Ashley N Smith, MS, LCGC

To schedule an appointment with me for genetic counseling and testing, please have your provider fax a referral to (352) 273-9737.

My name is Ashley Smith, and I am a board-certified genetic counselor in the UF Health Aortic Disease Center. I provide genetic counseling to patients with suspected hereditary cardiovascular conditions, including patients with aortic and connective tissue diseases. As a genetic counselor, I enjoy being able to help people understand how genetics impacts health. It’s a very personalized approach that leads to developing meaningful relationships with my patients and their families.

I am very proud to work in collaboration with a team of physicians and researchers in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, cardiology, and vascular surgery to provide the best patient care. This multidisciplinary team combines leading-edge science with compassionate and personalized care to treat patients with complex aortic diseases.

When meeting with patients and families for genetic counseling, I collect a detailed family health history and perform a risk assessment for hereditary cardiovascular disease based on medical and family health histories. I also discuss genetic testing options and possible results with my patients and their families to order the most appropriate genetic testing. When testing results are received, I interpret them and communicate their ramifications to the patients, and tailor clinical care recommendations based on the results and current guidelines. Additionally, I coordinate referrals to appropriate specialists and provide information about support groups and organizations for people with genetic aortic and vascular conditions.

I graduated with my master’s in genetic counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and earned my undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I am a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), a member of the NSGC Cardiovascular Special Interest Group and Aortopathy Working Group, and a member of the Florida Association of Genetic Counselors. I am a board-certified genetic counselor by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and am licensed as a genetic counselor by the State of Florida Department of Health.

My research interests are primarily related to hereditary aortic and connective tissue disease, including conditions like Marfan syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. I am currently working on participating in a national multi-site genetic aortopathy study that seeks to better understand the outcomes of genetic testing for patients diagnosed with aortic aneurysms and dissections.

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, baking, swimming, bowling, watching movies, and playing games with friends.