Heather Hampel completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Genetics at the Ohio State University in 1993. She attained her master’s degree in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 1995. She received certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 1996. She worked as a cancer genetic counselor at Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan before moving to The Ohio State University in 1997.

Since January of 2015, Heather has been the associate director for biospecimen research for The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC). In this role, Heather is responsible for supporting biospecimen research within the OSUCCC. Specifically, she provides oversight and coordination of all OSUCCC biospecimen activities and infrastructure. She also provides consultation to faculty and staff wanting to use OSUCCC biospecimens, including navigating the application process, understanding IRB requirements and selecting samples. In addition, Heather provides internal training and consultation to members on the use of biospecimens relevant to biomarkers, personalized medicine and genetics.

Heather is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Associate Director of the Division of Human Genetics. She is the PI of both the Total Cancer Care® (TCC) protocol and the Ohio Colon Cancer Prevention Initiative (OCCPI). Heather is an internationally recognized cancer genetic counselor with a particular emphasis on universal tumor screening for Lynch syndrome. Her research interests include screening all colorectal and endometrial cancer patients for Lynch syndrome. This work has led to changes in standard-of-care genetic screening practices in colon cancer patients. Heather was on the Board of Directors of the National Society of Genetic Counselors from 2003-2004 and of the American Board of Genetic Counseling from 2006-2011, serving as President in 2009 and 2010. She was an elected Council member of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer in 2016 and is President-elect in 2017. She was elected to the Steering Committee of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable in November of 2016.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]