Romela Pasion has been a Genetic counselor for over 22 years, graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in 1998. From there, she has worked in a variety of settings in diverse roles in clinical patient care – including prenatal, pediatric and adult genetics – industry laboratory genetic testing, and the insurance industry. Her clinical work shaped her drive to be a strong patient advocate when implementing and launching new genetic testing at GeneCare, LabCorp, and Mayo Clinic Laboratory.
Her previous diverse experiences in clinical care and genetic laboratories have been crucial in her current role as a Genetic Program manager at Blue Shield of California where she works as a genetics consultant for genetic claims, reviewing genetic medical policies, evaluating new genetic tests for medical necessity, and acting as a liaison between the insurance company and genetic laboratories. Romela has a passion for education and paving new pathways for genetic counselor roles in medicine and industry.