Emily Johnson

Bio

Emily Johnson, MS, LCGC is a California native and Sarah Lawrence College graduate from the Class of 2021. While majoring in Environmental Science, and double minoring in Geographic Information Systems and Biology through the University of Redlands, it was in her senior year of undergrad that she learned about the field of genetic counseling. After gaining a shadowing opportunity that same year, she decided to chart a new path towards pursuing a Master’s degree in genetic counseling. During her gap year she volunteered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, became Mental Health First Aid certified, and enrolled in courses to meet genetic counseling program prerequisites, which included a UCSD Extension course! Following her graduate training in New York, Emily moved to New Jersey and spent her first two years as a prenatal genetic counselor in a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) practice.

Deciding to move back to her home state of California, Emily now works as a genetic counselor through Blue Shield of California, utilizing her clinical genetics knowledge to review and decision genetic testing prior authorizations. While her current role may not deal in direct patient care, her graduate research focused on the teaching and development of psychosocial skills across different genetic counseling programs, a topic she still holds close to her heart.