Contact the NCHPEG Staff
Joan A. Scott, MS, CGC
Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Scott is the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG) where she leads the national effort to promote health professional education and access to information about advances in human genetics, and a Research Scientist in the Berman Institute of Bioethics at The Johns Hopkins University where she studies public and stakeholder attitudes about genomics.
Ms. Scott’s career has focused on the application of genomic discoveries to health care. She is a certified genetic counselor with more than 30 years experience in clinical genetics, genetics education, laboratory medicine, the biotechnology industry, and the ethical, legal, social, and policy implications of advances in genomics. Prior to coming to NCHPEG, Ms. Scott was Director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University which was established to fill an important niche in the science policy landscape. There she led the Center’s efforts to address policy issues related to advances in genetics, genetic testing quality and oversight, and public engagement in genetic research.
Prior to coming to the Center in 2002, Ms. Scott was a director in a GeneLogic, Inc. overseeing the operations of a large biorespository for use in genomic discovery. She also has served as general manager and director of Genetic Services at the clinical diagnostic lab OncorMed from 1994-1998. Clinically, she has practiced in a variety of academic, outreach, and private practice settings, including pediatric, adult, and reproductive genetic clinics.
Ms. Scott is a past president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and founding member of the American Board of Genetic Counseling. She has served on numerous national committees and work groups including the Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP) Working Group; the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society Task Force on DTC Genetic Testing; the Maryland Insurance Administration Workgroup on Genetic Testing; the National Cancer Institute’s CaHUB Advisory Committee; the Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine Advisory Committee at the University of California, San Francisco; and the Genetic Alliance Biobank Advisory Board.
Ms. Scott holds an M.S. (Human Genetics Program) from Sarah Lawrence College and a B.A. in Anthropology and Zoology from Kent State University. She has been certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics with a subspecialty in Genetic Counseling, and was recertified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2006.
Dolores Astroth
Administrative Assistant
Emily Edelman, MS, CGC
Project Director
Ms. Edelman is a board certified genetic counselor and project director at NCHPEG. Her work at NCHPEG focuses on the development of targeted education programs and clinical tools in genetics for healthcare providers, and includes projects in prenatal family history, neurology, colorectal cancer, and evaluation of genetics education. Prior to joining NCHPEG in 2009, Ms. Edelman was a genetic counselor at the Genomic Medicine Institute at Cleveland Clinic, where she had roles in cancer genetic counseling, cancer research, and family health history and personalized medicine initiatives.
Therese Ingram Nissen, MA
Senior Instructional Designer/Technologist
Therese Ingram Nissen is the Senior Instructional Designer for the National Coalition of Health Professional Education in Genetics. For the last 15 years, she has served as an instructional technologist, web designer/developer, trainer, and instructional designer for diverse learning projects in healthcare, higher education, and government. Therese specializes in eLearning, information architecture, and user interface design. She earned a master’s degree in Information and Learning Technologies at the University of Colorado Denver Health Science Center and was an instructional designer/developer at the University’s Center for Innovations in Training Technology.
Kate Reed, MPH, ScM, CGC
Project Director
Kate is a board certified genetic counselor and project director at NCHPEG. She also has a background in public health genetics. Her work at NCHPEG includes leading the development of a continuing medical education course for physicians on integrating genomics into practice at a community hospital in California. Her other projects include point-of-care tools for non-geneticist providers on genetic conditions (GeneFacts), hereditary colorectal cancer program for primary care providers, and a program on genetics for social and behavioral science researchers. In addition to her work at NCHPEG, Kate continues to work clinically with children and adults in the neurology department at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Joseph D. McInerney
Director Emeritus
Joseph D. McInerney received his MS in human genetics and genetic counseling from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, in 1976. He then spent more than two decades at the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), in Colorado, where he was director for 14 years and wrote textbooks and other educational materials in biology, with a focus on genetics and evolution.
From October 2000 to August 2010, McInerney was executive director of NCHPEG. As director emeritus he continues to work with the staff on the development of educational materials in human genetics and genetic medicine for a broad range of health professionals.
McInerney is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and former member of the editorial boards of the Quarterly Review of Biology and Community Genetics. He has received the Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education, from the American Society of Human Genetics; the Natalie Weissberger Paul Award for National Achievement, from the National Society of Genetic Counselors; the Art of Advocacy Award, from Genetic Alliance; the Special Recognition Award, from the National Human Genome Research Institute; and the Michael J. Scotti, Jr. Award, from NCHPEG.
NCHPEG Staff Publications
McInerney, J.D. The teaching of evolution. Ciencia Hoy (Argentina) 19(113): 76-83, 2009. McInerney, J.D. and Faucett W.A. PAs and the practice of genetic medicine (guest editorial). Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants 21(5): 14, 2008.
McInerney, J.D. Genetics education for health professionals: A context. Journal of Genetic Counseling 17(2): 145-151, 2008.
Harvey, E.K., Fogel, C.E., Christenson, K., Peyrot, M., Terry, S.F., McInerney, J.D. Providers’ Knowledge of Genetics: A Survey of 5,915 Individuals and Families with Genetic Conditions. Genetics in Medicine 9(5): 259-267, 2007.
Guttmacher, A.E., Porteus, M.E., McInerney, J.D. Educating health-care professionals about genetics and genomics. Nature Reviews Genetics 8: 151-157, 2007.
McInerney, J.D. Education in a genomic world. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 27(3): 369-390, 2002.
McInerney, J.D. Genes and behavior: A complex relationship. Judicature 83(3): 112-115, 1999.
McInerney, J.D. Why biological literacy matters: A review of commentaries related to The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life. The Quarterly Review of Biology 71(1):81-96, 1996.