Jodie M Vento

Contributions to Public Health

• I have been a faculty member in the Department of Human Genetics since 2020.  I am the Director of the Genetic Counseling Program and a faculty leadership member of the LEND Program. My clinical experience is in pediatric genetics, neurogenetics, and rare diseases. I have deep experience and interest in improving access and service delivery for genetic counseling.
• In my role at LEND, I am the Director of Faculty Development and Relations, and I am a course director for two leadership courses. LEND offers training opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students within Pitt Public Health and other programs across the campus.
• I am a council member of the Pennsylvania Rare Disease Advisory Council. PARDAC was created through legislation and signed into law, by the governor. The council consists of the secretaries of Health, Human Services, and Education, the Insurance Commissioner, and members of the public, including various health practitioners, health insurers, researchers, parents of children with rare diseases, self-advocates and others with expertise in providing care to individuals with rare diseases. This has created opportunities for student engagement and project collaboration.
  • Pennsylvania Rare Disease Advisory Council: Empathy in Motion: A Kaleidoscope Exploration of Rare Disease, Advocacy, and Awareness through Rare Disease Patient Needs Assessment Survey, 2024; https://www.pardacsurvey.org/   
• I have held leadership roles within the Pennsylvania Association of Genetic Counselors (PAGC) as a founder and the first president. Additionally, I have chaired committees (Access and Service Delivery and Disciplinary Procedures) and served on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC).