Cohort of 2022
Hello everyone! My name is Yvette and I am from Toronto, Ontario. I graduated from McMaster University with a BSc in the Life Sciences and a minor in Psychology.
After undergrad, I pursued postgrad studies at The Michener Institute of Education at UHN, studying Genetics Technology. This program gave me the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences with advanced genetics techniques and technologies. As a certified Clinical Genetics Technologist dual-trained in both Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, I worked in several genetics labs across Ontario conducting clinical genetic tests, analysing, and interpreting results in different genetic specialities (prenatal, neurogenetics, and cancer).
While working, I volunteered as a Peer Supporter with the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario. My outreach focused on the Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) community in Toronto, facilitating difficult conversations which frequently included barriers to care, such as expressing concerns without the fear of being dismissed due to race, culture, or sexuality. My outreach experience allowed me to draw parallels to the racial health disparities that I witnessed in the field of clinical genetic testing and genomic research from my own work. These different life experiences gave me the courage to pursue genetic counselling where I hope to contribute one day to closing the disparity gap so that all patients have equal health outcomes regardless of social determinants.
Aside from my love of genetics, I love to eat, bake, and sew!