Myers, Rebecca

Dr. Myers joined Greenwood Genetic Center as a Staff Scientist in the Research Division in February 2024. At GGC, Dr. Myers will use the BioSpherix Xvivo system to isolate cGMP-quality mitochondria for the Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. Alzheimer’s Initiative. Prior to joining GGC, Dr. Myers completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center where her research focused on the role of histone methylation in age-related arterial stiffness and hypertension.

Contact Information

Office: 864-388-1045
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Biology, University of South Carolina-Aiken, 2008
  • Ph.D., Healthcare Genetics, Clemson University, 2018
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Physiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2019-2023

Chandler, Maya

Maya joined GGC in 2023 as a scheduler and genetic assistant. Her roles include processing referrals, scheduling patients, obtaining insurance authorizations, gathering and reviewing family and medical history, and providing assistance throughout patient appointments. She is also involved in eVisits to improve patient access to genetic services.

Contact Information

Office (864) 953-3981
[email protected]

Education

  • BS, Biology, Lander University, 2023

MacPherson, Rebecca

Dr. MacPherson first worked at the Greenwood Genetic Center in 2017 as a summer intern in the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory. She graduated from Clemson University in 2018 and began a PhD in the Mackay-Anholt lab at the Clemson Center for Human Genetics in Greenwood, SC. During her PhD, Dr. MacPherson focused on identifying candidate genetic modifiers, variants that can change disease severity, for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and rare disorders of chromatin modification using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. After graduation, Dr. MacPherson taught at Clemson University for one semester and then re-joined the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory in 2024 as a Clinical Molecular Specialist.

Dr. MacPherson is a member of the American Society for Human Genetics and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

Contact Information:

[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Genetics, Clemson University, 2018
  • Ph.D., Genetics, Clemson University, 2023

 Publications

  • MacPherson, R. A., Shankar, V., Anholt, R. R. H., Mackay, T. F. C. 2023. Genetic and Genomic Analyses of Drosophila melanogaster Models of Chromatin Modification Disorders. Genetics. 224, 4.  https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyad061
  • MacPherson, R. A., Shankar, V., Sunkara, L. T., Hannah, R. C., Campbell, M. R., Anholt, R. R. H., Mackay, T. F. C. 2022. Pleiotropic fitness effects of the lncRNA Uhg4 in Drosophila melanogaster. BMC Genomics. 23, 781. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08972-0
  • Morozova, T. V.*, Shankar, V.*, MacPherson, R. A., Mackay, T. F. C., Anholt, R. R. H. 2022. Modulation of the Drosophila Transcriptome by Developmental Exposure to Alcohol. BMC Genomics 23, 347. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08559-9
  • Mokashi, S. S.*, Shankar, V.*, MacPherson, R. A., Hannah, R. C., Mackay, T. F. C., Anholt, R. R. H. 2021. Developmental Alcohol Exposure in Drosophila: Effects on Adult Phenotypes and Gene Expression in the Brain. Frontiers in Psychiatry (12), doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.699033.
  • Sass, T. N.*, MacPherson, R. A.*, Mackay, T. F. C., Anholt, R. R. H. 2020. A High-Throughput Method for Measuring Alcohol Sedation Time of Individual Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Visual Experiments (158), e61108, doi:10.3791/61108

Wagner, Kelly

Kelly joined the Greenwood Genetic Center in 2023 as a Genetic Assistant in the Charleston office. Her roles include obtaining insurance authorizations, gathering family and medical history, patient scheduling and check-in, recording vital signs, and assisting throughout patient visits. Kelly is also involved in eVisits at GGC to improve patient access to genetic services.

Contact Information

Office (843) 746-1001
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S. Genetics, Clemson University, 2022

Johnston, Nicole

Nicole Johnston joined GGC in 2023 as a clinical trials coordinator in the Greenville office. Nicole assists in the organization of multiple clinical trials with Dr. Carrie Buchanan, coordinating visits between providers and patients and maintaining clinical trial documentation, as well as clinical trial data. Nicole assists GGC principal investigators with the documentation of clinical visits per research protocols and with the distribution of investigational medications. Her additional roles include working with Dr. Buchanan in the Fragile X Clinic and collaborating with all of GGC’s clinical trial coordinators to promote and expand GGC’s clinical trial offerings to our patients and families.

Nicole is a licensed registered nurse who formerly worked as a clinical research coordinator and oncology-certified nurse in Upstate SC.

Contact Information

Office:(864)672-6912
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 2007
  • B.S., Accelerated Second Degree in Nursing, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 2013

Finley, Alex

Alex joined Greenwood Genetic Center in 2023 as a laboratory genetic counselor. Previously, she was a prenatal genetic counselor in a maternal fetal medicine clinic in Savannah, Georgia. Alex is interested in the multidisciplinary integration of communications, graphic design, and education within genetics to promote holistic healthcare and service. Alex serves as a liaison between the GGC Diagnostic Laboratories and our network of referring physicians, genetic counselors, and other healthcare providers. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling.

Contact Information

Office: (864) 388-1053
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S. Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, 2020
  • B.S. Technical Writing and Communication, University of Minnesota, 2020
  • M.S. Genetic Counseling, University of Utah, 2022

Selected Publications

  • Finley, A. K., Andoni, L., May, C. A., Stark, L. A., & Dent, K. M. (2023). Exploring the impact of virtual SPIKES training on genetic counselors’ confidence to deliver difficult news. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 00, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1794

LaGroon, Anna

Anna joined the Greenwood Genetic Center in 2019 from Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she spent time working in the center’s pediatric and adult genetics clinic and the Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome multidisciplinary clinics. Anna works in GGC’s Greenville office providing genetic counseling for pediatric and adult patients. She is a board-certified genetic counselor and a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Contact Information

Office (864) 678-7895
Fax (864) 250-9582
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Biology and French, Wofford College, 2013
  • M.S., Genetic Counseling, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 2017

Selected Publications

  • Duis, J., van Wattum, PJ., Scheimann, A., Salehi, P., Brokamp, E., Fairbrother, L., Childers, A., Shelton, AR., Bingham, NC., Shoemaker,
    AH., Miller, JL.: A multidisciplinary approach to the clinical management of Prader-Willi syndrome. Mol Genet Genomic Med., 2019. DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.514.
  • Doherty, K., Frazier, SB., Clark, M., Childers, A., Pruthi, S., Wenger, DA., Duis, J.: A closer look at ARSA activity in a patient
    with metachromatic leukodystrophy. Mol Genet Metab Rep., 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgmr.2019.100460.

 

Piermattei, Julia

Julia joined GGC in 2023 as a genetic assistant in the metabolic clinic in GGC’s Charleston office. Her responsibilities include gathering and reviewing family and medical history, patient scheduling and check in, recording vital signs, and assisting the metabolic team with patient visits at the Charleston office as well as during clinics at GGC’s Columbia, and Florence offices.

Contact Info

Office: (843) 735-5087
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Biology, College of Charleston, 2023

Pandya, Nisha

Nisha joined the Greenwood Genetic Center in 2023. She provides genetic counseling in the general genetics clinic at the Charleston office.

Contact Information

Office: (843) 746-1001
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, 2020
  • M.S., Genetic Counseling, University of South Carolina, 2023

De Leon, Kenya

Kenya joined the Greenwood Genetic Center in 2023. She works in the Columbia office providing genetic counseling in general and oncology clinics. Kenya also has Spanish language fluency and is a certified medical interpreter.

Contact Information

Office: (803) 799-5390
[email protected]

Education

  • B.S., Genetics, Clemson University, 2021
  • M.S., Genetic Counseling, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 2023

Meet Reggie Roper

Reggie has been part of the GGC family for over 18 years. He has short stature, webbing of his hands, pulmonary stenosis, seizures and hydrocephalus along with developmental delay. He carried an initial diagnosis of cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome; however, as genetic testing advanced, GGC made the diagnosis of Noon...

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