Our Genetic Counselors
Emily Parkhurst, MS, LCGC
My Background
Even as a kid, I loved science and genetics. My third grade science fair project was to draw my family tree. I traced my family back three generations and the different recessive and X-linked genetic traits they carried. At family gatherings, I often point out which of my relatives are carriers of red hair and who is a carrier for color blindness.
I first learned about genetic counseling from my mother who was a clinical chemist and worked in the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles genetics lab.
Education & Experience
After graduating cum laude with honors with a bachelor’s degree biology from UC Irvine, I received my master’s degree in genetic counseling from California State Northridge in 2001.
Although I minored in French in college and spent a semester abroad in France at the University of Lyon, I realized Spanish would be more helpful. I started taking Spanish courses in graduate school, learning from Spanish speaking patients and staff. I also took a Spanish immersion course in Puebla, Mexico. Today, as a qualified bilingual Spanish speaker, I am proud to help Spanish speaking families at Kaiser Permanente.
With a diverse employment history (Sunday school teacher, lifeguard, LGBT peer counselor, musical theater usher, pregnancy clinic counselor, research lab intern), I got my first genetic counseling job at a private practice in Sacramento in 2001. Then in 2004, I was pleased to join the genetics department at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles and provide high-quality, affordable genetics services to improve patients’ well-being.
About My Practice
I work mainly with patients who have prenatal concerns or hereditary cancer risks. I also have a focus on hereditary hemoglobinopathies and inherited anemias. I feel that organization, knowledge, open-mindedness and being able to ask for support are keys to getting through any challenge.
How I Thrive
I thrive by keeping active. As a lifeguard in high school and college, swimming continues to be my favorite sport. I started doing triathlons after college and have completed over ten Olympic distance triathlons. I am a begrudging runner and have done a couple half-marathons. However, my favorite race is still the two mile Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier ocean swim every summer.
