Meet The JScreen Team

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  Michael Gambello, MD, PhD, FACMG

  Medical Director, Reproductive Genetics

  Dr. Gambello is the section chief of the division of medical genetics, coordinating the broad spectrum of genetic services at Emory University School of Medicine. He diagnoses and cares for children with birth defects and inborn errors of metabolism. He teaches medical students, genetic counseling students and medical residents while also serving as the program director for the medical genetics residency program. He completed his pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital/Washington University and clinical genetics training in the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Medical Genetics Residency Program. He spent two postdoctoral years at University of California, San Diego. His first faculty position was at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston in the division of medical genetics/department of pediatrics. He moved to Emory as section chief in May 2012.

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  Jane L. Meisel, MD

  Medical Director, Cancer Genetics

  Dr. Meisel is a medical oncologist at the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship Cancer Institute with a special interest in women's health and in cancers that affect women, including breast, cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. She leads clinical trials in breast and ovarian cancer at Winship, and serves on the Breast Cancer Core Committee at ECOG and the Developmental Therapeutics Committee at NRG. She also leads the Women in Oncology Work Group for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Professional Development Committee. Dr. Meisel earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed her residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and completed her fellowship in medical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

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  Jessica B. Spencer, MD, MSc

  Advisor

  Dr. Spencer is the director of the Reproductive Endocrinology Division and Fellowship in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University. She attended the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University in Israel and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She then completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and a Masters in Clinical Research at Emory before joining the faculty in 2008. She is board-certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Her research interests include premature ovarian insufficiency in girls and women with Classic Galactosemia, Fragile X premutation and in cancer survivors. She sees patients at the Emory Reproductive Center who need help getting pregnant or would benefit from advanced reproductive technologies including intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

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  Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid, MS, CGC, CCRC

  Executive Director

  Ms. Grinzaid is Executive Director of the JScreen program. She is an Assistant Professor in Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Human Genetics where she teaches and mentors students in the Masters in Genetic Counseling program. She received her master’s degree in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 1984 and was certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 1987 and by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals in 2007. Since joining the Emory Division of Medical Genetics in 1986, Ms. Grinzaid has specialized in multiple program areas including prenatal, pediatric and adult genetic counseling, newborn screening, Jewish genetic disease carrier screening and lysosomal storage disease clinical care and research. Prior to launch of the JScreen program, she served as program leader for pediatric/adult genetic counseling services and for the Jewish genetic disease screening program at Emory.

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  Felicia Mayer, MSEd, LPC

  Director of Operations

  Ms. Mayer is Director of Operations for the JScreen program, responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the program. Prior to joining JScreen, Ms. Mayer worked with several non-profit organizations in Atlanta as a Grant Consultant. Before moving to Atlanta in 2012, Ms. Mayer spent thirteen years at Family Counseling Services of Greater Miami where she worked her way up from being a mental health counselor to serving as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. Previous to her years in the mental health field, Ms. Mayer served as a Business Manager at the University of Miami. Ms. Mayer received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tulane University, and her master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University of Miami.

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  Melanie Hardy, MS, MS, LCGC

  Director, Genetic Counseling Services

  Ms. Hardy is a genetic counselor for the JScreen program. She 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, Ms. Hardy worked as a prenatal genetic counselor in a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialty clinic in Richmond, VA. Her professional interests include community outreach and education, mentorship of young professionals and enhancement of the health-care experience. In 2014, she was awarded the New Leader Award by the National Society of Genetic Counselors for involvement in a wide array of professional activities.

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  Estie Rose, MS, CGC

  Genetic Counselor

  Ms. Rose is a genetic counselor and Outreach Coordinator for the JScreen program. Prior to joining the JScreen team, Ms. Rose held a clinical position as genetic counselor at the Montefiore Medical Center, where she focused her practice on reproductive and cancer genetics. She also served as instructor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was an integral part of its Program for Jewish Genetic Health. Ms. Rose has a special interest in community education and outreach, and is proud to be a resource for individuals of her own community who are facing genetic health issues. Ms. Rose received her bachelor’s degree from Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University and her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has been certified as a genetic counselor by the American Board of Genetic Counseling since 2010.

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  Emily Goldberg, MS, CGC

  Genetic Counselor

  Ms. Goldberg is a genetic counselor for the JScreen program. She received bachelors’ degrees in biology and psychology from Brandeis University and a master’s degree from the Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College. She has been certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling since 2011. Before joining JScreen, she worked as a genetic counselor at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, specializing in prenatal and cancer genetics. Her professional interests include education, teaching and mentoring genetic counseling students. She serves as an Instructor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and adjunct faculty at Sarah Lawrence College where she teaches embryology and reproductive genetics.

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  Hillary Kener Regelman

  Director, National Outreach and Marketing

  Ms. Regelman is the Director of National Outreach and Marketing for the JScreen program. She is creating awareness around the importance of genetic screening in multiple regions. Ms. Regelman received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida where she majored in psychology. She then attended business school at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned her master’s degree. Her concentration on marketing, and experience working with global media and health-care firms, has given her a broad business background. She is a published author, and is very active in multiple charitable organizations, as she values community involvement. She has done multiple pro bono marketing projects for local charter schools and non-profits.

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  Wendi Berkman

  Administrative Assistant

  Responsible for daily administrative tasks, Ms. Berkman has been an Office Assistant for the JScreen program since 2017. Prior to her time at JScreen, Ms. Berkman worked in IT Sales before spending a few years as a busy stay-at-home mom. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia. Originally from New Orleans, she has made Atlanta her home with her husband and two sons.

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  Dara Hawkins

  Administrative Assistant

  Ms. Hawkins is an Administrative Assistant for the JScreen program, responsible for the daily administrative and operational tasks. Prior to JScreen, Ms. Hawkins was Office Manager at the Associated Colleges of the South, an Emory University affiliate, for 18 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Georgia State University. Her favorite activities are watching sports, listening to music and spending time with her husband and two dogs.

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  Paul M. Fernhoff, MD, FAAP, FACMG

  In Memoriam

  Dr. Fernhoff joined the Emory University School of Medicine faculty in 1978 and worked tirelessly over the next 32 years providing care for children, adults and families with genetic diseases. He was an excellent diagnostician but never lost sight of the need for effective treatments and disease prevention programs. He was intimately involved with Georgia’s Newborn Screening Program. Dr. Fernhoff was medical director of Emory’s Lysosomal Storage Disease Center and was principal investigator for over 20 clinical trials to advance therapies for these conditions. He served as Medical Director of the Pediatric Program of Hospice Atlanta and worked closely with the March of Dimes. His focus on disease prevention and his commitment to the Jewish community led to Emory’s involvement the local Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen program (2010-2012) where he served as medical director. Dr. Fernhoff died unexpectedly in 2011. We are proud to help fulfill his dream of preventing Jewish genetic diseases through the JScreen program.