Program team
Robin Bennett , M.S., CGC
Program Director
(she/her)
Robin Bennett, Professor of Medicine, brings over 35 years of experience in genetic counseling to the UW Genetic Counseling Graduate Program. Over the span of her career, she has cared for more than 25,000 patients in the Genetic Medicine Clinic at the UW Medical Center and helped train future genetic counselors and medical geneticists.
Globally recognized as a leader in genetics education, Robin has lectured and consulted in Australia, Saudi Arabia and China. At the GCGP, she is the primary instructor for Cancer Genetics and Genomics, Professional Issues in Genetic Counseling, and co-instructor for the three-quarter Genetic Counseling Theory and Practice series.
Robin has made significant contributions to the body of knowledge of genetic counseling and is most known for her work in pedigree nomenclature, consanguinity, presymptomatic testing for Huntington disease and other neurogenetic disorders, recurrent miscarriage, fragile X syndrome, Fabry disease, cancer genetics, and the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Code of Ethics. She’s also helped develop NSGC’s original protocol for the creation of practice guidelines and is the author of “The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History.” The National Human Genome Research Institute noted her team’s recent publication, “Practice resource-focused revision: Standardized pedigree nomenclature update centered on sex and gender inclusivity: A practice resource of the National Society of Genetics Counselors,” as an accomplishment in genomic medicine.
As a prominent leader in medical genetics and genetic counseling, Robin served as president of the NSGC, on the board of directors of the American Board of Genetic Counseling, and as a founding board member and past president of the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling. She was on the board of directors of the American Society of Human Genetics and currently serves on the Awards Committee. Robin is the recipient of multiple honors, including the NSGC Natalie Weissberger Paul National Achievement Award and as a distinguished lecturer in the Janus Series. She received the Art of Listening Award from the Genetic Alliance, and the Pathfinder Alumni Award from the Mercer Island School District. At the UW she has been recognized with the Distinguished Staff Award, the Department of Medicine Distinguished Faculty Award, and as one of 75 Changemakers over 75 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Kenyon College, which later awarded her an honorary scientific doctorate. Robin is a graduate of the Human Genetics Program at Sarah Lawrence College.
Brad Rolf, M.S., CGC
Associate Program Director
(he/him)
Brad Rolf has been a genetic counselor at the UW since 2013. Before becoming Associate Program Director for the UW Genetic Counseling Graduate Program, he worked primarily as a research genetic counselor. In this role he coordinated the genetics study of the Therapeutic Pipeline Project, a research project aimed at determining the efficacy of whole-exome sequencing for inherited forms of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Brad also worked on one of the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research consortium projects that focused on delivering genetic testing and genetic counseling services for inherited cancer risk to underserved populations.
Brad earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Baylor University and a master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Texas Health Science Center. Before his career in genetic counseling, he worked at the Texas Department of State Health Services Laboratory. He is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors CEU Review Subcommittee, and his research interests include polygenic risk, genetic counseling education, and genetic counseling for patients who identify as LGBTQ.
Gail Jarvik, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Director
(she/her)
Gail Jarvik is an internist and medical geneticist who holds the Arno G. Motulsky Endowed Chair in Medicine and heads the Division of Medical Genetics at the UW. Her research focuses on the statistical genetic analysis of common diseases in adults including cancer, vascular disease and dementia. She has broad research interests in the implementation of genomic medicine, including her work in the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network, Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research (CSER), Undiagnosed Disease Network (UDN), and All of Us consortia. Her active research in biomedical ethics includes returning genomic research results to participants and studying the impact of regulations on genomic research. She was the 2021 president of the American Society of Human Genetics.
Penny Chow, M.S., CGC
Director of Fieldwork Education
(she/her)
Penny Chow started with the UW Genetic Counseling Graduate Program in early 2021. For over 15 years, she had the pleasure of working as a pediatric genetic counselor at Seattle Children's Hospital. While most of her clinical focus was in the Craniofacial Center and the 22q Clinic, in the past she has worked at the Seattle Children’s Hospital Biochemical Genetics Clinic, the Genetic Medicine Clinic and the Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic, and the State of Alaska Biochemical Genetics Clinic. Penny started the genetic counseling internship program at Seattle Children’s in 2009 and oversaw the program for over 10 years. She brings the expertise she has gained to her current role as the UW GCGP's Director of Fieldwork Education. In addition to her love of pediatric genetic counseling, her other passions are training genetic counseling students and coordinating clinical rotations. Penny earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Seattle University and a master’s degree in genetic counseling from California State University, Northridge.
Peg Cheng, MPA
Administrator of Program Operations
(she/her)
Peg Cheng started with the UW Genetic Counseling Graduate Program in Summer 2022. Before becoming the Administrator of Program Operations, Peg spent nearly 20 years in higher education academic advising, career counseling, and admissions. She brings a student-centered, equity, and anti-racism approach to her role managing admissions, student services, program operations, communications, and event planning for the GCGP. She is also a DEI Champion with the Department of Medicine and serves on the Diversity Council. Outside of work, Peg enjoys gardening, forest bathing, wildlife spotting, practicing reiki, and writing stories. Peg earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental analysis and design from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance.
Tyler Hearing (he/him)
Program Assistant
Tyler Hearing started with the UW Genetic Counseling Graduate Program in Winter 2022. As Program Assistant, Tyler is the first point of contact for prospective students and works on admissions, student services, budgeting and finance, and event planning. Outside of work, Tyler enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, playing guitar, going to concerts, and exploring interesting places with his friends. Tyler earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.
Group photo & photos of Robin Bennett, Penny Chow, Peg Cheng & Tyler Hearing by Marcus Donner.