Faculty and Staff

Karen Smith, RN

Karen Smith has been the Program Coordinator as well as the Clinical Research Coordinator for the HHT Center of Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the past 12 years. She has over 35 years of professional experience including Critical Care Supervisor, Clinical Educator, Emergency Trauma, Vascular Surgery and Wound Care Nursing, Pediatric Sedation as well as Radiology/Interventional Nursing Clinical Educator.

Zahra S. Girnary, MS, CGC

CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GENETIC COUNSELOR

Zahra Girnary, MS, CGC, is a clinical assistant professor who joined our UNC HHT team in May 2020. She received her undergraduate degree in biology and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and completed her graduate training in genetic counseling at the University of South Carolina. As a clinical genetic counselor, Zahra works with patients throughout various clinics at UNC. She sees patients for suspected hereditary cancer syndromes, adults in the general genetics clinic, as well as patients who are at-risk for or suspected to have Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT).

Email Zahra
(919) 966-0901

Edie M. O’Connell

Ms. O’Connell is the Administrative Specialist for the UNC HHT Center of Excellence since November 1, 2022. She has over 20 years of professional clinical administrative experience, Including over 15 years as an US Army Reserve Sergeant serving all administrative duties.