Cherise Bernard

Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Invitae

Dr. Cherise Bernard leverages a rich background as a diversity, equity and inclusion strategist, scientist and certified professional coach to drive organizational and culture change for individuals, teams and leaders. With a mission to “modernize today’s workplace,” she utilizes a personalized approach to transform environments through inclusion competencies such as empathy, resilience, awareness and curiosity. Dr. Bernard believes in a holistic approach to building equitable cultures in the workplace and has learned that the pillars of education, allyship and intersectionality are critical in developing people and creating healthy work cultures. Dr. Bernard leads diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at Invitae – a leading medical genetics company that aims to provide accurate and actionable answers to strengthen medical decision-making for individuals and their families – allowing her to intersect her passions for science and equity strategy.

Dr. Bernard holds a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular pharmacology where she worked on cell cycle regulation in cancer cells and a mini-MBA certification focused on biopharma innovation, both from Rutgers University. She also holds a Bachelor’s of Science in chemistry from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. In her downtime, she likes to write blog articles focused on issues of inclusion in the workplace and everyday life. Dr. Bernard also enjoys traveling, learning about different cultures, engaging in self-care and is a self-proclaimed foodie.