Executive Committee

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Clinician-Educator, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania 

Director of the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Valverde is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. She is the principal investigator and recipient of two grants from the Warren Alpert Foundation: the Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship (AGCF) and the Career Ladder Education Program for Genetic Counselors (CLEP-GC). These awards total nearly $20 million. The AGCF grant provides full scholarships for 50 genetic counseling students from diverse backgrounds. The CLEP-GC grant provides continuing research education for 50 genetic counselors as salary support to allow them to develop independent research projects. In total, 100 genetic counselors will benefit from these awards. 

With a professional background spanning over thirty years, Dr. Valverde has demonstrated leadership in program management, genetic counseling education, clinical training and research training at two of the largest genetic counseling programs in the United States - Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Pennsylvania (formerly at Arcadia University). She began working with the Arcadia program at the time of its inception in 1995, and served as the Program Director from 2004 - 2020. Her exceptional service to Arcadia University was recognized in 2018 when she was named Professor of the Year, the highest faculty honor the University can bestow. She is the founding director of the MSGC program at the University of Pennsylvania, where the Arcadia program relocated in 2019. She has graduated nearly 400 genetic counselors from the Penn/Arcadia program, approximately 6% of the genetic counseling workforce, many of whom have gone on to become genetic counseling program directors, executive directors of advocacy organizations, laboratory leaders, and outstanding clinical genetic counselors. 

Dr. Valverde has been actively involved in national and state organizations that support genetic counselors and the profession. She played a key role in the creation of the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling, serving as a founding board member. She also served as treasurer on the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors’ (now the Genetic Counselor Educators Association) and has co-chaired important committees. Her seven-year tenure as chair of the Pennsylvania Genetic Counseling Licensure Committee culminated in a significant milestone when Governor Tom Corbett invited her to Harrisburg to witness the signing of the licensure bill into law in 2012. 

Dr. Valverde received a BA in Psychology from Binghamton University, an MS in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Salus University in 2020. Her research has focused on genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, with the belief that communicating risk and determining the appropriate timing for testing are essential components for a practical counseling session. Her first-hand experience with genetic testing as a member of a BRCA family has given her insight into how families grapple with the complex issues of being tested and communicating results among family members. Most recently, she studied coping and resiliency in adults with primary mitochondrial disease. Her professional and personal experiences with genetic counseling have informed her practice and advocacy for patients and their families.