Dr. Risha Nahar Lulla, M.Sc (Glasgow, UK), PhD (Delhi, India), Principal Genetic Counselor and Pharmacogenomics Expert at Mapmygenome, is reputed to be India’s first Board Certified (Senior level) Genetics Counselor with over 10 years of experience in the field of medical genetics. She has authored several international scientific papers and is currently based at Hyderabad, India (previously with KIMS hospitals, Hyderabad and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi). She has counseled thousands of families with various genetic conditions, including young couples who are planning a family, pregnant mothers, infants, children of all ages and adults with genetic conditions. Dr. Risha Nahar has worked on several research projects on the pharmacogenetics of common drugs, published several landmark publications along with the World’s first Genetic Bleeding Risk Algorithm for anticoagulant users.

She shares her Expert’s View on the importance of Pharmacogenomics (genetics based drug response testing) for doctors:

The US FDA has included pharmacogenetic information in 137 drug labels, emphasizing on personalized therapy. These are valuable for the treating clinician in making an informed decision about alternate drug choices, dosage and likelihood for adverse effects based on their patient’s genetic profile.