The University of Pittsburgh Genetic Counseling Program is very excited to announce Jodie Vento, MGC, LCGC, as our new Program Director! Jodie graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology. She then obtained a Masters in Genetic Counseling from the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. She began her career as a genetic counselor and neurogenetics program coordinator at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, before joining Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in 2012. At UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Jodie managed the Center for Rare Disease Therapy, the Brain Care Institute and the Laboratory Utilization Management Program. In her role at Children’s Hospital, Jodie worked extensively with payers to develop shared processes and resources to increase the coverage and reimbursement of genetic testing. Jodie is currently the Insurance Alignment Committee Chair for the Patient-Centered Laboratory Guidance Services (PLUGS) Group out of Seattle Children’s Hospital. Jodie is also an active member of NSGC and is currently on the Board of Directors. In her role at NSGC, she has served as the chair of the Access and Service Delivery committee and the co-chair of the Test Utilization Subcommittee within the Industry SIG. Jodie is also one the founders and Past President of the Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors. Jodie is on the board of the Pennsylvania Rare Disease Advisory Council and she serves as the Genetics Faculty for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) Program at the University of Pittsburgh. We are all absolutely thrilled to learn from her!
Welcome and congrats Jodie! I’m excited that we have another great GC joining the leadership of our program. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and I’m sure the program is going to continue to thrive with you as program director!
Chelsey Walsh, Class of 2021
Welcome Jodie! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you over the fall semester as a first-year student. I look forward to growing as a genetic counseling student under our program’s leadership and alongside my classmates.
Lauren Garcia, Class of 2022
Welcome to the program, Jodie! I’m so excited to have another dedicated mentor in the field of genetic counseling. In just the few months that we’ve known you, I can already tell you’re going to be a gift to my own learning and that of my classmates. I’m looking forward to working with you more!
Bailey Sasseville, Class of 2022
I was thrilled to learn Jodie would be the new program director at Pitt! Robin will obviously be leaving behind a wonderful legacy and big shoes to fill, but I think Jodie is the perfect person to do just that. Having worked with Jodie before grad school, I was lucky enough to see her passion and dedication to the field, and I’m so excited for her to bring that to our program.
Julia Knapo, Class of 2022
Welcome to our program, Jodie! Even though I have only attended a few classes from you, I have always been very grateful and excited to hear about your experience and insights. Every time I or my classmates have questions, you empower us with such relatable, practical bits of knowledge. Not only that, you always strive to foster critical thinking pertaining to our inquiries, to think beyond what we learn in class to best serve our future patients. I cannot wait to see you implementing this critical thinking approach to different aspects of our program, as I look forward to getting to know you and learning from you much more in this journey!
Phuc Do, Class of 2022
So happy to welcome Jodie to the program! It's been a very interesting semester for all of us as a result of the pandemic, but your flexibility and optimism have helped keep our heads in the game in the midst of a whirlwind semester! Aside from your solid support, you bring a hefty share of expertise to the classroom and deliver your wisdom in digestible bites. You are a perfect fit alongside program leadership (as if you were right here all along) and we are so lucky to have you with us. Grateful you are joining and looking forward to learning more from and about you, Jodie!
Frank Swann, Class of 2022
Welcome Jodie! I am so excited you are joining our program. From our interactions in the fall semester, I feel confident that your positive energy and incredible insights will be beneficial to my class and all future classes under your leadership. I know you will continue to be a great mentor going forward; I am honored to be a part of your first class and can’t wait to get to know you more!
Maria Rhine, Class of 2022
