Charles L. M. Dunlop

Charles L. M. Dunlop
Chief Executive Officer
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Charles founded Ambry Genetics in March of 2000. He has extensive experience in establishing and managing biology laboratories in research and manufacturing / technology transfer environments. Previously he worked at Scripps Institute in La Jolla, California in the molecular biology laboratory of Dr. Gregory Sutcliffe and has been involved in numerous projects in the development of this science. While at Scripps Institute, Charles published an article in Nature Magazine on the subject of cloning and characterizing the Cortistatin gene from the mammalian central nervous system. He is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego with concentration in biology, mathematics, physics and economics.

Anja Kammesheidt, PhD

Anja Kammesheidt, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Kammesheidt directs all R&D ventures for Ambry Genetics and has been active in research in the biological sciences for over 15 years. She most recently worked as Senior Research Investigator at Purdue Pharma where she conducted target identification and validation studies for neuropathic pain drug development. Anja is a trained molecular neurobiologist and has worked in diverse research areas focusing on Alzheimer's disease, neuromuscular dystrophies and viral gene therapy. She has published numerous scientific publications and is the author on several patents. She received her Ph.D. and B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and did her post-doctoral research at the University of California, San Diego.

James Thompson MD, PhD

James Thompson MD, PhD
Medical Director

Dr Thompson is a board-certified Pathologist with extensive experience in anatomic pathology, hematopathology and molecular genetics. He continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director for Pathogenesys, which conducts pathology testing to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies develop and test cancer drugs and treatments, and Senior Medical Director for USLABS. Previously he was Vice President and Medical Director for Oncotech, Inc., which conducts molecular oncology testing services, his responsibilities included the direction of CLIA-certified oncology testing services, FDA Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) contract research services and research pathology. Dr. Thompson also held various positions at Impath, a commercial pathology lab, ranging from Director of Biopharmaceutical Service to Vice President of Technology and Medical Director of Impath’s Predictive Oncology in Los Angeles. Dr. Thompson received his medical degree and doctorate from the University of California, Irvine. He completed residency in anatomic pathology and a fellowship in molecular pathology from Stanford University. He also completed a fellowship in hematopathology at the University of California, Irvine under the direction of Dr. Michael Samoszuk and Dr. James Baker.

Timothy Vo, PhD, FACMG, CLSp(MB)

Timothy Vo, PhD, FACMG, CLSp(MB)
Laboratory Director

Dr. Vo is responsible for the operation and supervision of Ambry Genetics molecular laboratory. Previously, he was the Laboratory Director for Pathogenesys and served as the Associate Medical Director for US Labs both located in California He has held director positions at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and Harper Hospital in Detroit. Tim has co-authored numerous scientific publications. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics and conducted his post-doctoral research at Wayne State University in Michigan. He earned his BS in Biology from University of California, Irvine.
 

Bruce Gardner

Bruce Gardner
Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Bruce brings a proven record of success at diagnostic service companies. He has 22 years of experience with Fortune 50 corporations such as Johnson and Johnson, and with start-up companies, too. As vice president of sales and marketing for Wyntek Diagnostics of San Diego, Bruce grew company sales from $100,000 to $25 million. In 2001, he guided the company’s sale to Genzyme Corporation for $65 million, then managed the integration. Before Ambry, Bruce was vice president of sales for Permaxim of Santa Rosa, California, where he built a national sales organization and increased sales over 700 percent. Bruce’s experience supports Ambry’s reputation for high-quality laboratory technology and responsive client services.
 

Steven Keiles, MS, CGC

Steven Keiles, MS, CGC
Director of Genetic Services

Steven began working with Ambry Genetics in 2000. He has over 20 years of experience in genetic counseling. Prior to joining Ambry Genetics he was the coordinator of Genetic Services for Kaiser Permanente Hospital, West Los Angeles. At Cal. State University Northridge Genetic Counseling Program he served on the Admissions and Advisory Committees and was a Clinical Site Supervisor. Steven earned his M.S. in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York and is a diplomat of the American Board of Medical Genetics and the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors. He has published numerous articles in the areas of cystic fibrosis and pancreatitis.
 

Tina Hambuch, PhD

Tina Hambuch, PhD
Research Scientist

Dr. Hambuch is a world-class researcher in genomics and bioinformatics and part of the Ambry team developing new genetic tests. She is expert in analyzing genetic patterns and in identifying genetic trends in populations. She is also well versed in bioinformatics, which employs genomic level information to identify the roles of specific genes in complex, multigene phenotypes. Dr. Hambuch earned her doctorate from UC Berkeley in Integrative Biology, focusing on immunogenetics. As a post-doctoral scholar at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, she studied the genetics of pathogenic bacteria and viruses to identify patterns and rates of disease spread and evolution. At the University of Munich and UC Irvine, Dr. Hambuch focused on bioinformatics and gene function.
 

Steven Swanson, CGMBS, CLSp(MB)

Steven Swanson, CGMBS, CLSp(MB)
Vice President Regulatory and Laboratory Compliance

Steve has been with Ambry Genetics since its inception. His career has focused in regulatory affairs, laboratory compliance and pharmaceutical fields. He has a strong base of experience in FDA-regulated environments such as Braun/McGaw Pharmaceuticals and, most recently, Qualisys Diagnostics of Carlsbad, California. Additional areas of expertise include quality assurance and process validation to comply with the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments rules and practices. Steve received his B.S. in Physiology and Chemistry from California State University, Long Beach.
 

Lori Ross, MS, CGC

Lori Ross, MS, CGC
Associate Product Manager / Genetic Counselor

Working in new test development and marketing, Lori is one of three genetic counselors available to Ambry’s clients. She was certified by the National Board of Genetic Counseling in 1996 and holds a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of California, Irvine. She has 15 years experience in collection and communication of medical research and diagnostic information. Prior to Ambry, Lori was the Senior Genetic Coordinator for Genzyme Genetics in Orange, California, where she provided clinical guidance, technical information, specimen handling instructions and billing information to client physicians, nurses and genetic counselors.