Altagracia Villatoro

Biology graduate and healthcare professional with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and current graduate-level training in Pre-Genetic Counseling. Experienced dental assistant with over five years of patient-facing healthcare experience, including patient education, treatment explanation, active listening, and communication with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Strong interest in prenatal and cancer genetic counseling, with additional interest in inherited oral health conditions. Seeking to pursue Master's in genetic counseling and learning different skills to be successful in the field.

• Master’s in Genetic Counseling

• Member of the J-NOTT_GTT Corp. Help spread awareness against Lynch Syndrome. Support by advocating the J-NOTT-GTT mission and ask for donation that goes toward CCARE organization. This organization is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness, supoorting patients, and funding research related to Lynch Syndrome.
• Volunteer member for ACTS: Part of the Hunger prevention group. Volunteer to sort donations, stock pantry, fulfill food orders, deliver food to those in need, and pick up donations from local supermarkets.

Simulated Genetic Counseling Case Series — University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
| [March 2026]

• Completed a series of eight simulated genetic counseling cases representing standard and complex cases across prenatal, pediatric, adult, and cancer genetics.
• Explored both patient-facing and non-patient-facing genetic counselor roles through simulated clinical scenarios.
• Practiced concepts related to pre-test and post-test genetic counseling and patient-centered communication.
• Developed greater understanding of how genetic counselors communicate complex genetic information and support individuals and families.
• Reflected on different clinical scenarios to strengthen understanding of genetic counseling approaches and patient needs.

• Potential Neuroinflammatory Benefits of Low-Dose Naltrexone and the Development of Alzaheimer's Disease in htau Mouse Models— University of George Mason| [Nov. 10, 2023]
• The researchers wanted to determine whether low-dose naltrexone could improve memory in mice with tau-related brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The results showed that normal mice performed better in the water maze than mice with the h-tau genotype. However, LDN did not produce a statistically significant improvement in the time it took the mice to find the platform.