Barbara Pettersen, MS, CGC
Clinical Director
Ms. Pettersen is a board certified genetic counselor who has worked in the field of clinical genetics for over 26 years. She has extensive experience in prenatal, pediatric and adult genetics, including hereditary cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Prior to joining Natera, she has held genetic counseling positions at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Stanford University Medical Center, and Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center and her own private practice. Ms. Pettersen has also served as the clinical consultant for the Northern California Kaiser Regional Molecular Genetics Diagnostic Laboratory and has particular expertise in the clinical applications of genetic testing. She has a strong interest in PGD and other technologies that can help families in their quest to have children free of serious genetic conditions. She is actively involved in the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), has served two terms on the board of directors, was awarded the NSGC Regional Leadership award, and has been co-author on a number of NSGC-sponsored Genetic Counseling Practice Guidelines. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) and was Chair of the ABGC Certification Examination Committee from 2007 through 2010. Ms. Pettersen holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Medical Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ms. Maisenbacher is a board-certified genetic counselor who has worked in pediatric genetics for the past nine years at both the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Florida. She also has held consulting position for Gene Dx, Inc. and the Children’s Hospital of Boston. In addition to general pediatric genetics, she specializes in the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, inherited cardiomyopathies, Barth syndrome and Pompe disease. She has published numerous articles on a variety of clinical genetic disorders. Her interests in PGS and PGD stem from counseling families with children affected by single gene disorders and personal relationships with couples with infertility. Ms. Maisenbacher currently serves on the board of the International 22q11.2 Foundation. She received her B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and her M.S. in genetic counseling from Arcadia University.
Ms. Saucier comes to Natera from Genzyme Genetics where she practiced prenatal and cancer genetic counseling. Previous to her role at Genzyme, she was employed as the sole genetic counselor at Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, TX. In addition to providing genetic counseling services in prenatal, cancer and pediatric clinics at Scott and White, she gained valuable experience as an alternate on the Institutional Review Board and a member of the hospital’s genetic testing task force. Ms. Saucier is excited to bring this expertise to GSN where she can assist patients in navigating the changing world of PGD. Ms. Saucier is a board certified genetic counselor and a member of both the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) and the Texas Society of Genetic Counselors (TSGC). She holds a B.S. in Genetics from Texas A&M University and a M.S. in Genetic Counseling from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
Ms. Merrion is a board certified genetic counselor who comes to Natera from The Children’s Hospital of Colorado where she provided genetic counseling to pediatric and adult patients. In addition to general genetics, she specialized in inherited retinal dystrophies and ocular malformations. Ms. Merrion also has experience in research settings. She was the study coordinator for the Colorado Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) Translational Neuroscience Nexus (Nexus) for the Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disorders, and has also worked as a research coordinator for different studies involving congenital defects of cognition and physical development. Ms. Merrion also has experience in laboratory genetic counseling through a previous position at Kimball Genetics Laboratory. Her interests in PGD stem from counseling individuals and families affected by chromosomal and single gene disorders. She received her B.S. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her M.S in Biophysics and Genetics from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
Ms. Wemmer is a board certified genetic counselor with experience in both clinical and research settings. Prior to joining Natera she held a genetic counseling position at The Children’s Hospital of Colorado. There she coordinated the care for pediatric and adult patients in a variety of clinical settings including general pediatric, regional outreach, metabolic and specialty clinics. She has specific experience working in Skeletal Dysplasia, Endocrine-Genetics and Phenylketonuria (PKU) multidisciplinary clinics. Ms. Wemmer also has experience in clinical research and has previously worked as a study coordinator at the Colorado Sickle Cell Research and Treatment Center. Ms. Wemmer holds a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington and a M.S in Biophysics and Genetics from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Ms. Wemmer has chosen to work in a PGD lab setting because she enjoys the challenge of keeping up with the constantly evolving technology and also enjoys helping patients make informed decisions regarding reproduction.
Ms. Clark is a board certified genetic counselor who has worked in pediatric genetics for the past nine years at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her special interests include The Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) and the genetics of hearing impairment. She established and directs The Center for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and Related Diagnoses that brings in families with CdLS and other multisystem developmental diagnoses for specialized care and management. She also coordinates the clinical and molecular research studies in CdLS that initially led to identification of the causative genes. In addition, Ms. Clark evaluates and counsels patients with sensorineural hearing impairment and coordinates research projects aimed at expanding the current understanding of the genetic forms. She has numerous publications on both of these areas of work. She is excited to bring her experience in genetic testing and counseling to families pursuing PGD, assisting them in making informed decisions to reach their reproductive goals. Ms. Clark received her B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Rutgers University and her M.S. in genetic counseling from Arcadia University.