Olivia Juarez, MMSc, CGC
Certified Genetic Counselor
Instructor, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine
Phone:
832-822-4295
Languages: English, Spanish
Office location:
6621 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030
Get to know Olivia Juarez, MMSc, CGC
Olivia is a board-certified Genetic Counselor who specializes in assessing and counseling children and families impacted by genetic disease. She uses training in genetic database tools and psychosocial counseling to support individuals throughout the process of genetic evaluations and testing.
Olivia also works in the Department of Pathology with the Laboratory Stewardship Program at Texas Children's. In this role, she works to review inpatient requests for certain genetic tests to improve diagnostic rates for critically ill patients and save costs. Olivia is a frequent presenter at local and regional platforms on topics related to genetic counseling and genetic education for providers.
Personal Statement
I am passionate about utilization management to save costs and reduce the diagnostic odyssey for families impacted by genetic disease. I enjoy educating and supporting children and families throughout their genetic diagnostic experience and beyond. I hope to increase access to genetics and genetic counseling services throughout Texas. I hope to also increase genetic education for all providers.
Clinical Interests
Laboratory utilization management, pediatric cancer predisposition syndromes
Education
| School | Education | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emory School of Medicine | Masters | Master of Medical Sciences in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling | 2019 |
| University of Houston at Clear Lake | Masters | Master of Science Biological Sciences | 2016 |
| Texas A&M University | Bachelors | Bachelor of Science Bioenvironmental Science | 2013 |
Organizations
| Organization Name | Role |
|---|---|
| National Society of Genetic Counselors | Member |
| Texas Society of Genetic Counselors | Member |
Board Certifications
| Title |
|---|
| American Board of Genetic Counseling, Board Certification in Genetic Counseling |
| American Academy of Professional Coders, Certificate in Certified Professional Coding |
Honors and awards
- 2024
-
Professionalism Award, CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital
* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Research interests
Genetic education for providers, health literacy, health communication strategies
Parthasarathy S, Ruggiero SM, Gelot A, Soardi FC, Ribeiro BFR, Pires DEV, Ascher DB, Schmitt A, Rambaud C, Xie HM, Lusk L, Wilmarth O, McDonnell PP, Juarez O, Grace AN, Buratti J, Mignot C, Gras D, Nava C, Pierce SR, Keren B, Kennedy BC, Pena SDJ, Helbig I, Cuddapah VA. A recurrent de novo splice site variant involving DNM1 exon 10a causes developmental and epileptic encephalopathy through a dominant-negative mechanism. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2022
Blegen K, Ortiz-Romero SE, Juarez O, Voeller J. Clinical impact of selumetinib on pediatric elephantiasis neuromatosa. Pediatric 2 - Olivia Juarez, MMSc, CGC - last updated 06/16/2025 Dermatology, 2022; 39(5): 764-766
Juarez O, Pencheva B, Schneider K, Turner J, Bellcross C, Porter C. Cancer genetic counseling for childhood cancer predisposition is associated with improved levels of knowledge and high satisfaction in parents. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2020; PMID:33179831