Dena Freeman, MPH
Maternal and Child Health Program Assistant
Genetic Alliance

Dena Freeman joined Genetic Alliance in 2010. As the Maternal and Child Health Program Assistant, she works on the Access to Credible Genetics Resources Network, Newborn Screening Clearinghouse, and Congenital Conditions Programs. Dena received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the College of Wooster in 2004. She worked as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health from 2004-2006. In 2008, she earned her master’s in Public Health Genetics at the University of Washington. For her master’s thesis, Dena interviewed mothers of children with Down syndrome about prenatal testing, with particular focus on the impact of the January 2007 ACOG recommendation to increase the availability of prenatal testing for DS. For her practicum project, Dena researched informed consent and newborn screening for the Washington State Department of Health Newborn Screening Program. As a research assistant for the Institute of Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, Dena co-authored a commentary on the governance challenges of next generation biorepository research.