
Vision: To educate and advocate for the genetic counselors and genetics professional in the state of Ohio
Mission Statement:
To develop and sponsor activities that will promote professional development of the career of genetic counseling
To support and conduct education to increase public awareness of genetic counseling
To encourage communication and alliances that will facilitate access to genetic counseling services and genetic counseling education in the state of Ohio
To promote collaboration amongst Ohio GCs who wish to take action on issues relevant to our profession
To foster professional growth and continuing education in the field of genetics
To provide a centralized location for relevant information regarding genetics in Ohio

The 2022 BOD held first in-person BOD meeting with great success! (top row from left to right: Megan Bergman, Paul Hudson, Jackie Riley; bottom row from left to right: Lindsey Byrne, Meghan DeBenedictis)
Board of Directors
President: Paul Hudson, MS, CGC
Paul is a licensed genetic counselor who received his undergraduate degree in Zoology from The Ohio State University in 2016 and graduated from The Ohio State University Genetic Counseling Graduate Program (OSU GCGP) in 2018. After graduation, he worked in his hometown of Dayton, OH at Miami Valley Hospital’s Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Ultrasound and Genetics as a prenatal genetic counselor for four years. In 2022, he started a new role as a Medical Science Liaison with BillionToOne and the Unity test. He still works closely with the OSU GCGP as a course instructor. His hobbies include traveling, cooking, and gardening.
President-Elect: Victoria Klee, MS, CGC
Victoria is a licensed and board certified Genetic Counselor and Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. She received both her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Masters in Genetic Counseling at OSU. Her clinical time is devoted to Neurodegenerative conditions including young-onset and hereditary dementias such as Alzheimer’s and Frontotemporal Dementia, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and complex movement disorders. She provides genetic counseling as a part of the PD GENEration clinical trial and is a part of the Huntington Disease Center of Excellence at Ohio State.
Immediate Past President: Meghan DeBenedictis, MS, CGC, MEd
Meghan is a licensed genetic counselor who took a position at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute after graduating from the Genetic Counseling Program at Case Western Reserve University in 2011. Focusing her career on hereditary eye diseases, she established an ophthalmic genetics clinic – the first in the state of Ohio. She is the first genetic counselor to be elected to the serve on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Genetic Eye Diseases. In addition to her clinical work, she has been active in research, serving as PI, co-Investigator or study coordinator on over a dozen clinical studies/trials. Meghan is also passionate about education and received her Masters in Health Professionals Education Degree through Cleveland State University with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in 2017. She serves as the education coordinator for the Ophthalmology and Hearing Loss SIG and also on the advisory board and actively involved with the Case Western Reserve University Genetic Counseling Training Program. She also developed an ophthalmic genetics elective rotation for genetic counseling students and has served as thesis committee Chair and guest lecturer. Meghan is also an integral team member of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Personalized Genomics Healthcare where she serves as the Director of Genetic Business Development.
Committee Director: Carolyn R. Serbinski, MS, CGC
Carolyn is a licensed, board-certified genetic counselor at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Genetic Counseling at the University of Michigan. Carolyn, working closely with a team of scientists and clinicians, has dedicated her career to supporting families with rare genetic diseases by meeting them at the intersection of clinical care, research advancements, and advocacy. Carolyn spends much of her time caring for patients with RASopathies, mTORopathies, lysosomal storage disorders, and connective tissue disorders. She served as the program coordinator for the Cincinnati Children’s RASopathy Program and has continued this role at Lurie Children’s. Her advocacy efforts have included working closely with many family groups and hosting international, virtual family meetings. Carolyn’s research efforts include implementation of a gene therapy trial in lysosomal storage disorders along with other clinical trials, implementation of federally funded research, developing a biorepository, and contributing to rare-disease manuscripts. Carolyn is enthusiastic about supporting fellow and future genetic counselors through engagement with genetic counseling training programs as a course coordinator, thesis advisor, and clinical supervisor.
Secretary/Treasurer: Megan Bergman, MS, CGC
Megan earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics from The Ohio State University in 2016 and her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University in 2018. Since completing her graduate training, she has worked as a state-licensed genetic counselor within the Maternal Fetal Medicine department at Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio specializing in preconception and prenatal genetics. In addition to her clinical role, she supervises genetic counseling graduate students through The Ohio State University Genetic Counseling Graduate Program and currently serves on multiple committees including the Admissions Committee for The Ohio State University Genetic Counseling Graduate Program and the Medical Advisory Committee for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio. She is also a co-facilitator for the central Ohio-based Helpful Encounters After a Loss (HEAL) support group designed to support families who have ended a wanted pregnancy following a prenatal diagnosis.
Committees
Membership and Outreach
Responsibilities:
- Maintain membership directory
- Learn interests of GCs to inform organization goals and address concerns
- Answer questions about organization
Co-Chairs:
Brandie Leach
Kara Vitalone
Social Media and Communication
Responsibilities:
- Design web content for OAGC
- Maintain a social media presence (e.g. Facebook and Twitter)
- Develop professional connections
Co-Chairs:
Amber Aeilts
Erin Crist
Education
Responsibilities:
- Organize and plan annual education meeting
- Administer scholarship funding and application process for GC research projects and student theses
- Develop educational and outreach activities in the state of Ohio
Co-Chairs:
Sarah Aufmuth
Julia Cooper
Cortlandt Meyers
Public Policy/Professional Issues
Responsibilities:
- Collect institution specific information including credentialing practices, billing practices, career ladders
- Create guides for new GCs in Ohio on how to obtain licensure, specialists to refer to in the area
Co-Chairs:
Katie Carlotti
Deanna Leingang
Membership
We are excited that you want to be an OAGC member! There are three classes of members: full members, associate members, and student members.
Full Member
- Any masters-level trained health professional who is either board eligible or board certified in genetic counseling and/or licensed by the Ohio State Medical Board in genetic counseling
- Eligible to hold a position on Board of Directors or chair a Committee
- Voting Member
Associate Member
- Any individual with a professional interest in genetic counseling who shares the Mission and Vision of the OAGC
- Includes: non-certified/non-board eligible GC, genetic counseling assistant, nurse in genetics, etc
- Not eligible to hold a position on Board of Directors or chair a Committee
- Can be a committee member
- Not a voting member
Student Member
- Any student enrolled in an accredited genetic counseling program in the state of Ohio
- Not eligible to hold a position on Board of Directors or chair a Committee
- Can be a committee member
- Not a voting member
Cost of Joining
Membership is free!
To learn more about membership, please email OAGCCommittees@ohiogenetics.org with the subject line “Membership Inquiry”.