Carissa Wachtler

MB(ASCP)^CM

Board certified by the ASCP in Molecular Biology

Carissa Wachtler serves as the Science lead for Genus3 and DanceRx. Having played collegiate volleyball, injury prevention and holistic wellness are incredibly important to Wachtler, who has dedicated her life to science. 

Wachtler completed her studies at The University of Texas MD Anderson, where she had the opportunity to perform microarray research under Dr. Marily Li in the prestigious Human and Molecular Genetics lab at Baylor College of Medicine. She then went on to complete her clinical rotations at Duke University. While at Duke, Wachtler studied under Dr. Michael Datto and Dr. Siby Sebastian in the molecular diagnostic laboratory. It is there that she re-designed and launched a clinical test to detect specific mutations in the IDH1 gene for glioblastomas. 

Having successfully completed her clinical rotation and earning her certificate as an MB(ASCP), Wachtler immediately began working in the field of personalized medicine. She has the distinction of working in one of the very first labs to launch pharmacogenomics testing with an expanded panel. As part of the team to validate and launch the PGX assay, Wachtler has become a voice among her peers. She routinely presents on a variety of topics, such as PGX, clinical impacts of proper validation, and much more. 

Most recently, Wachtler has developed an EUA assay for Covid-19.  

The DanceRx team is overjoyed to have a woman of Wachtler’s accomplishments as a part of our team. She truly helps us bridge the gap between dance and science.