Faculty
Michelle Bina
Assistant Program Director
BS, University of California, Los Angeles. MS, Sarah Lawrence College. After earning her MS, Michelle began working as a clinical prenatal and cancer genetic counselor at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx while supervising Sarah Lawrence genetic counseling students, medical students, residents, and medical fellows. She became a course instructor in 2020 and later joined the program faculty in 2021 to pioneer the Genetic Counseling Education Fellowship.
Graduate Courses 2025-2026
Master of Science in Human Genetics
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Seminar—Fall
GENE 7305
Students will be provided with a foundation in human genetics principles and concepts. The course will be organized into lectures, self-study activities, and team-based learning. Student-driven activities will enable students to apply, in a clinically relevant way, information presented in the lectures and readings.
Faculty
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Seminar—Fall
GENE 7323
This course will broadly cover contemporary topics of disability. Through guest speakers, panels, and internships, students will gain an understanding of the impact of disability; improved communication skills with individuals, families, and service providers; and an increased awareness of the contributions that genetic counseling can make to persons with or without disabilities.
Faculty
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Fieldwork—Fall
GENE 7406
Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to be exposed to genetic counseling, observe the role of a genetic counselor, and practice their skills with patients. Students will participate in genetic-counseling sessions in a supervised environment. Across each student’s fieldwork path, there is a concerted effort to ensure a diversity of specialty, patient populations, practice settings, counseling and supervision styles, and service-delivery models. Most placements conducted during the academic year are based in the greater New York City area.
Faculty
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Fieldwork—Fall
GENE 7407
Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to be exposed to genetic counseling, observe the role of a genetic counselor, and practice their skills with patients. Students will participate in genetic-counseling sessions in a supervised environment. Across each student’s fieldwork path, there is a concerted effort to ensure a diversity of specialty, patient populations, practice settings, counseling and supervision styles, and service-delivery models. Most placements conducted during the academic year are based in the greater New York City area.
Faculty
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Fieldwork—Spring
GENE 7408
Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to be exposed to genetic counseling, observe the role of a genetic counselor, and practice their skills with patients. Students will participate in genetic-counseling sessions in a supervised environment. Across each student’s fieldwork path, there is a concerted effort to ensure a diversity of specialty, patient populations, practice settings, counseling and supervision styles, and service-delivery models. Most placements conducted during the academic year are based in the greater New York City area.
Faculty
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Fieldwork—Spring
GENE 7409
Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to be exposed to genetic counseling, observe the role of a genetic counselor, and practice their skills with patients. Students will participate in genetic-counseling sessions in a supervised environment. Across each student’s fieldwork path, there is a concerted effort to ensure a diversity of specialty, patient populations, practice settings, counseling and supervision styles, and service-delivery models. Most placements conducted during the academic year are based in the greater New York City area.
Faculty
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Seminar—Fall
GENE 7306
Students will be introduced to skills necessary for genetic counseling. The course will be structured around key components of a genetic-counseling encounter. Readings will provide foundational knowledge of relevant concepts, and class discussions will encourage comparison of different perspectives and applications. Course instructors will demonstrate each skill; students will then engage in skill development through role-play, peer feedback, and self-assessment.
Faculty
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Fieldwork—Summer
GENE 7420
Fieldwork provides opportunities for students to be exposed to genetic counseling, observe the role of a genetic counselor, and practice their skills with patients. Students will participate in genetic-counseling sessions in a supervised environment. Across each student’s fieldwork path, there is a concerted effort to ensure a diversity of specialty, patient populations, practice settings, counseling and supervision styles, and service-delivery models. Most placements conducted during the academic year are based in the greater New York City area.
Faculty
Previous Courses
Master of Science in Human Genetics
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Graduate Seminar—Fall
Fundamentals of Genetic Counseling 1 introduces students to skills necessary for genetic counseling. The course is structured around key components of a genetic counseling encounter. Readings provide foundational knowledge of relevant concepts and class discussions encourage comparison of different perspectives and applications. Course instructors demonstrate each skill and students then engage in skill development through role-play, peer feedback, and self-assessment.
Faculty
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Graduate Seminar—Spring
Building on the skillset of Fundamentals of Genetic Counseling 1, Fundamentals of Genetic Counseling 2 develops skills relevant to clinical risk assessment. By traversing the path from calculations to care, students will understand that risks are composite predictions for future disease, assessment of those risks enables a preventive approach to healthcare, and outcomes of risk assessment are mediated by risk perceptions. Course activities include discussion, small group activities, demonstration, and role-play with peer feedback.
Faculty
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Graduate Seminar—Spring
Building on the skillset of Fundamentals of Genetic Counseling 1, Fundamentals of Genetic Counseling 2 develops skills relevant to clinical risk assessment. By traversing the path from calculations to care, students will understand that risks are composite predictions for future disease, assessment of those risks enables a preventive approach to healthcare, and outcomes of risk assessment are mediated by risk perceptions. Course activities include discussion, small group activities, demonstration, and role-play with peer feedback.
Faculty