Our Team

Who we are

We are a dedicated team working toward a world where all children are born healthy.

Photo of staff working in lab
Tippi MacKenzie, MD

Tippi MacKenzie, MD

Co-Director

Professor of Surgery

Mary Norton, MD

Mary Norton, MD

Co-Director

Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences

Center Team

Emma Canepa

Emma Canepa

Clinical Trials Program Manager
Valerie Dougherty

Valerie Dougherty

Program Manager

Billie Lianoglou, MS, LCGC

Billie Lianoglou, MS, LCGC

Genetic Counselor
Nuriye Sahin Hodoglugil, DrPH

Nuriye Sahin Hodoglugil, DrPH

Fetal Sequencing Program Manager
Courtney Strasenburgh

Courtney Strasenburgh

Communications Director

Center Investigators & Collaborators

Paul Brakeman, MD, PhD

Paul Brakeman, MD, PhD

Center Investigator

Professor, Pediatrics
Julia Brown, PhD

Julia Brown, PhD

Bioethicist

Assistant Professor, Humanities & Social Sciences
Irene Chang, MD, MSc, FACMG

Irene Chang, MD, MSc, FACMG

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics

Bruce Conklin, MD

Bruce Conklin, MD

Professor, Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institutes

M. Kyle Cromer, PhD

M. Kyle Cromer, PhD

Center Investigator

Assistant Professor, Surgery
Betsy Crouch, MD, PhD

Betsy Crouch, MD, PhD

Center Investigator

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, PhD

Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Stanford University

Dawn Gano, MD, MAS

Dawn Gano, MD, MAS

Associate Professor, Neurology

Petros Giannikopoulos, MD

Petros Giannikopoulos, MD

Clinical Laboratory Director, Innovative Genomics Institute
Juan M. González Velez, MD, MS, PhD

Juan M. González Velez, MD, MS, PhD

Center Investigator

Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Douglas Gould, PhD

Douglas Gould, PhD

Center Investigator

Professor, Ophthalmology
Nalin Gupta, MD

Nalin Gupta, MD

Professor, Neurological Surgery
Paul Harmatz, MD

Paul Harmatz, MD

Professor, Pediatrics

Akos Herzeg, MD, PhD

Akos Herzeg, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Fetal Surgery
Barbara Koenig, PhD

Barbara Koenig, PhD

Bioethicist

Professor of Medical Anthropology & Bioethics, Emerita
Donald Kohn, MD

Donald Kohn, MD

Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, UCLA

Mignon Loh, MD

Mignon Loh, MD

Professor, Pediatrics, University of Washington
Janel Long-Boyle, PharmD

Janel Long-Boyle, PharmD

Professor, Clinical Pharmacy
Emin Maltepe, MD

Emin Maltepe, MD

Professor, Pediatrics
Dane Munar

Dane Munar

Clinical Research Coordinator

Stephan Sanders, BMBS, PhD

Stephan Sanders, BMBS, PhD

Center Investigator

Professor, Paediatric Neurogenetics, University of Oxford
Matthew Shear, MD

Matthew Shear, MD

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow
Teresa Sparks, MD, MAS

Teresa Sparks, MD, MAS

Center Investigator

Associate Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Kate Swanson, MD

Kate Swanson, MD

Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences

Fyodor Urnov, PhD

Fyodor Urnov, PhD

Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, and Director of Technology & Translation at the Innovative Genomics Institute
Elliott Vichinsky, MD

Elliott Vichinsky, MD

Professor, Pediatrics

Ronald Wapner, MD

Ronald Wapner, MD

Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Center Fellows

Beltran Borges, MD

Beltran Borges, MD

Research Fellow
Tony Lum, MD

Tony Lum, MD

Research Fellow

Center Advisory Committee

Susan Fisher, PhD

Susan Fisher, PhD

Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Renata Gallagher, MD, PhD

Renata Gallagher, MD, PhD

Professor of Pediatrics, Emerita
Linda Giudice, MD, PhD

Linda Giudice, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Raphael Hirsch, MD

Raphael Hirsch, MD

Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Roberta Keller, MD

Roberta Keller, MD

Professor of Clinical Pediatrics & Medical Director, Neonatal ECMO Program
Barbara Koenig, PhD

Barbara Koenig, PhD

Bioethicist

Professor of Medical Anthropology & Bioethics, Emerita
Aleksandar Rajkovic, MD, PhD

Aleksandar Rajkovic, MD, PhD

Professor of Pathology and Chief Genomics Officer of UCSF Health
Andrea Ronzani

Andrea Ronzani

Community Partner

Stephan Sanders, BMBS, PhD

Stephan Sanders, BMBS, PhD

Center Investigator

Professor, Paediatric Neurogenetics, University of Oxford
Julie Ann Sosa, MD

Julie Ann Sosa, MD

Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery

Tippi MacKenzie, MD

Co-Director

Professor of Surgery

Dr. Tippi MacKenzie is Professor of Surgery at the UCSF Division of Pediatric Surgery and the Fetal Treatment Center. Dr. MacKenzie obtained her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Harvard, then came to the Bay Area for medical school at Stanford. She did her surgical residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. During this time, she took three years to do research on fetal surgery and in utero stem cell transplantation at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Following residency, she returned to CHOP for her clinical pediatric surgery fellowship.

The focus of Dr. MacKenzie's work is to improve our understanding of the biology of birth defects so that we can design more effective medical or surgical treatments.

Mary Norton, MD

Co-Director

Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences

Dr. Mary Norton is a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist as well as a clinical geneticist. She specializes in the care of women at high risk for having a baby with a birth defect or genetic disorder. She oversees the prenatal diagnosis program at UCSF, and is an expert in high-risk obstetrical ultrasound and prenatal diagnosis procedures such as amniocentesis and CVS. Her research interests include the use of new genetic technologies for fetal testing, and she is a national expert in the use of cell free DNA testing. She also has a particular interest in patient attitudes and preferences regarding prenatal testing.