Stacy W. Gray Lab

Alexandra Capasso, M.S., CGC is a licensed board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics at City of Hope. She received her Master of Science in human genetics and genetic counseling from Keck Graduate Institute. Prior to completing her master’s degree, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Southern California Genetic Counselors. Her background in the nonprofit sector with a focus on STEM education for underserved youth and advocating for health care equality shapes her research interests. These include increasing accessibility to cancer genetics services through alternative service delivery models and expanding genomics education for patients and providers. Her graduate school research investigated providers opinions on the importance of informed consent, barriers to pre-test counseling, and the utility of educational tools in cancer genetics.

Ilana Solomon, Sc.M., M.A., is a manager of the Precision Medicine Program and a licensed board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics. She received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the Johns Hopkins/National Human Genome Research Institute. She joined City of Hope's Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics in 2013, where she has provided cancer genetics services for patients and families suspected of having a hereditary predisposition to cancer. Since 2019, she also manages and develops City of Hope’s Precision Medicine Program with the goal of providing all City of Hope patients with genomic-driven care. She has research interests in health care communication and implementation, genetic literacy and ELSI in genomics. She helped co-develop Helping Oncology Patients Explore (HOPE) Genomics: a patient-directed IT platform for cancer genome sequencing education and return of results. She is faculty for City of Hope's Intensive Course in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment. She is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Southern California Genetic Counselors.

Michael Restrepo, M.S., is a licensed and certified genetic counselor working with City of Hope’s Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics since 2021. He earned his master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Michigan in 2021. His thesis work involved understanding how patients from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds perceive the duty to recontact after receiving variants of uncertain significance on multigene panel testing. His research was selected for a poster presentation at the 2021 NSGC Annual Conference. Prior to initiating graduate training, he worked as a genetic counseling assistant for the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program at the University of California San Francisco, where he helped implement a novel service delivery model to facilitate genetic testing for high-risk cancer patients. Originally from the Southern California area, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in integrative biology from the University of California Berkeley in 2011. 

Sandra Dreike is a licensed board-certified genetic counselor who specializes in cancer genetics. She received her Master of Science degree is genetic counseling from University of California Irvine and her bachelor’s degree in biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She provides genetic counseling and cancer genetic risk assessments at City of Hope. In addition to patient care, she is interested in genetics education for other health care providers and also participates in genetics research. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Southern California Genetic Counselors. She joined City of Hope's Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics in 2019. She previously practiced as a genetic counselor in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she specialized in cancer genetics and general pediatric and adult genetics. 
 

Susan Shehayeb, M.S., CGC, is a licensed board-certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics. She has a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling from University of California Irvine. She joined City of Hope's Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics in 2017, having previously undergone clinical training at City of Hope. She also provides genetic counseling in Spanish and Arabic. Her clinical role has centered on widening patient access to genetic counseling and testing throughout City of Hope's network via City of Hope's South Pasadena site. Areas of clinical interest include gynecologic oncology. Her past research investigated lifestyle choices in the context of genetic counseling and genetic testing for cancer risk. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Southern California Genetic Counselors.

Madeline Currey is a clinical research associate in the Gray lab. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University Los Angeles, where she completed her undergraduate thesis in plant hydraulics and evolution. She joined the Gray lab in 2020, after a formative internship in the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics. As an aspiring genetic counselor, she considers it an honor to be involved in research that increases the access and delivery of genetic services.

Marilan Luong, M.P.H., is a clinical research administrator in the Gray lab. She earned her undergraduate degree in food and nutrition (dietetics) with a minor in microbiology from California Polytechnic State University Pomona. She went on to earn a Master of Public Health in biostatistics and epidemiology from the University of Southern California. Her research areas of interest include health outcomes and health equity. 

Sarah Labib is a clinical research associate in the Gray lab. She completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of California Santa Barbara with a major in biology and a minor in religious studies. She is interested in becoming a physician. 

Sarah Tang (she/her) is a clinical research assistant in the Gray lab. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and integrative biology from the University of California Berkeley in 2022. She is excited to explore the implementation of precision medicine in oncology on Dr. Gray’s team and aspires to become a physician in the future.

Michael Garcia is a data scientist in the Gray Lab. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business and mathematics from Azusa Pacific University and earned his Master of Information and Data Science from Claremont Graduate University. When not working, he is outside mountain biking in the trails near City of Hope.

Frank Munoz, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Gray Lab. In 2016, he received his Ph.D.. in mind-body medicine from Saybrook University in California, with an emphasis on biological and environmental associations between mind, body and genes. His research interests include understanding Latinx cultural and systemic barriers to genetic testing (GT) and utilization of GT results for their cancer care. He also is working to develop  educational tools to improve understanding of genomic information among Latinx cancer patients and their families.