Meet Our Team

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

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.

Courtney Mengel Dirks, JD

Director, Public Relations

In this capacity, Courtney guides the internal and external communication programs of the Institute, while also elevating the Coriell profile.

Kathryn H. Driesbaugh, PhD  

Director of Repository Operations

Kate is the principal investigator for the several collections, including the Congenital Heart Disease GEnetic NEtwork Study Biorepository and the Huntington’s Disease (HD) Community Repository.

Kelly Hodges

Associate Director, Laboratory Production

As Associate Director of Laboratory Production, Kelly leads the Coriell’s cell culture and molecular biology teams to ensure deliverables are met, and production activities operate smoothly.

Jaroslav Jelinek, MD, PhD

Chief Research Officer

Jaroslav is the Chief Research Officer at Coriell and as such oversees all research efforts and directs an epigenetic research group at the Institute.

Leo Jose, MBA

Senior Director, Information Technology

Leo is the Senior Director of Information Technology at Coriell and is responsible for all key technology initiatives critical for Coriell’s success.

Kevin Kane

Philanthropy Specialist

In his role as philanthropy specialist, Kevin Kane oversees all development and philanthropy processes.

Ellen Kelly, PhD

Director, Business Development

Ellen is responsible for seeking out new business opportunities, identifying strategic partnerships, maintaining relationships with current clients, and for onboarding of newly developed products and services.

Jozef Madzo, PhD

Director, Bioinformatics

In his role as director of bioinformatics, Jozef steers and oversees all bioinformatics work at the Coriell Institute.

Betty Mills

Associate Director, Quality and Safety

Betty oversees all aspects of quality management and safety and is a driving force behind the Institute’s commitment to high quality work.

Matthew W. Mitchell, PhD

Program Manager

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.

Ruby O'Lexy, PhD

Associate Director, Research Office

Ruby helps to expand Coriell’s research capacity by pinpointing funding opportunities which align with the institute’s priorities.

Laura Scheinfeldt, PhD

Director of 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. 

Dean Stoios, MBA

Senior Vice President

Dean is tasked with overseeing the Institute's overall operations and introducing, initiating and implementing key directives.

Nahid Turan, PhD

Chief Biobanking Officer

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

Dana Youngblood, MSHRM

Director, Human Resources

In her role, Dana oversees a wide range of duties including talent management, benefits administration and employee relations.