Leadership
Edward Guindi, M.D.
President and CEO, CORD:USE
Dr. Guindi, founder of CORD:USE, has overall responsibility for the company and is focused upon building its world-class team, its hospital network and its relationships with obstetricians. CORD:USE is the culmination of Dr. Guindi’s direct experience as a highly successful obstetrician, his intensive study of the cord blood banking field and his ability to assemble a world-class team. Prior to starting CORD:USE, Dr. Guindi was a fully licensed practicing physician, board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who delivered thousands of babies. Dr. Guindi received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. He is a member of the National Marrow Donor Program ("NMDP”) Cord Blood Advisory Group.
Michael Ernst
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, CORD:USE
Mr. Ernst, co-founder of CORD:USE, has responsibility for the administration of the company’s operations, capital, finances and contractual relationships. He is highly experienced in building, advising and financing businesses, spanning developmental companies through mature global industry leaders. Mr. Ernst enjoyed a successful 19 year career in corporate and investment banking and, most recently, was a Managing Director with Banc of America Securities. Mr. Ernst served on the Board of Directors for two affiliates of the Swiss Re Group. Mr. Ernst received his MBA from University of Chicago and his BA from Denison University.
Thomas Moss
Vice President CORD:USE
Mr. Moss has responsibility for quality assurance, regulatory compliance, processes and programs at CORD:USE. He has over 20 years of experience in both blood and cord blood banking. Prior to joining CORD:USE, he was the Director of Operations for the cord blood program of the New York Blood Center. Other appointments include Viacell, Inc. and the Hoxworth Blood Center of the University of Cincinnati. Mr. Moss is very experienced in creating and maintaining efficient, high quality operations in FDA regulated environments. Mr. Moss received his BS from Marietta College.
Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D.
Medical Director, CORD:USE
Dr. Kurtzberg is responsible for the medical aspects and compliance of the cord blood banking procedures and the cord blood processing facilities for both CORD:USE Public Cord Blood Bank and CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank. Dr. Kurtzberg is the Director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Duke University which is one of the most active cord blood transplant centers in the U.S. She is a pioneer in the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation having performed the first unrelated cord blood stem cell transplant in 1993. Since this transplant, she and her team have performed approximately 1,000 umbilical cord blood transplants and have performed more transplants in children than any other program worldwide. Dr. Kurtzberg is widely published and a frequent speaker for hematopoietic transplantation. Dr. Kurtzberg is the Co-Chair of the Cord Blood Advisory Group of the National Marrow Donor Program and a member of the HRSA Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.
Alan Levine, Ph.D.
Director, CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank
Dr. Levine has final responsibility for the cord blood banking operations and its overall compliance. Prior to joining CORD:USE, Dr. Levine had a highly successful 25 year career with the National Institutes of Health, where he was most recently the Director of the Blood Disease Program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (“NHLBI”). In this capacity, Dr. Levine was responsible for initiating the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood research programs at the NHLBI. He has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of his success in directing national multicenter programs in hematology research. Dr. Levine received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Delaware and his B. S. from Monmouth University.
Hal Broxmeyer, Ph.D.
Founder, CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank
Dr. Broxmeyer is the Founder of the CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank. He is a Distinguished Professor, Indiana University; Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, Mary Margaret Walther Professor Emeritus, former Scientific Director of the Walther Oncology Center, and former Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Broxmeyer is recognized as a founder of the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation. He has authored over 600 publications on cord blood stem cell science. Dr. Broxmeyer was the 2010 President of the American Society of Hematology ("ASH"). ASH is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatments of blood disorders, with over 16,000 members from 97 countries. Dr. Broxmeyer has won numerous awards including the prestigious E. Donnall Thomas Award from ASH.
John Wagner, M.D.
Chief Clinical Scientific Advisor, CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank
Dr. Wagner is responsible for surveying the field, and together with the other members of the team, provides direction on the current state of the art on which CORD:USE's operational decisions are based. Dr. Wagner is the Director of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Scientific Director of Clinical Research of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota which is one of the nation's most active cord blood transplant centers with approximately 1,000 cord blood transplants, having performed more transplants in adults than any other program worldwide. He and his team were the first to use umbilical cord blood in the treatment of leukemia in 1990 and discovered that two partially matched umbilical cord blood units could be safely used to treat larger patients for whom a single unit was not adequate. His work is currently focused on finding ways to increase the speed of marrow recovery after cord blood transplant as well as determine the safety and effectiveness of cord blood derived regulatory T cells and natural killer cells that can modulate the immune system and eradicate cancer, respectively.
Eliane Gluckman, M.D., Ph.D.
Director of International Operations, CORD:USE Family Cord Blood Bank
Dr. Gluckman has responsibility for international expansion for CORD:USE. Dr. She is the President of Eurocord, which is the International Registry on Cord Blood Transplantation with 47 participating countries, and is the President of the European School of Hematology. Dr. Gluckman is a founding member and former President of the European Group of Bone Marrow Transplantation and has authored over 700 publications. She performed the world’s first successful cord blood transplant in 1988. During her 30 years as a transplanter, Dr. Gluckman has performed over 1,900 bone marrow and cord blood transplants.
Carolyn Bechtel
Director, CORD:USE Foundation
Ms. Bechtel is responsible for the ongoing development of the CORD:USE Foundation. She has served on the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Overseers for the past 20 years and has also been involved with many programs which support children with life-threatening diseases including the Victory Junction Gang Camp (a Paul Newman Hole In The Wall Gang Camp). To visit the CORD:USE Foundation’s homepage, click here.
Stephen Sprague
Director of Patient Advocacy, CORD:USE
Mr. Sprague is responsible for the patient advocacy and public relations efforts of CORD:USE. He works with the CORD:USE team of patient advocates and spokespeople to spread the word on the benefits of cord blood banking and transplantation. Mr. Sprague was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in 1995 and in 1997 became one of the initial adult patients to benefit from a cord blood transplant. Since his transplant, he has been cancer free and has become an avid “Cord Blood Crusader,” sharing his unique message of hope and encouragement with thousands of patients, families and caregivers. The published accounts of his transplant experiences have been frequently cited, and he is often asked to testify in Washington in support of cord blood stem cell therapies. Mr. Sprague is a member of the HRSA Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.
Matthew Farrow
Patient Advocate and Spokesperson, CORD:USE
Matthew Farrow is a Patient Advocate and Spokesperson for CORD:USE. In 1988, Matthew was the recipient of the first successful umbilical cord blood transplant in the world. He was a patient of Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg and his cord blood was banked by Dr. Hal Broxmeyer. Dr. Eliane Gluckman performed his cord blood transplant in Paris as part of the treatment, which cured him of a life-threatening disease called Fanconi Anemia. Matthew is a loving husband and father who is alive and doing well today thanks to the wonderful work of the medical pioneers who transplanted him with his sister’s umbilical cord blood. He thoroughly enjoys his work with CORD:USE and sharing his story about how cord blood helped to save his life.
Keone Penn
Patient Advocate and Spokesperson, CORD:USE
Keone Penn is a Patient Advocate and Spokesperson for CORD:USE. In 1998, Keone became the world’s first person with Sickle Cell Disease to be successfully treated using an umbilical cord blood transplant. Keone has since testified in Washington in support of cord blood stem cell therapies and legislation. In 2007, the “Saving The Cure” Cord Blood Legislation was passed in Georgia and subtitled “Keone’s Law” in honor of Mr. Penn, who is from Gwinnett County, Georgia. Prior to his cord blood transplant, Keone suffered constant complications from Sickle Cell Disease including a stroke and thirteen hospitalizations. Today, he no longer suffers from Sickle Cell Disease and is a passionate spokesperson for cord blood and CORD:USE.