Connecting Genetic Counselors Across Central California

Lynsey Rodriguez-Salazar, MS, CGC

A member of the inaugural cohort of UCSF's Master of Genetic Counseling Program, Lynsey graduated in 2023 as the program's Fresno-based trainee, completing her clinical rotations in her home region of California's Central Valley. Since graduating, she has distinguished herself as a leader in genetic counseling through her commitment to education, mentorship, and expanding access to care in underserved communities.

Lynsey served as a pediatric genetic counselor at Valley Children's Healthcare, where she supervised genetic counseling students and helped establish the organization's inaugural Student Symposium to introduce local high school students to the profession. Her dedication to professional development is extensive: she co-created and formerly co-directed the StudyRare ABGC Board Review Course, and served on the Southern California University of Health Sciences Think Tank where she contributed to developing a specialized genetic counselor toolkit. She currently serves as a student capstone research advisor and special advisor to StudyRare. She remains deeply passionate about removing barriers to genetic services, mentoring emerging professionals, and inspiring students to explore careers in the field.

Aleasha Jhanjar, MS, LCGC

Aleasha Jhanjar, MS, LCGC, is an alumna from University of California, Davis who earned her B.A. in psychology in 2020 and then went onto to earn a Master's of Science in Genetic Counseling from University of California San Francisco's in 2023. Shortly after graduating, she joined Community Health Systems as a genetic counselor and has served as a support to the oncology genetics and medical genetics departments ever since. Originally from Bakersfield, her goal is to increase access to genetic services to patients in the Central Valley and ensure a high level of patient care.

Kady Murphy, MS, LCGC

Kady Murphy, MS, LCGC is a Fresno local who earned her master's degree in Genetic Counseling from California State University, Stanislaus in 2018. She returned to Fresno after graduating to expand access to genetics services in her community. She currently works in prenatal, pediatric, and cancer genetics at Kaiser Permanente. She has enjoyed mentoring prospective genetic counselors and supervising genetic counseling students throughout her career. Prior to her genetic counseling career, she earned a bachelor's degree in Biology at University of California, Irvine.

Adriana Noronha, MS, LCGC

Adriana Noronha, MS, LCGC, is a board-certified genetic counselor with five years of experience spanning clinical practice and industry settings, specializing in prenatal, pediatric, cancer, and inpatient care. Driven by a passion for bridging complex genomic technology with compassionate patient care, she works closely with multidisciplinary medical teams to provide clear risk assessments, targeted test selection, and empathetic guidance through every stage of the diagnostic process. Outside of her work in genomics, she stays active and can usually be found on the pickleball court.

Jason Carmichael, MS, LCGC

Jason Carmichael, MS, LCGC is the Manager of Genetic Counseling and Precision Medicine at Valley Children's Healthcare and Assistant Director of the UCSF Genetic Counseling Program. He leads initiatives to expand access to genomic healthcare throughout California's Central Valley while supporting genetic counselor education, and clinical innovation in precision medicine. Jason earned a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology from Florida Institute of Technology and a master's degree in Genetic Counseling from the historic Brandeis University. Prior to his genetic counseling career, he served as an HIV and health educator in Mali and Cameroon through the U.S. Peace Corps.