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Meet Our Team

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

We have 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.


Donna Altamuro

Associate Director, Biobanking Logistics & Customer Service

Donna oversees Coriell's Biobanking Logistics and Customer Service teams, ensuring safe sample storage and procession and quality support for Coriell's global customer base.

Haskell Berman

Director, External Affairs

As Coriell’s Director of External Affairs, Haskell Berman builds and maintains relationships with external partners, and engages with local, state and federal policymakers and government entities.

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.

Kelly Hodges

Director, Laboratory Production, Quality Assurance and Safety 

As Associate Director of Laboratory Production, Kelly leads the Coriell’s cell culture and molecular biology teams.

Phill Hodges

Director, IT Infrastructure

Phill is the Associate Director of IT Infrastructure and oversees all computer infrastructure for the Coriell Institute.

Jaroslav Jelinek, MD, PhD

Adjunct Professor

Jaroslav is the an Adjunct Professor at Coriell and previously oversaw all research efforts and directs an epigenetic research group at the Institute.

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.

Matthew W. Mitchell, PhD

Director, Repository Business Services

Matt is the Co-Principal Investigator of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Human Genetic Cell Repository and the National Human Genome Research Institute Sample Repository.

Diego A. Morales Scheihing, MBA, PhD

Director of Lab Operations and Innovation

Diego oversees Coriell's Research and Development Department to implement new products and services for Coriell's global customer base.

Laura Scheinfeldt, PhD

Director, Repository Science 

Laura is the principal investigator of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Human Genetics Resource Center at the Coriell Institute. 

Nahid Turan, PhD

Chief Biobanking Officer

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