Biography

Leslie Ann Dunnington, MS, CGC, is a board-certified genetic counselor with clinical and academic expertise in cancer genetics and neurogenetic disorders, including Huntington’s disease, dementia, and other neurodegenerative conditions. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Texas A&M University in 2008, followed by a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from The University of Texas Genetic Counseling Program (UTGCP) in 2010. She achieved certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2011 and has successfully maintained her credentials through recertification in 2016 and 2021.

Ms. Dunnington is actively engaged in both patient care and the education of future health care professionals. She plays a key role in clinical supervision and curriculum development within the UTGCP, where she was honored as the 2022 Outstanding Supervisor. Her dedication to teaching has been recognized with the McGovern Medical School Dean’s Teaching Award in both 2024 and 2025. She has also served as an invited speaker at the Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds in 2020 and 2024.

Her professional interests focus on the integration of genetic counseling into multidisciplinary care models, with a strong emphasis on education, mentorship, and patient-centered communication. Ms. Dunnington remains committed to advancing the field through clinical innovation and academic leadership.

Education

Graduate School
University of Texas Health Science Center GSBS, Houston, Texas, 2010

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests

  • Huntington’s Disease
  • Hereditary dementia
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Cancer genetics

Research Interests

  • Mental health and well-being in genetic conditions
  • Predictive genetic testing
  • Interpretation of genetic testing
  • Unexpected genetic test results

Publications

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  1. Peddibhotla, S., Nagamani, C., Erez, A., Hunter, J., Holder, J., Carlin, M., Bader, P., Perras, H., Allanson, J., Newman, L., Simpson, G., Immken, L., Powell, E., Mohanty, A., Kang, A., Stankiewicz, P., Bacino, C., Bi, W., Patel, A., Cheung, S.: Delineation of candidate genes responsible for structural brain abnormalities in patients with terminal deletions of chromosome 6q27. Eur J Hum Genet. 23:54–60, 2014.
  2. Zirkelbach, E., Hashmi S., Ramdaney, A., Dunnington, L., Ashfaq, M., Nugent, E.K., Wilson, K. Managing Variant Interpretation Discrepancies in Hereditary Cancer: Clinical Practice, Concerns and Desired Resources. J. Genet Couns. 4:761-769, 2018.
  3. Clifford M, Bannon S, Bednar EM, Czerwinski J, Davis J, Dunnington L, Shahrukh Hashmi S, DiNardo CD. Clinical applicability of proposed algorithm for identifying individuals at risk for hereditary hematologic malignancies. Leuk Lymphoma. 2019 Dec;60(12):3020-3027. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2019.1630618. Epub 2019 Jul 5.
  4. Clifford M, Bannon S, Bednar EM, Czerwinski J, Davis J, Dunnington L, Shahrukh Hashmi S, DiNardo CD. Clinical applicability of proposed algorithm for identifying individuals at risk for hereditary hematologic malignancies. Leuk Lymphoma. 2019 Dec;60(12):3020-3027. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2019.1630618. Epub 2019 Jul 5.