My most relevant background includes over 20 years of experience establishing and managing biorepositories and networks, both regional and international, as described in the examples below.

I helped establish in 2016 and have been supporting the CHAMPS (Child Health and Mortality Prevention Survey) Biorepository, funded by the Gates Foundation (Emory University and Task Force for Global Health), with nodes primarily in Sub-Sharan Africa and SE Asia. Previously, was responsible for oversight of the operations of the CDC biorepository, with over 6 million specimens collected by CDC laboratories. Before joining the CDC, started the first state funded cancer research biorepository network, with contributing community hospitals around Georgia (BRAG-Onc) and was recognized as a Distinguished Cancer Scholar for this effort. This work was done as part of my appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology of the Medical School of Georga (MCG) and School of Allied Health (now part of Augusta University).

I am professionally connected to global biobanking community with the goal of improving practices as member of the International Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), where I and served on the Education and Training committee and was an editor for two version of the ISBER Best Practices, guiding biobanking practices around the world. Most recently helped establish a mentoring program, for those new to biobanking, and serve as volunteer mentor,  especially for LMICs and are part of an ISBER committee to identify young rising biobanking stars.

Related experience has been serving on IRBs (MCG, CDC) and continued interest in legal and ethical issues regarding patient/donor specimens.

My academic background is in Microbiology (bacterial viruses) and Immunology, with main postgraduate research in regulation of the immune system and clinical applications in oncology and autoimmune diseases, including both academic research and biotechnology R&D. Currently I am an Adjunct Professor in the Biology department of the University of Maryland (UMGC) online campus, and take great pleasure in teaching basic Microbiology with an introduction to public health, to current and future nurses and other health care professionals.

The appointments at the CDC and my long engagement with the CHAMPS project, have focused my interest on Global Health, and specifically the importance of local biorepositories that can securely and safely preserve biospecimens for to support regional research.

Currently, my focus has been on the U. Colorado initiated VBS, and have been assisting with: information gathering, webinars and workshops, publications and presentations representing the project; and coordination of the demonstration project called 10x10 under the umbrella of CONTAGIO.