Meet the NYSGTF Leadership Team:
Monisha Sebastin, MS, CGC
President
Ms. Sebastin is a genetics professional with experience in Research, Leadership and Clinical care. She received her Bachelor of Technology degree in Genetic Engineering in 2014 from SRM University, India and her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics/Genetic Counseling in 2018 from Sarah Lawrence College (SLC), NY. Currently serving as the Senior Genetic Counselor at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), she specializes in pediatric genetics, cardiovascular genetics, immunogenetics, and research. She contributes to the NYCRD and NYCKidSeq research study and supervises thesis and clinical rotations for genetic counseling students. Her past leadership roles include serving as co-Chair of USIGC subcommittee of International SIG at NSGC, co-chair of the Pediatric SIG at NSGC from 2021 to 2022, Chair of the education committee at the New York State Genetics Task Force from 2020 to 2021. She is currently the co-chair of the International SIG at NSGC. Ms. Sebastin is the recipient of the 2022 Heart of Genetic Counseling award. She strives to be a resource for students aspiring to pursue a career in genetic counseling.
Julie Gold, MS, CGC
President-Elect
Julie Gold is currently Co-Director of the Cancer Genetic Counseling Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Originally from Long Island, she obtained her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has been working as a Cancer Genetic Counselor since graduating in 2016. Julie previously served as Director at Large for the Education Committee of the New York State Genetics Task Force from 2021-2023.
Emily Soper, MS, CGC
Past President
Emily Soper is a Senior Genetic Counselor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After receiving her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Mount Sinai in 2008, she spent over a decade as a cancer genetic counselor before transitioning to the Mount Sinai Institute for Genomic Health. Her clinical and research efforts are focused on scaling genomic medicine and evaluating the impact of genomic information in diverse and underrepresented populations. She previously served as NSYGTF Director at Large for the Education Committee.
Tehilla Brander, MS, CGC
Secretary
Tehilla Brander is currently Co-Director of the Cancer Genetic Counseling Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She obtained her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2016. Prior to her role at Mount Sinai she worked in reproductive genetics. She has been involved in the Task Force Education Committee and the GC Survey Working Group.
Elizabeth Manderski, MS, CGC
Treasurer
Elizabeth Manderski completed her M.S. in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 2018 and achieved board certification by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2018. She is currently a cancer genetic counselor with the High-Risk Cancer Genetics Program at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. She is dedicated to providing counseling and expanding services to high-risk patients from diverse backgrounds.
Board Members At-Large
Lauren Costantin, MS, CGC
Director at Large
Lauren Costantin is a genetic counselor at the High-Risk Cancer Genetics Program at NYU Langone Health. She completed her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College in 2020. Prior to joining NYU Langone Health, Ms. Costantin worked at Rhode Island Hospital providing genetic counseling services in cancer, adult, and pediatric genetics. Additionally, she oversaw the High Risk Cancer Genetics Clinic for patients with hereditary cancer syndromes providing genetic counseling follow up and up to date management guidelines. She is involved in clinical supervision for genetic counseling students.
Saskia van den Berg, MS, CGC
Director at Large
Saskia van den Berg is currently Associate Director of the Reproductive Genetic Counseling Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She earned her master’s degree from the University of British Columbia in 2015. She began her career as a laboratory genetic counselor, bridging the gap between the technicalities of testing and high quality clinical care. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling and exploring New York City.
Celeste Wyman, MS, CGC
Director at Large
Celeste Schepp Wyman received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and National Human Genome Research Institute joint training program in January 2017. After graduating, she provided genetic counseling and facilitated genetic testing for patient-participants seen in the Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch of the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD. In 2019, Ms. Wyman relocated to her hometown of Rochester, NY, where she began working with patients and providers to maximally utilize genetic testing in evaluating possible underlying genetic causes for a variety of different health conditions through the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) adult general genetics clinic. She currently provides genetic counseling for patients and families with ocular genetic conditions seen at Flaum Eye Institute (URMC). She has been an active member of the NYS Genetics Task force since relocating to NY, and a member of its public policy committee since 2020. She serves on the advisory board and the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee of the URMC genetic counseling master’s program. She enjoys many hobbies including knitting, video and board games, origami, trapeze, and collecting records.
Catherine Mayo, MS, CGC
Director at Large
Catherine has been with Ambry Genetics since early 2022 working as the Genomic Science Liaison for the New York Metro region. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, Catherine’s career started at Genentech, where she worked in the infectious disease, immunology, and ophthalmology drug development space. After Catherine graduated from the Sarah Lawrence College genetic counseling program, she worked as a pediatric and primarily oncology genetic counselor at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn. At NYP, Catherine managed genetic testing and counseling for a busy multi-disciplinary breast center while also supporting the hospital’s other oncology teams. She worked closely with a seasoned medical geneticist in her first year in Brooklyn, which exposed her to a wide variety of genetic conditions in a highly diverse population. Catherine is passionate about increasing access to genetics services and addressing inequities in genomics. When she’s not mulling over all things DNA and RNA, Catherine can be found exploring Prospect Park with her partner, Rob, tending to her many houseplants, or enjoying the amazing NYC food scene.
