Born to Make a Difference

SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT: Victoria Suslovitch ’16

Victoria Suslovitch '16 recently won the Heart of Genetic Counseling Award in recognition of her work. Photo courtesy of Victoria Suslovitch ’16

By Madeline McMahon M.A. ’24

For Victoria Suslovitch ’16, empathy is a science.

As a genomic science liaison for Ambry Genetics, she assists health care providers in connecting the logical side of genetics with the human side. This can include teaching providers how to include genetics in their clinics or walking them through a patient’s case.

Suslovitch built her unique expertise by working as a genetic counselor at Boston Children’s Hospital before she joined Ambry last April. At the hospital, around 30 families met with her regularly to cope with the complexities of having a family member with a rare genetic disease.

“These diagnoses are not just medical complications; they also affect the family system, both financially and emotionally,” said Suslovitch.

That ripple effect is something Suslovitch understands firsthand. She had an older sister, Ellie, who was born with a brain malformation called holoprosencephaly, meaning the left and right sides of her brain were fused. Growing up, the family was open and accepting about what they were going through, so Suslovitch tried to share that same mindset with the families she worked with.

“My mom would always say, ‘Ellie was the best. Ellie was exactly who she needed to be,’” said Suslovitch. “I like to bring the attitude that there’s value in everything, even when things are challenging.”

Suslovitch studied biology at UT, and genetic counseling allows her to contribute to research while also making strong interpersonal connections.

Her expectations of the job were soon exceeded when she won the 2023 Heart of Genetic Counseling Award, presented by the National Society of Genetic Counselors to a practitioner nominated by a patient’s family. The award holds extra-special meaning for Suslovitch, as her mentor also received it in 2017.

“It was very moving, but, frankly, bittersweet. It’s a weird thing to get recognition for something that has ultimately been really challenging for a lot of families,” said Suslovitch.

A lot of her time at Boston Children’s Hospital can also be described by that rewarding, yet heartbreaking, feeling, but prioritizing self-care and having a strong support system helped make things more manageable.

Now, her job at Ambry Genetics is more public health-focused rather than family-focused, as

she works with doctors, geneticists and genetic counselors to increase access to genetic testing for patients. One of her current passion projects is a collaboration with a genetic counselor based in Cincinnati to improve resources for siblings of rare disease patients.

Suslovitch says the study of genetics is changing every day, but compassion is forever in her DNA.