McKenna Crises has always had an interest in science and genetics. When she was young, she used to watch YouTube videos of different genetic conditions on her iPad. It wasn't until her seventh-grade science class, where they modeled genetics using muppet traits, where she truly started thinking about this field as something to pursue academically.
She and her classmates took two Muppets and rolled dice to see which genetic traits — dominant, recessive or mixed — their offspring would inherit.
Then they drew pictures of the Muppet babies, showing how their genes were expressed.
"I thought it was very cool,” Crise said. "It implemented both science and drawing. It was the first project that really clicked with me and made me consider genetics as a career option."
The science project demonstrated the genetic concept of Punnett squares, a square diagram that is used to predict the genotypes of a particular cross or breeding experiment.
After that, she took an introductory cellular biology class where she fell in love with that particular discipline. "I said to myself, 'Yep, we're doing that.'"
Alongside that early interest in genetics, Cris has built her Oregon State path through research, clinical volunteering and creative pursuits outside the lab. She graduated winter term from Oregon State University with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and a minor in chemistry. She is planning to walk the stage at graduation this spring and is preparing for a career in genetic counseling at CCRM Fertility in Denver, Colorado.
CCRM Fertility (formerly the Center for Reproductive Medicine) is a leading global fertility treatment and research network founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft. Known for high success rates and advanced in-house technology, it specializes in in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection and genetic testing. The network operates more than 40 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
As an administrative and lab assistant, she helps clients pursue in vitro fertilization.
There are many different types of genetic testing at CCRM, Crise explains. There are genetic carrier screens that looks for traits in parents such as Tay Sachs or cystic fibrosis. Another very common test created at CCRM is preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).
“The families who come to the clinic seeking IVF have faced struggles in their fertility journey, often times facing recurring pregnancy loss.” Crise emphasizes that, “Embryos with chromosome abnormalities miscarry naturally around 86% of the time, and this test helps find embryos that will implant properly and increase their chances of a live birth.”
