Khadijé Jizi
President
Khadijé Jizi is a genetic counselor who works at Ste-Justine Hospital since her graduation in 2014. Khadijé completed her master’s in genetic counseling at the University of Montreal. She also holds a master’s degree in molecular pharmacology from the same university. She obtained her certification from the Canadian Association of Genetic Counselors in 2015. After a year in a prenatal setting, Khadijé works mainly in pediatrics. For the past 5 years, she is working with CIRENE (Integrated Center for the Child Neurodevelopment Network) and has developed an expertise in genetic counseling of neurodevelopmental disorders. Simultaneously, she recruits patients and families for various local and international research projects or clinical trials. Khadijé is also involved in the training of genetic counseling students as a clinical supervisor and as a guest conference for courses on neurodevelopment.
Steffany Grondin
President-Elect
Steffany Grondin is a certified Canadian certified genetic counsellor. She is currently a working as a genetic counsellor at the MUHC’s cardiogenetics clinic. She completed a year of study in the Master of Experimental Medicine at the University of Laval, with Dr. Jacques Simard’s research team. Following this, she pursued her studies with a Master’s in Genetic Counselling at the Université de Montréal, from 2015 to 2017. In May 2017, she began her career as a genetic counsellor at the Montreal Heart Institute’s cardiovascular genetics clinic. In 2018, she decided to pursue advanced studies and completed her Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on experimental medicine (cardiogenetics) under the supervision of Drs. Rafik Tadros and Mario Talajic. During her years of study, she was involved in the international gene curation group, ClinGen, as a curator for the cardiac conduction disorder panel. She also participated in an expert group within INESSS focusing on the evaluation of next-generation sequencing genetic panels for hereditary cardiovascular diseases (cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, and aortopathies). She now sits on the permanent deliberative committee for diagnostic approaches and screenings at INESSS.
Ioana Maria Raus
Secretary
Ioana Maria Raus is a genetic counsellor who has been working at the CHU Sainte-Justine (CHUSJ) since her graduation in 2022. Ioana held two distinct roles at the CHUSJ. As a clinical genetic counselor, she offered empathetic and evidence-based genetic counselling to a pediatric clientele. In addition to this role, Ioana has also coordinated the management, approval, and dispatch of out-of-province molecular testing. This responsibility involved liaising with multiple departments of the hospital, as well as numerous commercial labs globally. Outside her genetic counseling work, Ioana is actively involved in advocating for community welfare. Her experience includes roles in various non-profits, and she is currently serving as a board member for an organization focused on the rights and well-being of the elderly.
Camille Laliberte
Treasurer
Camille graduated from the Master’s program in Genetic Counseling at the Université de Montréal in 2023. She also holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the Université de Montréal. Since 2023, Camille has been working as a Genetic Counselor at the CHU Sainte-Justine, specializing, among other areas, in pediatric hearing loss cases. In addition to her clinical role, she dedicates herself to recruiting participants for a research team specialized in the field of neurodevelopmental genetics.
Amelie Jeuken
Student representative
Amélie completed her bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences at the Université de Montréal. She subsequently obtained a master’s degree in biomedical sciences with the experimental medicine option at the Université de Montréal/Montreal Heart Institute on polygenic risk scores and post-operative atrial fibrillation. Amélie is currently a first-year student in genetic counseling at the Université de Montréal.
