Genetic Counseling

Mischer Neuroscience Associates provides adult genetic counseling services based on the evaluation of personal and family medical history. A skilled counselor identifies genetic risk and explains inheritance patterns, provides education on the natural history of disease and discusses the risks, benefits and limitations of available genetic testing options. She also makes recommendations for screening, treatment and management, and is available for supportive counseling for patients who are referred with the following conditions:

Hereditary Cancer Syndromes

Von Hippel Lindau syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Hereditary Paraganglioma syndrome, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia

• Individuals with multiple family members diagnosed with cancer at young ages (less than 50) over multiple generations
• Individuals diagnosed with multiple primary tumors (does not include recurrent cancer or metastases)
• Individuals who have a family member with a known germline mutation

Neurofibromatosis 1

• Individuals with multiple café au lait spots, freckling
• Individuals with multiple neurofibromas or other characteristic lesions

Neurofibromatosis 2

• Individuals with bilateral vestibular schwannomas
• Individuals with unilateral schwannoma plus multiple meningiomas, ependymomas and/or cataracts
• Individuals with a meningioma diagnosed at less than 25 years of age

Familial Brain Aneurysms

• Individuals with a personal and family history of brain aneurysms
• Individuals with a family history of brain aneurysms (2 or more close relatives)

Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCMs)

• Individuals with multiple CCMs
• Individuals with a single CCM who also have a family history of CCMs

Epilepsy

• Individuals with epilepsy plus a family history of epilepsy
• Individuals with epilepsy plus additional features such as birth defects, intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions
• Individuals with epilepsy plus multiple characteristics of tuberous sclerosis complex (cortical tubers, subependymal nodules, subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, kidney lesions, prenatal cardiac rhabdomyomas, lymphangioleiomyomatosis)

Neuromuscular Conditions

Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, Myotonic dystrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Spinal muscular atrophy, Friedreich’s ataxia

• Individuals with a personal or family history of the condition

Other Neurological Conditions

Familial Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Familial Parkinson’s disease, Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, hereditary movement disorders

• Individuals who have a personal and family history of the condition, especially with early-onset forms

Meet the Genetic Counselor

Krista J. Qualmann, M.S.
Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth

Krista Qualmann received her Honors Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences summa cum laude at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, followed by a Master of Science in Medical Genetics at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Her clinical training includes work at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio; Myriad Genetics & Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio; St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Kentucky; and the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Her clinical interests include evaluating and educating patients with a personal or family history of hereditary neurological, brain or spine conditions. Her research involves working with other investigators in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery to discover new genetic variants implicated in familial brain aneurysms and other neurological disorders. She is the co-author of research published in Psychopharmacology, has presented nationally and is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

To Refer for Counseling

P: (713) 704-7100
F: (713) 704-7272

Texas Medical Center
Mischer Neuroscience Associates
Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza
6400 Fannin Street, Suite 2800
Houston, TX 77030