FISHER CENTER - Key Persons
Amy Daly MS, CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor working with individuals who have a personal or family history of cancer.
Ms. Daly received her bachelor's degree in biological and chemical sciences from Wells College in Aurora, NY. She subsequently joined the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center at the University of Minnesota, working in the repository for the maintenance and supply of C. elegans stocks for genetic research. She went on to earn a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Northwestern University. Prior to joining the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ms. Daly worked in clinical positions at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Children's Hospitals of Minnesota, as well as laboratory-based roles at GeneDx and Invitae.
Ms. Daly specializes in helping individuals understand their personal risk of hereditary cancer, options for genetic testing and how testing results could impact their personal health care, as well as the health care of family members.
Christopher Grisham joined the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as a research assistant in June of 2022. Mr. Grisham graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology of Global Health and a minor in Creative Writing.
Mr. Grisham has a strong interest in healthcare, volunteering as an EMT at his local community EMS organization. He also served as a site leader for One Tent Health, providing free HIV and COVID-19 testing to the greater DC area. He is also a certified water safety instructor and enjoys teaching swim lessons to young children. In the future, Mr. Grisham plans to pursue a career in healthcare.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- Director of Operations for the Genomics and Epigenomics Shared Resource at Georgetown University
Mr. Goerlitz is the Director of Operations for the Genomics and Epigenomics Shared Resource at Georgetown University, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. This core facility provides various services including gene expression profiling, microRNA expression profiling, DNA methylation, SNP genotyping, DNA copy number variation analysis, and next-generation sequencing applications.
Mr. Goerlitz has over 15 years of laboratory experience, including 10 years of managerial experience in coordinating team projects. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Washington and his Master of Science degree in Biology from American University.
Mr. Goerlitz has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in the field of cancer genetics and molecular epidemiology. He teaches in two graduate courses at Georgetown University, Cancer Genetics (TBIO 525) and Resources for Cancer Research (TBIO 546), which explore technologies and approaches to understanding the complex genetic variation that underlies the molecular architecture of cancer.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Behavioral Scientist
Dr. Carla L. Fisher is an assistant professor in the Center for Health & Risk Communication and Dept. of Communication at George Mason University where she mentors doctoral students and teaches graduate courses in family and health communication. She received her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University with a focus on family & health communication and minor in gerontology. She was a National Institute on Aging (NIA) Pre-doctoral Fellow and invited to receive post-doctoral training in health behavior theory in the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) fifth Advanced Training Institute.
As a behavioral scientist, Dr. Fisher researches the centrality of family communication to health when coping with cancer and engaging in health promotion behavior. In 2006, she initiated the Mother-Daughter Breast Cancer Research Project (www.motherdaughterbreastcancer.com), which has been funded at the university, private, and federal levels and honored with national research recognition awards. She leads a team of scientists and practitioners in intervention-making research to help mothers and daughters enhance their communication while coping with and preventing the disease.
Dr. Fisher works closely with multiple medical institutions. Currently, she is lead investigator in a study with Mayo Clinic, with a special focus on psychosocial coping needs of daughters of diagnosed women. She also collaborates with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on research aimed at understanding the needs of high-risk mothers and daughters during genetic counseling for BRCA testing. Her work is published in peer-reviewed books and journals such as the Journal of Genetic Counseling and Health Communication, and she is compiling a book on mother-daughter communication and breast cancer for a health communication book series.
Lia Sorgen joined The Fisher Center at Georgetown University, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Project Director in the spring of 2020. Ms. Sorgen received her bachelor's degree in psychology and health studies from Dickinson College, during which she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Marie Helweg-Larsen's Stigma Laboratory. She then completed a Cancer Research Training Award fellowship at the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, assisting Dr. Stephanie Land with the Smoking Cessation at Lung Examination (SCALE) initiative and conducting independent research examining smoking behaviors, self-concept, and self-affirmation with Dr. Annette Kaufman. Although Ms. Sorgen's research has focused on stigmatization, and identity within tobacco and cancer control, she is also interested in health communication and perceived risk in the context of cancer genetic testing and counseling. In the future, Ms. Sorgen plans to pursue further education in health psychology and organizational behavior.
Marcelo Sleiman Jr joined the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as a research assistant in May of 2022. Mr. Sleiman graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor's Degree in Biostatistics and a minor in Psychology.
Mr. Sleiman has a strong interest in clinical practice, spending some time working remotely as a medical scribe for a family practitioner. He also served as a caregiver for individuals with a history of traumatic brain injuries at The BridgeLine, a nonprofit organization in Charlottesville, VA. In his undergraduate carrier, Mr. Sleiman worked as a Senior Resident Advisor, serving as a resource to fellow students by embracing and displaying the core values of Housing and Residence Life. In the future, Mr. Sleiman plans to pursue a career in medicine.
Dr. Rodriguez is a medical hematologist and oncologist at Virginia Cancer Specialists, where she directs the Genetics Risk Assessment Program. She is a member of the executive committee of the USOncology GREAT (Genetic Risk Evaluation and Testing) Program. She is a clinical assistant professor at Georgetown University, and is involved in teaching medical students and residents at Virginia Hospital Center.
Dr. Rodriguez attended The Johns Hopkins University, where she was awarded a BES in biomedical engineering, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Medical Society. She completed her medicine residency at Mount Sinai in New York and her fellowship at George Washington Medical Center.
Job Titles:
- Research Specialist
- Research Specialist and Project Coordinator at the Cancer Prevention
Sara Gómez Trillos is a Research Specialist and Project Coordinator at the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received her M.S. in Global Health at Georgetown University in 2021. Sara has an interdisciplinary background and training, and extensive experience in behavioral health research.
She supports Dr. Hurtado de Mendoza's projects on translational genomics and health disparities with Latina women at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, both in the United States and in Latin America. Her primary research interests are in non-communicable diseases prevention and control, increasing access to quality healthcare, and contributing to policy and UXR in health.
Tara Biagi, MS, CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor specializing in working with individuals who have a personal or family history of cancer.
Ms. Biagi received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She then joined the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT as a Genetic Research Coordinator for the Vertebrate Genome Sequencing and Analysis Group, where for several years she coordinated genetic research for vertebrate genome analysis and disease gene mapping. She went on to earn a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Brandeis University and completed internships with Massachusetts General Hospital, UMass Memorial Medical Center, and Baystate Medical Center. Prior to joining Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ms. Biagi worked at the GW Cancer Center and Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Biagi specializes in helping individuals understand their personal risk of hereditary cancer, options for genetic testing and how testing results could impact their personal health care, as well as the health care of family members.