Genetics Team

Harvey J. Stern, MD, PhD, FACMG, FAAP joined GIVF in 1995 and is the Director of Genetics and the Fetal Diagnostic Center. Dr. Stern has extensive experience in the evaluation of congenital malformations in the fetus and newborn and in diagnosis of genetic syndromes. He is the primary physician involved in providing amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, first trimester screening, and ultrasound for GIVF’s prenatal genetics program. Dr. Stern is Medical Director of Fairfax Cryobank and of GIVF’s Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) program. He also supervises genetic screening for GIVF’s egg donors and for Fairfax Cryobank’s sperm donors. Fairfax Cryobank is a division of the Genetics & IVF Institute. Dr. Stern also oversees GIVF’s Endocrinology Laboratory.

Dr. Stern is board certified in pediatrics and medical genetics, with subspecialty board certification in clinical, biochemical and molecular genetics. He received his undergraduate degree in cell and molecular biology from Columbia College of Columbia University and completed a PhD in Human Genetics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He attended medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. After a residency in pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, Dr. Stern completed a fellowship in medical genetics at UCLA.

Between 1987 and 1995, Dr. Stern was an attending physician in Medical Genetics and Laboratory Medicine at Children’s National Medical Center, where he established the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory and the first molecular (PCR) based genetic diagnostic laboratory in a pediatric hospital. Currently, Dr. Stern is an Associate Professor of Human Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University where he teaches a course in medical genetics.

He also teaches medical students in obstetrics and gynecology at Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Stern is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the American College of Medical Genetics, and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. He also has been elected to the International Fetoscopy Group, a highly selective and prestigious group of physicians known for their exceptional skills in prenatal diagnosis and genetic medicine. Watch his online video here.

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Sarah Zornetzer, MS, CGC, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in Biology. After a year as a psychiatry research assistant, she attended the Medical College of Virginia and received a Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling.  She has her board-certification for genetic counseling. Sarah has been an integral part of the Genetics & IVF Institute's reproductive genetics clinical staff focusing on prenatal genetics, including First Trimester Screening program, since 2003. She also has an essential role in the infertility clinic working with couples considering PGD, Donor Egg IVF, and donor embryo. 

She is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). She has lectured at the National ASRM conference and is a regular guest lecturer for graduate classes at Johns Hopkins University, Howard University, and the Medical College of Virginia.  She also supervises genetic counseling and medical students. 

Shelby Duffer, MS, CGC graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling and holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Mary Washington. Shelby gained national Board Certification in 2002, the same year she joined the Genetics & IVF Institute. She started working with patients interested in PGD soon after joining the practice. As a counselor, Shelby’s focus is on helping patients navigate the complex medical decisions that are required to participate in PGD testing.

She is active in public education about genetics, has been a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, and does presentations for various medical and community groups. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and has previously worked with the Medical College of Virginia, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and in private OB practice. Her main interests are the genetics of reproduction, fetal development, and infertility. Watch her online video here.

Mary C. Sands, MS, CGC, CLSp(CG) joined the Genetics & IVF Institute in 2004. She interned at University Hospitals of Cleveland and received a Master of Science in Genetics from the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio . Prior to her experience in the genetic counseling field, Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the College of Wooster in 1997, and certification as a Clinical Laboratory Specialist in Cytogenetics in 1999.

She brings unique clinical expertise from past training and employment at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, including laboratory proficiency, instruction, and supervisory responsibilities of their Prenatal Cytogenetics Laboratory. She is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, where she has presented original research in the field of reproductive medicine.

Jennifer Weiss, MS is the newest addition to the Prenatal Genetics Program.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Delaware, with minor concentrations in Biology and Spanish.  She earned her Masters of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.  With previous experience as an intern for the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG) and as a family counselor, Jennifer has special interests in the areas of patient education and advocacy, reproductive decision making, and assisted reproductive technologies. 

As a counselor at the Genetics & IVF Institute, she works closely with the First Trimester Screening Program and provides services to patients for preconception and prenatal indications, including consideration of prenatal diagnostic testing and screening.  She is also an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.