Melanie is the Director of Genetic Counseling Services for the JScreen program at Emory University. JScreen provides patient-initiated clinical testing for expanded carrier screening and cancer screening to people across the United States. She is manager of the genetic counseling team and works on multiple research projects along with her clinical genetic counseling duties. She has also serves as a clinical supervisor to students at multiple genetic counseling programs including UNCG.

Melanie’s goals in public service are broad and include external impact as well as personal growth. “I love that I've had the opportunity to meet and work closely with people across the US, in a wide variety of different venues, in projects with different goals, and in different positions (as leader, collaborator, behind-the-scenes, etc). So, I guess that one goal is... variety? It keeps me motivated to tackle new challenges, find areas where I can excel in service (and learn which areas I'm not made for!), help more people in new/different ways, etc. I also see issues in our profession and I want to be part of the solution. As I learn how my skill set can best be put to use, I try to identify new areas for me to transition my service... and keep moving in new directions to serve more people.”

Melanie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Michigan State University in 1998 and followed with a 9-year career as a high school biology, chemistry, and forensics teacher. She received a master’s degree in Biology from Georgia Southern University in 2009 and a master’s degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2011. She was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2012.  

Before joining the JScreen team, Melanie worked as a prenatal genetic counselor in a Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic in Richmond, VA. Her professional interests include community outreach and education, mentorship, provision of telehealth, and enhancement of the healthcare experience. She has publications in peer-reviewed journals, accepted abstracts and presentations on these topics as well.

Public service and leadership are deeply engrained within Melanie. “I feel that being of service is not only important, but a necessity. Helping others is at the core of most of the jobs we all do each day. In fact, communities would fail to function if we didn't help each other. Since we're 'built' for service, we enjoy the work that we do for others, and it's an essential part of community structure - why not be of service to others? There are SO many ways to be involved that there's always a way for a person to find an option to do so. In addition, service is so rewarding! I can't stress this enough - I routinely receive huge personal reward from service to others (a sense of pride, accomplishment, a feeling of happiness at being helpful), which sustains me when things get overwhelming.”

This self-sustaining approach to service can be a challenging balance to strike, and is worth cherishing. “In full disclosure, I started in service work for selfish reasons - with a focus on what I could get out of it. I wanted to feel useful in the genetic counseling profession way back when I was new (a student!) and didn't feel I had a good way to navigate the field. I also wanted to meet people! Our profession is so small, it's easy to feel isolated. Since then, many of those motivations have changed. Though I still enjoy service that keeps me in contact with friends I've made across the US, it's no longer a major driving force for choosing service activities. Someone once told me that they call service in our professional organization the 'volunteer vortex' - a term that is SO appropriate. Once you're in, you continue to find other ways to help people and you just keep doing what you're doing in new and different ways. There's no escape! :-D Now, many of the choices I make in how to serve my profession arise from a desire to be helpful (so rewarding!), a desire to learn new skills in leadership and management, to tackle new challenges, and my (apparent) inability to say no when others express the need for help. I try to always answer that call (and I really like that about myself - Is that too bold to admit?).”

Melanie served as the Central Region Representative (2014-2015), then the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Genetic Counselors from 2016-2018, then the American Board of Genetic Counselors Board of Directors Nominations Committee Chair in 2019. She has held many service and leadership positions within the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) organization. She was the Outreach Task Force Leader and Education and Certification Task Force Leader for the NSGC Student/New Member Special Interest Group; NSGC Annual Education Conference Orientation Chair; NSGC Mentor Program Chair; NSGC Leadership and Management Special Interest Group (SIG) Chair in 2019-2020 and previously the Outreach Task Force Leader; NSGC Lab/Industry SIG Chair in 2019-3030 and previously held the Education Subcommittee Chair position in 2018; NSGC Licensure Subcommittee Chair in 2019-2020; Multi-State Licensure Resources Working Group Founder and Chair in 2019-2021; and she is currently serving as the Chair of the 2021-2022 NSGC Annual Conference Program Committee.

In recognition of her phenomenal professional service and leadership, Melanie was awarded the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ New Leader Award in 2014, the NSGC Student/New Member SIG Outstanding Leadership & Activism Scholarship in 2014, the UNCG School of Health and Human Sciences Pacesetter Alumni Award in 2017, and she was a Genome Magazine Code Talker Award Finalist in 2017. In 2019, Melanie was recognized with the Outstanding Volunteer Leadership Award for involvement in a wide array of professional activities. She received the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors (AGCPD) and Emory Genetic Counseling Training Program’s Outstanding Supervisor Award in 2021.

When asked about motivation, Melanie touched on the difference she hopes to make through service. “I want to know that I've been useful; I've done something worthwhile with myself and my skills and talents. I want to know that I've helped people and moved our profession forward in meaningful ways; that I've been a progressive force for improvement. Besides that desire to feel useful and helpful, one thing that drives me is knowing that not everyone has the opportunity to do what I can do. I don't have kids, so I have more free time than most. The more I've served, the more skills I've acquired, to the point that I can take on more tasks that others might feel less prepared to take on. I also feel SO strongly that we all need to contribute to solutions - I feel an obligation to work towards progress and moving our profession forward. I complain about the problems I see in the world, sometimes too much! Instead of stopping there, I want to get past the frustration and move into action. Service does that for me.”

For those interested in becoming involved in service, Melanie says the size of the role isn’t what’s important. “It doesn't matter how small a role you take on, how much time or energy you have to give - any amount is good! There are so many ways to help others, and SO many rewards to reap in doing so! I highly encourage people to get involved.”

Congratulations Melanie for the 2022 UNCG HHS Public Service Award, and thank you for your service and inspiration!