SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD, Professor and Associate Director, Bioinformatics/Translational Informatics; Sally S. Morley Designated Professor in Brain Tumor Research, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan’s research focuses on genetic/molecular epidemiology of complex diseases, with a particular focus on brain tumors. She is multi-disciplinary trained in biostatistics, population genetics, and human genetics. Her role in team science has been essential for the success of multiple multi-disciplinary research projects. She is the PI of the Ohio Brain Tumor Study (OBTS), which has served as a multi-site tissue source site for The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). She is also the scientific PI of the Central Brain Tumor Registry for the United States (CBTRUS) where she collaborates on interpreting and disseminating brain and central nervous system tumor US-wide cancer registry data. As the Associate Director for Bioinformatics at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Associate Director for Translational Informatics for the Institute of Computational Biology at CWRU, she is responsible for managing Bioinformatics analysis of high throughput “omics” data and implementing and maintaining a translational informatics solution for research. She has extensive experience in hypothesis development, study design and statistical analysis for studies of various phenotypes in humans and animals and analysis of all types of high throughput “omics” data and clinical outcomes. Dr. Barnholtz-Sloan is funded by multiple additional grants of various cancer types and other diseases either as local site Principal Investigator or collaborating Biostatistician.

Dianne Chadwick, PhD, Operations Director, UHN Biobank, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada

Dianne Chadwick, PhD, directs the operations of the Biobank at University Health Network (UHN). Previously, she received her PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto and was a clinical laboratory cytogeneticist. Since 2011, Dianne has played an active role in the growth and transformation of the UHN Biobank into an institutional biospecimen resource supporting studies in oncology, cardiovascular disease, multi-organ transplant and infectious disease. Her research interest is biospecimen quality assurance, and she has co-authored peer-reviewed publications, as well as a review on biobanking for precision medicine. Dianne has been an invited speaker at International Society of Biological and Environment Repositories (ISBER) meetings, Impact of Biobanking in Qatar on Precision Medicine Initiative, and Annual Biobank China Symposium. She co-hosted the Leaders in Biobanking Congress 2015 that was held in Toronto, and looks forward to further sharing her experience and expertise at the 2018 meeting.

Taylor B. Daughrity, Research Assistant I, Core, CHTN Western Division, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Ms. Daughrity graduated from Union University in 2017 with a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology and is currently the lead consent staff at the Western Division of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Ms. Daughrity is cross-trained and received certifications in a number of biorepository operations including fluids processing, consent, QAQC, SOP and training program development. Ms. Daughrity’s current project is the implementation of e-consent in an academic biorepository setting using REDcap and LSS principles. Ms. Daughrity is a member of ESBB and ISBER and will present a poster on implementing e-consent at the 2018 annual ISBER meeting in Dallas, Texas. Ms. Daughrity’s scientific and medical focus is pediatrics and neonatology and will be attending medical school in 2019.

Zuanel Diaz, PhD, Director, Protocol Support Laboratory and Biospecimen Repository Facility, Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida

Zuanel Diaz completed her PhD studies in Experimental Medicine and pursued a postdoctoral program in Clinical Research both at McGill University, Canada. She managed the Translational Research Program at Quebec-Clinical Research Organization in Cancer and lead large-scale multipronged biomarker-driven studies focused on personalized medicine. She moved unified central biobanking from a vision to reality by harmonizing tools, guidelines, information cataloguing, compatible bioinformatics and standard operating procedures. She also provided strategic input and facilitated the initiation of the World Innovative Network Therapeutic Trial (WINTHER) at the Segal Cancer Center. Dr. Diaz is now the Director of the Protocol Support Laboratory and Biospecimen Repository Facility at the Miami Cancer Institute where she oversees the overall operation and administration of this facility.

Sandra Gaston, PhD, Director, Molecular Biomarker Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tufts Medical Center

As a translational cancer research scientist and as the Director of the Molecular Biomarker Research Laboratory in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, I am committed to the development of practical, innovative technologies to support the use of human biospecimens in cancer research. My laboratory has developed tissue print technologies to support molecular biomarker analyses from fresh tumor specimens and we have fully implemented this approach in multicenter studies of RNA and DNA biomarkers in prostate biopsy tissues. This work has been supported by the NCI Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program, the NCI Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) and by the DOD Prostate Cancer Research Program.

Kayla Gray, CCRP, Innovations Operations Supervisor, Eversight

Kayla Gray has over a decade of research experience. She received her bachelor’s of science from Case Western Reserve University with honors in Chemical Biology and has master’s courses in Applied Anatomy. She has been recognized for her work by being awarded research fellowships during her summers in high school and in college at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Miami University, and Case Western Reserve University. Currently, Kayla works tirelessly to further Eversight’s research initiatives. She has been instrumental in the design and build out of the Eversight biorepository laboratory at the Cleveland location and has become part of the greater biobanking community. She has authored and implemented new standards of practice and has presented at several conferences across the country and won awards for her innovative work. Recently, she was named a Northeast Ohio Mover and Shaker, awarded to 25 individuals under the age of 35 who are making a difference in their community.

Gregory H. Grossman, PhD, BCMAS, CEBT, CCRP, Director, Research Programs, Eversight

At Eversight, Dr. Grossman provides administrative leadership and scientific oversight. He directs several innovative research programs aimed at accelerating research discoveries to advance new therapies and cures to prevent vision loss worldwide. Dr. Grossman holds certifications in eye banking (CEBT) and conducting clinical trials (CCRP), and is board certified in Medical Affairs (BCMAS). His passion is using his training, credentialing and experience to drive clinical innovations – from the research and discovery phase to clinical implementation. He is a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Eye Banking Association of America, International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, the Society of Clinical Research Associates and serves on Medical Advisory Boards of Eversight, Lifebanc, the Scientific Programs Committee of the Eye Banking Association of America and Fight For Sight Scientific Review Committee.

Liliana Guedez, PhD, MB(ASCP), Senior Clinical Scientist, Laboratory of Ophthalmic Pathology, National Eye Institute, NIH

Dr. Liliana Guedez joined the National Eye Institute in 2014. As Senior Clinical Scientist, she manages the CLIA approved Immunopathology Laboratory that provides Ophthalmic Pathology Services for the Eye Clinic and institutional clinical studies. She is also responsible for the repository of eye tissues diagnosed and processed by the Laboratory, including surgical tissue specimens and autopsy eyes. With over ten years of experience in Biobanking, Dr. Guedez is the Chair of the Biobanking Interest Group at the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP). She received her PhD in Pathology from the University of Florida School of Medicine, and worked previously as Staff Scientist at the Laboratory of Pathology of the National Cancer Institute.

Rohit Gupta, Executive Director, Stanford Biobank; Executive Director, Clinical Research Services (CTRU)

Rohit began his research at Stanford Medicine in 2003 and now oversees the Stanford Biobank and leads the institute's largest, research focused, ambulatory care group (Spectrum's Clinical & Translational Research Unit). Notably, he's established biorepository and associated big data infrastructure for multiple large-scale biobanks, both locally and globally, while also designing innovative cost-recovery business models for clinical and lab related research services at the university. Rohit is currently leading the strategy, design, and development for the institute-wide biobanking solution, which includes a clinical and 'omics' connected software solution, amongst the many facets of the modernized infrastructure. His vision is that an informatics-first approach to human sampling will enable a centralized, virtual ecosystem for the multiple, federated biobanks. The research community will then have a transparent mechanism to provide compliant access to their existing phenotype-rich specimen catalogs, thus improving cohort-matched, sample utilization, and fostering collaboration. Ultimately, he expects access to these tools and resources will help democratize biospecimens, thus accelerating biomarker and therapeutic discoveries in precision health.

Sameer Kalghatgi, PhD, Assistant Director, Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Laboratory Operations, Coriell Institute for Medical Research

Sameer Kalghatgi, PhD, is Assistant Director of Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratories at the Coriell Institute. In this capacity, he manages the cell culture, molecular biology, stem cell and cytogenomic laboratories that provide services for a large number of diverse clients. Sameer’s responsibilities include optimizing daily workflows to meet all deliverables by developing and streamlining laboratory processes including SOPs and troubleshooting and exploring & onboarding new technologies. Prior to joining Coriell, Sameer was a Senior Scientist at EP Technologies LLC, a technology start-up based in Akron, Ohio. Sameer completed his postdoctoral studies at Boston University, employing his expertise in cell and molecular biology, to study action of long-term use of common antibiotics on mitochondrial dysfunction in mammalian cells. Sameer received his undergraduate degree from VJTI, University of Mumbai and earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Shana Lamers, MSc, Laboratory Manager, Clinical Research Laboratory and Biobank, Hamilton Health Sciences

Shana Lamers is the Laboratory Manager for the Clinical Research Laboratory and Biobank (CRLB) at Hamilton Health Sciences located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Shana has worked at the CRLB for more than 5 years and has experience implementing best practices for a biorepository and ISO accreditation. She has experience in both biomarker and genetic analyses including immunoassay and clinical chemistry platforms, multiplexing biomarker panels, next generation sequencing, genotyping, and fragment analyses.

Diane Leong, PhD, Director, Biobanking and Sample Management, Biomarker Sciences, Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Diane Leong leads the Biobanking and Sample Management group in the Biomarker Sciences Department at Gilead Sciences in the management of human biological samples used for biomarker research. She previously was responsible for global scientific and business strategy in the Biosample and Repository Management group and was the Associate Director of the Sample Repository at Genentech. Prior to that, she led the High Throughput DNA Laboratory at Celera Diagnostics to support SNP genotyping for disease predisposition and pharmacogenetics studies. She previously headed the Alameda Roche Sample Repository project for high-throughput pharmacogenomics analysis of clinical trial patient samples, part of a Roche Pharmaceutical/Diagnostics interdivisional effort. She did postdoctoral work at the University of California at San Francisco and has a PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University and a BA in Bacteriology from the University California at Berkeley.

Zala Luznik, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School

Since the beginning of my medical career, I have been very dedicated to both clinical practice and research, and have gained a broad background in the field of ocular surface disease, corneal stem cell biology and corneal transplantation techniques. My research has been focused on corneal/limbal stem cell isolation and cultivation procedures, quality assessment of the ex vivo cultivated grafts, as well as on the immunobiology of cornea. By establishing strong ties and collaborations with different research institutions in Slovenia and abroad (the Veneto Eye Bank Foundation (FBOV), Italy and University Hospital Antwerp, Belgium), my research laid the groundwork for future development of cultivated stem cell based therapies in Slovenia. In addition, from my previous experience and training at the Veneto Eye Bank (FBOV) and from my clinical ophthalmology training, I gained experience in whole globe/donor cornea harvesting procedures, donor cornea evaluation and lamellar graft preparation techniques, as well as the initial surgical skills to perform penetrating and endothelial lamellar keratoplasty procedures. As a result of all these previous experiences, the post-doctoral research project (under PI Prof. Dr. Reza Dana) at the Harvard Medical School is an important continuation of my research work and a big honor.

Shannon J. McCall, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine; Director, BioRepository & Precision Pathology Center; Vice Chair, College of American Pathologists’ Biorepository Accreditation Program Committee

Dr. Shannon McCall is an Associate Professor of Pathology at Duke University. She is also board-certified in Clinical Informatics. Dr. McCall is a practicing GI pathologist who has served as a team member on many translational science investigations including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). She has been the Director of the Duke BioRepository & Precision Pathology Center (BRPC) since 2013. She serves as principal investigator for Duke’s institutional broad consent biobanking protocol which has gained the participation of over 4,700 patients so far. She co-leads the Precision Cancer Medicine Initiative at Duke which includes overseeing Duke’s participation in the American Association of Cancer Research’s ‘GENIE’ data-sharing project. Dr. McCall is a member of the International Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Standards Committee and is currently serving as the Vice Chair of the Biorepository Accreditation Program Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

Charles Modlin, MD, MBA, Kidney Transplant Surgeon & Urologist, Department of Urology; Founder & Director, Minority Men's Health Center, Cleveland Clinic

Helen Moore, PhD, Branch Chief, Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH

Dr. Helen Moore leads the National Cancer Institute’s Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB). As Chief she sets the direction and strategic vision for the Branch and oversees several projects related to biobanking, including: the NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources, a foundational document for biobanking in use internationally; a Biospecimen Science research program to develop the evidence for biospecimen best practices; the Biospecimen Research Database, a Web-based Biospecimen Science literature database; research in the ethical, legal, and social implications of biobanking; and biobanking operations for major NCI and NIH programs including the Cancer Moonshot Biobank and the NIH Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. Dr. Moore speaks internationally about BBRB and biobanking, publishes articles related to BBRB and related initiatives, and serves as expert reviewer and member of advisory boards. Dr. Moore is a molecular biologist with a broad background in research and development.

Jessica Nash, Biorepository Technician, Eversight

Jessica Nash is a biorepository technician at Eversight Ohio and a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. While in school, Jessica spent 3 years as a neurological clinical trials research assistant and 2 internship terms at various NASA centers while working on epidemiological and environmental health projects. Now post-graduation, she is excited to continue her research career within Eversight’s newly created Biorepository and Donor Registry.

Robyn Osborne, MS, Research Project Manager, Substrate Service Core & Research Support, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center

Robyn has over 20 years of experience in basic scientific, clinical, and translational research. With extensive knowledge of Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP), laboratory policy and standard operating procedure development and implementation. She has spent the last 10 years at Duke University, initially working with the Duke Translational Research Institute where she performed multi-color flow cytometry and supervised the sample processing laboratory. She is currently serving as manager of Substrate Services Core and Research Support (SSCRS) laboratories where she has led the implementation of GLCP, developed and implemented standard operating procedures, coordinates and supervises the technical training of employees. She serves as the GCLP lead of the Department of Defense biobanking consortium in collaboration with Duke University, the Department of Surgery and the Surgical Critical Care Initiative (SC2i), supporting precision medicine in wounded warriors. Prior to joining Duke, Robyn worked for Trimeris, INC. where she was part of the team that identified HIV fusion inhibitor candidate peptides, performing anti-viral assays and mutation generation for genetic barrier determination. Robyn earned her BS at the University of California, Davis and her MS at North Carolina State University.

Michael Roehrl, MD, PhD, Director, Precision Pathology Biobanking Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Rebecca Sandlin, PhD, Instructor, Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Sandlin’s research focuses on a broad range of topics in the area of biostabilization with a particular emphasis on blood-derived cells. For short-term storage of patient blood, she has formulated cocktail preservative solutions capable of stabilizing whole blood for up to 96h. She has also developed cryopreservation methods to achieve long-term storage of blood cells including circulating tumor cells. She is especially interested in the development of simplified vitrification methods for use in biobanking cells and tissues.

Julie R. Schneider Caldro, CTBS, CEBT, COT, Director, Tissue Services, Lifebanc

Julie is the Director of Tissue Services at Lifebanc, Northeast Ohio’s Organ and Tissue Recovery agency. She has been working in the field of donation and transplantation for more than 20 years. She began her career in 1996 as an Eye Recovery Technician for The Cleveland Eye Bank and then in 1999 came to Lifebanc. She has experience in working with donor families, performing eye and tissue recoveries and in her current role, oversees recovery teams to maximizing donation and transplantation opportunities. Julie is also the President of Transplant Recipients International Organization-Greater Cleveland Chapter and has served on that board for more than eight years. She is committed to honoring the gifts from each donor and providing quality tissue for recipients in our community and around the world. Julie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration from Ursuline College and is a Certified Tissue Bank Specialist as well as a Certified Eye Bank Technician and is actively involved with both AATB, AOPO and EBAA, participating in numerous committees, councils and workgroups.

Abby Statler, MPH, MA, CCRP, Research Regulatory QA Coordinator, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic

Abby has served as a Quality Assurance Coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute for the past 9 years. Her primary responsibilities include: monitoring Investigator-Initiated INDs, coordinating the Cancer Institute’s Standard Operating Procedure Committee, performing quality assessments, and managing the Institute’s Clinical Trial Management Tool. Before joining the Cleveland Clinic Abby worked as a Research Associate at United BioSource Corporation. Currently Abby is working on her PhD in Health Care Organization, Outcomes, and Policy at Case Western Reserve University.

Rose Vinci, Business Consultant, Mother, Advocate

Rose’s passion lies in loving her family. Rose is the mother of Glory Vinci, the first neonatal organ donor at Cleveland Clinic, Fairview. She frequently speaks and shares Glory’s story and their family’s journey with Glory. In business, Rose coaches clients on accountability and goal setting; she has a rich background in business development, strategic planning, accounting and consulting. Rose utilizes this diverse background to assist clients as a Sales Concepts Inc. Coach and Trainer. Rose also serves as a chair to multiple nonprofit organizations locally and nationally. Rose has spent most of her life in the greater Cleveland area with some time spent living in North Carolina. She currently resides in Medina, Ohio with her husband Chuck and their son, Bodhi.