About Vibrant Gene
We help people like yourself to gain access quickly and affordably to the personalized genetic care that you need. We provide individuals with customized consultations and professionals with case reviews and expert advice. We do not receive financial support from laboratories, pharmaceutical companies or insurance agencies. As such, Vibrant Gene proudly provides you with independent, confidential advice.
About The Founder
Kayla teaches and practices genetic counseling, the ultimate form of preventative care. Part detective, part educator and technical translator, she empowers patients to make informed choices. Through personalized consultations, clients learn how to prevent genetic disease in themselves, their family members and future generations.
Kayla’s work is influenced by her own family’s struggles with genetic conditions including autoimmune disorders, infertility and multiple forms of non-hereditary cancer. From the start of her career, she was fortunate to partake in molecular genetic research of acute myeloid leukemia at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Kayla later provided bilingual care to perinatal patients at the South Florida Perinatal Medicine Clinics in Miami. She was recruited to Massachusetts General Hospital to support gene discovery research efforts in Kallmann syndrome and other reproductive endocrine conditions. She is the Chair for the Genetic Counselor Board of Registration for Department of Public Health in the State of Massachusetts.
As a writer and lecturer, Kayla has co-authored publications on topics including human chimerism and false paternity testing, breaking difficult news in a cross-cultural setting, and the significance of novel FLT3 mutations in predicting AML outcomes. She guest lectures and has lectured at academic and non-profit institutions including:
- National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC)
- New England Regional Genetics Group (NERGG)
- Boston University Genetic Counseling Training Program
- Brandeis University Genetic Counseling Training Program
- Smith College Program in Biological Sciences
- American Academy of Adoption Attorneys/American Academy of Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AAAA/AAARTA) and National Council For Adoption (NCFA), a joint conference
Kayla’s work has been featured in BuzzFeed, The American Association of Blood Banks Newsletter (AABB), Cancer Today, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Adoption Today, Perspectives in Genetic Counseling, The Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics and WIRED magazine. She is also featured in books: “The Baby Decision: how to make the most important decision in your life” (2nd Edition); “Identification and Consequences of Chimerism: a clinical guide” (2018); and “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” (3rd Edition, in production).
Kayla is a graduate of the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Smith College, located in Northampton Massachusetts. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, the American College of Medical Genetics, and the American Society of Human Genetics.