Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling

Gretchen Schneider is a graduate of Colgate University and earned a master's in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 1992. She began her career at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she coordinated the neurofibromatosis program and saw patients in the General Genetics Clinic. In 1999, she joined a new genetics initiative through Partners HealthCare, where she transitioned from patient care to genetic education, serving as assistant director of educational activities before joining the Brandeis faculty in 2008.

Schneider has been involved with the genetic counseling program since its inception, first as a clinical supervisor, thesis committee member and lecturer, and later as co-director of clinical training. In her role as program director, she oversees first-year fieldwork, coordinates a course on laboratory testing, co-teaches Clinical Genetics II (BIOL 220a); works with second-year students on professional development and servies as a thesis adviser.

Schneider is a founding member of the Massachusetts Board of Registration (Licensure) of Genetic Counselors, serves on the American Board of Genetic Counseling Exam Eligibility Task Force and is a member of the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors, where she served on the Nominating Committee and the Clinical Training Work Group. She has a long-standing interest in promoting genetic counseling as a profession and has presented to local high school students on genetic counseling as a career, spoken on “The Modern Era of Genomic Testing” during the Brandeis University Global Youth Summit on the Future of Medicine, participated in a Life Sciences Career Panel for graduate and undergraduate students at Brandeis, and contributed to a panel discussion on applying to graduate school at the Northeast regional conference of SACNAS, an organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in science.

Cassandra (Cassie) Buck graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with her bachelor’s in Biology & Biotechnology before getting her Master’s in Genetic Counseling from Brandeis University in 2009.  She began her career working for a genetic testing laboratory and worked in academia as a research counselor and study coordinator before returning to Brandeis in 2015 as the Advisor for Genetic Counseling Research.  As interim-assistant program director at Brandeis' genetic counseling program, Buck is primarily responsible for research training and the oversight of the students' Master’s thesis projects.  Her teaching responsibilities include BIOL211 (Intro to GC research),  3-semesters of BIOL 213 (Genetic Counseling Research), and the coordination of BIOL203 (Laboratory Testing: Applications in Clinical Practice). 

A 1996 graduate of Brandeis' genetic counseling program, Judy Jackson has spent many years as a clinic-based prenatal genetic counselor in different settings throughout the Boston area. In addition to her full-time clinical genetic counseling position at South Shore Hospital, she teaches Human Reproductive and Development Biology (BIOL 160b) to first-year Brandeis GC students and undergraduates. Jackson is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and former chair of the Genetic Counseling special interest group at the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis.

Sharyn Lincoln is a 2006 graduate of the Brandeis Genetic Counseling Program and has her B.S in Biology (Magna Cum Laude) and B.A. in Religious Studies from the College of William and Mary.  She worked at Boston Children's Hospital in the Genetics and Fragile X Programs, as well as the Undiagnosed Diseases Network.  Sharyn is currently a Senior Laboratory Genetic Counselor at CooperGenomics, specializing in PGT-M. In addition to her position at CooperGenomics, Sharyn teaches Clinical Genetics I (BIOL 204b) and Clinical Genetics II (BIOL 220a).

Lisa is passionate about the field of genetic counseling and has worked primarily with a prenatal focus in clinic and industry.  She graduated with a BS in Biology from Boston College before receiving her MS in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University.  She is an active member of the New England Regional Genetics Group (NERGG, Inc) and the National Society of Genetic Counselors.  She also serves as Chair of the Governing Board of Genetic Counselors in New Hampshire.  Over the years Lisa has served as a supervisor for genetic counseling students and is delighted to have the opportunity to engage with students in the classroom.

Alice Noble teaches Genetics, Law and Social Policy (BIOL 236b) to the first- and second-year genetic counseling students. In addition, she teaches Health Law and Ethics (HS 357f) at the Heller School, and Genetics, Law and Society (LGLS 149b) in the legal studies program. Noble, who holds a law degree from Villanova University and an MPH from Harvard University, is also on the faculty at Boston College Law School and Tufts University School of Medicine. Prior to teaching at Brandeis, she taught at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Judith Tsipis began her career at Brandeis more than 40 years ago as an instructor for undergraduates in the biology department and as a pre-med adviser. In 1992, she became founding director of the master's program in genetic counseling. Since that time, Tsipis has taught and mentored many students while working with faculty to ensure the success of both the program and its graduates. She has worked to promote the genetic counseling profession within the local and national communities and has been actively involved in the advocacy community in many ways. Tsipis holds a PhD in microbiology and genetics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.