Expert Details
Biochemistry; Infectious Disease Diagnostics Technology and Running of COVID-19 Clinical Diagnostics Lab
ID: 736476
California, USA
From March to November 2020, Expert developed and lead the Biohub/UCSF COVID19 clinical testing facility known as CLIAHUB, processing over 1,000 SARS-CoV2 PCR tests per day for Public Health Departments across California.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2012 | Degree: PhD | Subject: Chemistry and Chemical Biology | Institution: University of California San Francisco |
| Year: 2003 | Degree: AB | Subject: Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology | Institution: Bryn Mawr College |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2019 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor | Department: Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology |
Responsibilities:Member, UCSF COVID-19 Research Coordination Task Force |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2016 to 2020 | Employer: Chan Zuckerberg Biohub | Title: Group Leader | Department: Infectious Disease Initiative |
Responsibilities:Lead the effort to launch the CLIAhub COVID19 testing lab, a collaboration between CZ Biohub and UCSF.• Lead the development and validation of our RT-PCR LDT (under review for FDA EUA authorization) which occurred over the course of 8 days, launching March 20th 2020 • Grew the lab to 8 RNA extraction stations, 2 shifts, and over 1,000 samples/day processed with a workforce of over 100 volunteer scientists • Transitioned from leading a volunteer workforce to managing a staff of 12 Laboratory Specialists • Built and maintained relationships with over 20 California county Public Health departments for which CLIAhub provided free testing • Provided RT-PCR COVID19 testing for numerous community clinical research studies at UCSF February 2017 – February 2020 Built and lead a collaborative team of 4 to bring CRISPR-based infectious disease diagnostics to the Biohub. • Developed and optimized the FLASH (Finding Low Abundance Sequences by Hybridization) method for targeted-enrichment NGS as well as more rapid, sequencing-free methods. • Lead Biohub efforts to use sequencing to detect and analyze outbreaks of hospital-acquired infections in collaboration with UCSF’s Infection Control team. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2016 to 2017 | Employer: Joe DeRisi’s Lab, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) | Title: Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Postdoctoral Scholar | Department: |
Responsibilities: |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2014 to 2016 | Employer: Joe DeRisi’s Lab, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) | Title: Postdoctoral Scholar/HHMI Research Associate | Department: |
Responsibilities:Produced recombinant CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex and developed Cas9-based tools for depleting abundant sequences and enriching rare sequences in NGS libraries. Developed a method for plasmid-free genome editing in the malaria parasite P. falciparum. Trained and managed 3 technicians, mentored numerous students and two TechWomen interns, supervised journal club, assisted with Genomics Bootcamps run by the UCSF Development Office. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2012 to 2013 | Employer: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) | Title: Postdoc | Department: |
Responsibilities:C. elegans proteomics. |
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Career Accomplishments
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| Dean’s Recognition for Excellence in Teaching Award from UCSF’s School of Pharmacy |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
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| [Selected] Oral Presentations: • Next Generation Dx Virtual Summit • Association for Molecular Pathology meeting • American Society for Microbiology’s ASM Microbe meeting, Mini-Conference on Microbial Genomics and Public Health • Wellcome Genome Campus Retreat on CRISPR Approaches for Apicomplexans • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meeting on Genome Engineering: The CRISPR/Cas Revolution • Keystone meeting on Precision Genome Engineering and Synthetic Biology • 7th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society [Selected] Publications: 22 Patents Filed: 2 |
Additional Experience
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Adobe Illustrator Workshop TA, UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development, 2011-16.
Graduate of UCSF’s “Idea to IPO” course on the business of biotechnology, 2008. |
| Marketing Experience |
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| Contract editor in biochemistry and related fields for American Journal Experts. |
| Other Relevant Experience |
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| Professional Mentor to Emerging Leaders from developing countries for the U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen program, 2015-present. Each year this consists of a month of intensive mentoring and training in basic lab techniques, including CRISPR, cloning, NGS. Also served on Selection Committees. |