GREENWOOD, S.C. — Jessica Cooley Coleman, PhD, has completed the Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) Fellowship at the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) and will join the Center’s faculty as Assistant Director of the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory.
Dr. Cooley Coleman began her career at GGC in 2010 as a Molecular Laboratory Technologist and was promoted to Laboratory Manager in 2016. In 2019, while continuing to work full time at GGC, she enrolled in the Healthcare Genetics PhD program at Clemson University. After earning her doctorate in 2022, she was appointed Staff Scientist in GGC’s Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory before beginning the LGG Fellowship in 2023.
She is board certified in Molecular Biology by the American Society for Clinical Pathology and is a member of the Association of Genetic Technologists, the American Society of Human Genetics, and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.
During her fellowship, Dr. Cooley Coleman received advanced training in the development, validation, interpretation, and clinical implementation of molecular and cytogenetic diagnostic testing. She also continues to build on her doctoral research focused on MEF2C-related disorder, a rare neurodevelopmental condition, through collaborative research with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Her work has contributed to a growing understanding of the disorder and its underlying genetic mechanisms.
“Dr. Cooley Coleman has excelled throughout every stage of her training and has consistently demonstrated exceptional scientific expertise, leadership, and dedication to patient care,” said Mike Friez, PhD, Director of GGC’s Diagnostic Laboratories. “We are delighted that she will continue her career at GGC, where she will help expand our diagnostic capabilities and advance our mission of providing answers for individuals and families affected by genetic conditions.”
GGC’s Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship provides intensive training in laboratory technologies, clinical genetics, genomic diagnostics, and laboratory leadership. Since the program was established in 1989, 43 fellows and residents have completed their training at GGC and have gone on to careers in clinical genetics and leadership positions in diagnostic laboratories across the country.