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Mary E. Norton

MD

Perinatologist and clinical geneticist
Vice Chair, Clinical & Translational Genetics
Avid hiker with my dog, Juno

Dr. Mary E. Norton is a perinatologist and clinical geneticist who cares for pregnant patients who have a fetus with a birth defect or genetic disorder or are at risk for such a condition. She performs obstetric ultrasounds, counsels patients with abnormal ultrasounds and performs prenatal tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. She also interprets complex genetic tests, especially when abnormalities are found.

Norton's areas of interest in research include applying new genetic tests to prenatal diagnosis and fetal disease, as well as patient decision-making around genetic testing and obstetrical ultrasound. She is co-director of the Center for Maternal-Fetal Precision Medicine at UCSF, as well as the David E. Thorburn, M.D. and Kate McKee Thorburn Endowed Chair in Perinatal Medicine and Genetics at UCSF.

Norton earned her medical degree at the University of Washington. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts University followed by a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine and clinical genetics at UCSF. After several years at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, she returned to San Francisco and joined UCSF Medical Center in 1998.

  • Education

    University of Washington School of Medicine, 1986

  • Residencies

    Tufts-New England Medical Center, OB/GYN, 1987

  • Fellowships

    Tufts-New England Medical Center, OB/GYN, 1990

    UCSF Medical Center, Genetics/Maternal Fetal Medicine, 1993

  • Board Certifications

    Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology

    Clinical Genetics (MD), American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics

    Maternal-Fetal Medicine, American Board of OB/Gyn/Maternal & Fetal Medicine

  • Academic Title

    Professor

"The most important thing is involving the mother in the conversation."

Where I see patients (6)

    My work

    The ins and outs of genetic testing while pregnant

    The number of prenatal genetic tests available to families continues to grow, especially near Silicon Valley. Dr. Norton helps explain this new landscape of options.

    I help pregnant women and their families understand challenges with their pregnancy or genetic history to support them making their own best choices.

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