Laura E. Birkeland, MS, CGC
Laura Birkeland, MS, CGC is the program director for the Master of Genetic Counselor Studies program. In addition to her work with the MGCS program, Birkeland coordinates and teaches courses for genetic counseling students in metabolic genetics, embryology and prenatal genetics, clinical genetics, and professional issues. She provides research mentorship and clinical supervision to genetic counseling students. She provides prenatal genetic counseling at UPH-Meriter, and previously provided genetic counseling for individuals and families with inherited diseases in the Biochemical and Medical Genetics Clinic and the Bleeding Disorders Clinic at UW Health. Birkeland is also involved in providing education to other learners at UW–Madison including medical students, maternal fetal medicine fellows and laboratory genetics and genomics fellows.
Before becoming a certified genetic counselor, Birkeland worked in a virology research lab where she grew to appreciate the process of discovery and identified her desire to work in a clinical setting. She received her BS in biology from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2000 and her MS in medical genetics from UW–Madison in 2007.