Meet Our Executives

Advances in medical research happen at Coriell because of the exceptional people who work here.

Our Executive team leads our people with various educational backgrounds and we operate in assorted roles in many areas, such as molecular biology, genomics, information technology, facilities, finance, stem cell research, and communications.

In the end, we’re all connected in our enterprise to advance medical breakthroughs that improve people’s lives. 

Jean-Pierre Issa, MD

President and CEO

Jean-Pierre Issa, MD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Coriell Institute for Medical Research. As such, Dr. Issa leads all aspects of the Coriell Institute in its mission to better understand human health and disease as well as serve as a trusted supplier of high quality biomaterials to the global scientific community.

Dr. Issa is an expert in the study of epigenetics – how the turning on and off of genes affects our health – and to better understanding epigenetic changes in aging and cancerous cells.

Denise Buscher

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Denise oversees the financial health of the Institute, leads the organization on major strategic decisions, and manages all aspects of financial planning, analysis, reporting, and forecasting.

Leo Jose, MBA

Chief Information Officer & Vice President of Innovation

Leo is the Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Innovation and is responsible for all key technology initiatives critical for Coriell.

Nahid Turan, PhD

Chief Biobanking Officer

Nahid oversees all biobanking agreements as well as all of Coriell's biobanking and laboratory operations.

Jian Huang, MD, PhD

Interim Chief Scientific Officer

Jian is currently serving as the Interim Chief Scientific Officer, in addition to his role as a PI of the Huang lab.