Stanford, California, United States
Hi! I'm Mai Ly, a Master’s candidate in Human Genetics & Genetic Counseling at Stanford. I’m passionate about healthcare equity, and am committed to using my expertise in genetic counseling to enhance healthcare in my home country, Vietnam. I care about ensuring that genetic advancements benefit all communities, especially those that are underserved. Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in collaborating or chatting about genetic counseling and global health!
- Plan and run a monthly Professional Development Seminar Series: identify high-value topics, recruit and prep speakers (clinicians, researchers, advocates), and co-design sessions that deliver practical tools for the genetic counseling community. Previous talks have included: the HEAL program (how schools support children with learning needs through IEPs, 504 plans, SSTs, and hospital-based teams like HEAL and practical tools to guide families navigating these systems), and Building for Patients: A Genetic Counseling Approach to Product (This talk explores how the foundational skills of genetic counseling can be leveraged to build innovative, patient-centered products that deliver impact at scale). - Lead service/outreach initiatives, e.g., alumni mentoring and Second Harvest Food Bank volunteering, while maintaining the committee website and facilitating monthly meetings with genetic experts, patient advocates, and community partners.
- Supported end-to-end genetic testing logistics: called patients/labs for follow-up, tracked orders/results/turnaround times, created pedigrees and family letters — building behind-the-scenes GC workflow skills. - Assisted the cancer genetic counseling team with patient outreach via Epic, including sending surveillance reminder messages, patient education videos, and updated VUS reclassification letters to affected patients. - Assisted clinical research and data operations: extracted inpatient consult and testing data, maintained study databases, and contributed to craniosynostosis research projects.
I am a dedicated and compassionate Vietnamese teacher with a focus on supporting the unique needs of children on the autism spectrum. I utilize specialized teaching strategies to foster language development, cultural understanding, and social skills in a profoundly gifted 5-year-old learner. I adapt teaching methodologies to suit the unique needs and learning styles of my student, emphasizing patience, empathy, and effective communication. I create personalized lesson plans, incorporating creative and interactive activities to maintain engagement and maximize learning outcomes. I have developed an understanding of neurodiversity and its impact on language acquisition, learning, and development. I am committed to advancing my career in education and genetic counseling, leveraging my expertise in child development and individualized instruction to empower diverse learners and provide holistic support.
- Curated genetic test reports and clinical documentation by extracting and standardizing key gene, variant, and testing information into the Rare-X rare disease research database. - Researched and compiled tailored patient concierge resources, including medical, advocacy, financial, and support services, for individuals and families navigating rare disease diagnoses. - Supported patient-centered rare disease research through careful data quality review, cross-team collaboration, and attention to privacy, accessibility, and international patient needs.
- Led 20+ participatory prenatal genetic counseling sessions via telemedicine at Stanford's Prenatal Diagnosis Center, independently conducting full options visits, carrier-positive results disclosures, intakes, and negative result call-outs across a clinically diverse caseload spanning advanced maternal age, recurrent pregnancy loss, preconception counseling, and fetal ultrasound anomalies including ventriculomegaly and echogenic bowel - Developed proficiency counseling complex, high-stakes cases including a 32-week pregnancy with unilateral moderate ventriculomegaly requiring multidisciplinary coordination, a multiple congenital anomaly case involving psychosocial support and termination counseling, and a low fetal fraction result with concurrent CF carrier status — gaining direct experience integrating laboratory data, ultrasound findings, and family history into individualized risk assessments - Cultivated cross-cultural communication skills by counseling linguistically and ethnically diverse patient populations — including Spanish-speaking patients via interpreter, Mandarin-speaking patients, and a Mixteco-speaking inpatient — across a broad range of indications including autosomal recessive carrier counseling (CF, SMA, galactosemia), X-linked inheritance, chromosomal translocation risk, and teratogen exposure
- Performed comprehensive cancer risk assessments—3–4-generation pedigrees, integrated pathology/family history, and applied risk models (e.g., Tyrer-Cuzick) to stratify HBOC, Lynch, pancreatic, and prostate risk and guide NCCN-aligned testing. - Provided pre/post-test counseling across 66 in-person & telehealth cases: informed consent, panel/lab selection, facilitated decision-making, clear result delivery, and conversion to actionable screening/risk-reduction plans with counseling-ready notes and family letters. - Drove care coordination and family impact: collaborated with 10 different GCs to facilitate cascade testing; arranged cross-disciplinary referrals (high-risk breast, GI, surgery, social work); and practiced culturally responsive counseling using teach-back, visuals, and professional interpreters. - Resolved complex variant questions by reconciling conflicting lab classifications, producing patient-ready summaries, leading a journal club, and participating in case conferences.
- Conducted 30+ participatory medical genetics sessions across pediatric and adult populations at Stanford, independently leading history-taking, case presentations, and counseling across a diagnostically diverse caseload including NF1, Down syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion/duplication, Joubert syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Marfan syndrome, SCID, and EDS — with frequent case preparation for complex undiagnosed cases under workup via whole genome and exome sequencing - Developed advanced proficiency in variant interpretation and multi-step diagnostic reasoning for medically complex patients, including coordinating WGS alongside chromosome breakage analysis to rule out Fanconi anemia, counseling on inconclusive phase results in autosomal recessive OCA1, navigating non-diagnostic exome findings with VUS counseling, and facilitating real-time consent calls with both families and external laboratories to advance testing logistics - Demonstrated adaptability across culturally and linguistically diverse patient encounters, conducting sessions with Hmong, Spanish, and Vietnamese-speaking families via interpreters, tailoring communication for patients ranging from non-verbal toddlers to adult patients with intellectual disability, and adjusting counseling depth for medically sophisticated families including physician parents and a Stanford physician patient — consistently receiving supervisor feedback recognizing strong rapport, professional presence, and family-centered communication style