DIRECTOR, MEAGAN COCHRAN, MS, CGC
Licensed & Certified Genetic Counselor
Meagan Cochran, MS, CGC, is the Director of Clinical Education for HudsonAlpha and the Director of The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine. She leads a team of genetic counselors that supports multiple mission areas throughout the institute to expand the application of genomics through research, education and patient care. Cochran joined HudsonAlpha in 2015. Prior to joining the Institute, she practiced clinical genetic counseling in a variety of specialties including pediatrics, prenatal, adult medicine, and genomics. She received a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Auburn University and a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
WHITLEY KELLEY, MS, CGC
Licensed & Certified Genetic Counselor
Whitley Kelley is a board-certified genetic counselor from Carbon Hill, AL, who now calls Huntsville home. She received a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Auburn University and a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Genetic counselor for HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology’s pediatric genomics research projects and The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine, Whitley’s special interests include developing innovative ways to apply genetic counseling and education to enhance the patient’s experience in a clinical setting.
TANNER COLEMAN, MS, CGC
Licensed & Certified Genetic Counselor
Tanner Coleman is a genetic counselor from Graniteville, SC. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In addition to being a genetic counselor for The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine and pediatric genomics research projects, Tanner’s special interest is in educating non-genetics healthcare providers to improve the provision of genetic services.
JADA PUGH, ScM
Genetic Counselor
Jada Pugh, ScM, is a genetic counselor originally from Gadsden, Alabama. She received a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Auburn University and an ScM in Genetic Counseling from Johns Hopkins/National Institutes of Health. Jada serves as a genetic counselor for The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine and other research projects throughout the institute. Jada’s special interests include the personal utility of genomic testing and facilitating adaptation in the absence of a diagnosis.
Anna C.E. Hurst, MD, MS, FACMG
Clinical Geneticist
Anna C.E. Hurst, MD, MS, is a board-certified medical geneticist at The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine. She trained as a genetic counselor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine (Columbia) and then completed her medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston). She is a board-certified pediatrician who completed pediatrics residency at Wake Forest Baptist Health (Winston-Salem, NC) and a medical genetics residency at UAB. She is an assistant professor of medical genetics in the department of genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an adjunct faculty member at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Hurst is a clinician for the UAB Undiagnosed Disease Program, skeletal dysplasia clinic, and general genetics, and she provides genetic inpatient hospital consultations for patients at UAB and Children’s of Alabama. Her clinical interests include dysmorphology and congenital anomaly syndrome delineation, and she serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Facial Dysmorphology Novel Analysis (FDNA). Her research focuses on expanding the availability of genomic sequencing for children with complex healthcare needs and incorporating phenotypic information into the interpretation of genomic data.
