Laura Amendola
Clinical Associate Professor
Medical Genetics
Genetic Counselor, Genetic Medicine Clinics
Related Links: 
Scholar page

Faculty Information

Biography

Laura Amendola has been a research genetic counselor at the University of Washington since 2012 where she contributes to and leads local and national research projects as part of several NHGRI-funded consortia. Laura has held leadership roles in the development, implementation and outcomes evaluation for programs implementing genomic sequencing for patients at risk for hereditary cancer. She is trained to implement a genetic counseling approach to effectively communicate and engage with patients from traditionally underserved populations in genomics. Prior to joining the University of Washington, Laura provided clinical counseling for patients across a range of indications including prenatal, pediatric, hereditary cancer and adult genetics.Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Education & Training: 
Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology
Queen’s University
Kingston, ON Canada
2006
Master of Science in Genetic Counseling
University of Texas
2009
Honors: 
Outstanding Alumni Award, University of Texas
2016
Contact
Email: 
lauraa7@uw.edu
Phone: 
(206) 685-8886
Mailing Address: 

University of Washington

Division of Medical Genetics

1705 NE Pacific St

Box 357720

Seattle, WA 98195-7720

Research & Clinical Interests
Research Interests: 

Genomic sequencing implementation, Variant interpretation, Cancer genomics, Health Communication, Genetic counseling-related outcomes, Access to genetic testing and services 

Clinical Interests: 

Hereditary Cancer, Genetic Counseling 

Publications
Publications: 
  1. Dorschner MO, Amendola LM, et al. Actionable, pathogenic incidental findings in 1,000 participants' exomes. Am J Hum Genet. 2013 Oct 3;93(4):631-40. PubMed PMID: 24055113; PMC3791261.
  2. Amendola LM, Lautenbach D, Scollon S et al., Illustrative case studies in the return of exome and genome sequencing results. Personalized Medicine Per. Med. (2015) 12(3), 283–295. PMID: 26478737; PMC4607287.
  3. Amendola LM, Dorschner MO, Robertson PD et al., Actionable exomic incidental findings in 6503 participants: challenges of variant classification. Genome Res 2015 Mar;25(3):305-15. PMID: 25637381.
  4. Amendola LM, Jarvik GP, Leo MC et al., Performance of ACMG/AMP variant interpretation guidelines among nine laboratories in the Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research consortium. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 Jun 2;98(6):1067-76. PMID: 27181684
  5. Amendola LM, Robinson JO, Hart R et al., Why patients decline genomic sequencing studies: Experiences from the CSER consortium. J Genet Couns 2018 Sep;27(5):1220-1227. PMID: 29497922.
  6. Amendola LM, Berg JS, Horowitz CR et al., The Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research Consortium: Integrating Genomic Sequencing in Diverse and Medically Underserved Populations. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2018 Sept;103(3):319-327. PMID: 30193136.
  7. Amendola LM, Hart MR, Bennett RL et al., Insurance Coverage Does Not Predict Outcomes of Genetic Testing: The Search for Meaning in Payer Decisions for Germline Cancer Tests. J Genet Couns. 2019 Jul 17.   2019 Dec;28(6):1208-1213. PMID:31317629.
  8. Lemke A, Amendola LM, K Kuchta et al., Primary care physician experiences with integrated population-scale genetic testing: A mixed-methods assessment. J. Pers. Med. 2020, 10(4), 165.
  9. Amendola LM, Muenzen K, Biesecker LB et al., Variant classification concordance using the ACMG-AMP variant interpretation guidelines across nine genomic implementation research studies. Am J Hum Genet. 2020 Nov 5;107(5):932-941. PMID: 33108757
  10. Riddle L, Amendola LM, Gilmore MJ et al., Development and early implementation of an Accessible, Relational, Inclusive and Actionable approach to genetic counseling: the ARIA model. Patient Education and Counseling. 2020 Dec 23;S0738-3991(20)30681-9. PMID: 33549385