjoys the challenge of helping people understand their genetic testing results and what those results can mean for themselves and their families.

Lisa Kessler, MS CGC, Senior Genetic Counselor

Lisa R. Kessler is a board-certified genetic counselor with a background in medical genetics and research. Kessler worked in adult genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Medical Genetics, where she had the opportunity to meet with patients and families with a variety of different medical concerns including hemochromatosis, hereditary cancer syndromes, Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, and Marfan syndrome.

Kessler helped design and manage research for individuals who have had Aortic Dissections and she presented the findings at several national conferences. Kessler also has experience providing genetic counseling to women with hereditary breast cancer as part of a research study that focused on African American women. One of the goals of this project was to create a successful referral network including local hospitals, physician offices, and support groups. Kessler has had several publications resulting from this research and enjoyed the opportunity to reach out to women who may not otherwise benefit from access to genetic counseling.

Kessler is often inspired by her patients, learning from their determination, strength, and commitment to helping others. She has observed the development and utilization of support groups, and the significant impact these groups have made. Kessler is enthusiastic about helping DNA Direct create lasting relationships with advocacy organizations to promote increased access to genetic services.

Andi Ybarra MS, CGC, Senior Genetic Counselor

Andi Ybarra is a board-certified genetic counselor with experience in clinical genetics, genetics laboratory-support, research, and DNA diagnostics. Andi comes to DNA Direct from LabCorp where she fulfilled many roles, including prenatal clinical genetics, genetics laboratory support, technical training, business development, and managing a team of clinical and laboratory-based genetic counselors. In her clinical role, Ybarra enjoyed meeting with patients, facilitating their understanding, and helping them through what could be an emotional time. She is a strong patient advocate who believes in a patient's rights to their genetic information without fear of discrimination. In her genetics laboratory-support role, she was able to aid physicians and their staff in their understanding of genetic test results and relaying those results back to their patients. Ybarra also worked at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX in both genetics research and clinical DNA diagnostics laboratories. She worked mainly with the trinucleotide repeat disorders, such as fragile X syndrome and Huntington's disease, and finds the genetics of these conditions fascinating.

Following completion of her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, Ybarra then completed her Master of Science degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, graduate program in genetic counseling. Following graduation, Ybarra has enjoyed training new genetic counselors as a clinical supervisor for the genetic counseling program. Ybarra coordinated the genetic counseling students' experience in the prenatal clinic and cytogenetics laboratory rotations at LabCorp.

Lily Servais MS, CGC, Genetic Counselor

Lily Servais is a board-certified genetic counselor with experience in health information and 3 years experience working with individuals with disabilities. Previous to working with DNA Direct at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA, Lily served as a genetic counselor with Genomic Strategy Consulting in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from California State University-Stanislaus, and a BS in genetics and biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counseling as a task force leader in the Student/New Member SIG.

Medical Advisors

William A. (Andy) Faucett MS CGC, Director, Policy and Education, Genomic Medicine Institute of Geisinger Health System

Andy Faucett holds an adjunct faculty position at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, and an Expert Consultant position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mr. Faucett received his B.S. from the Baptist College at Charleston, M.S. in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College and board certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC). He has held positions at Emory; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Memorial Medical Center, Savannah, GA; and a fellowship at the CDC. He serves on the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG), the American Society of Human Genetics Information and Education Committee, and the Sarah Lawrence College Alumni Board.

Ora Karp Gordon, MD MS, Director, GenRISK Program, Cedars-Sinai and Co-director, Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Screening Program

Dr. Gordon is an assistant professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). A diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Medical Genetics, Dr. Gordon's primary research interests include the study of common disease genetics and prevention of breast cancer in high-risk patients.

Scott D. McLean MD, FACMG, Red Herring Genetics

Scott McLean is a pediatrician and clinical geneticist with broad and deep interests in genetic health care, ranging from dysmorphology and newborn screening to genomic medicine for adults and health care policy. During his 26 year career in the US Army, COL(Ret) McLean delivered both primary and consultative care to military beneficiaries across the globe and has been privileged to teach and learn from innumerable medical students, residents and fellows in primary care and specialty training during these decades.