Mary J. Laughlin, M.D.
Founder and Medical Director
Mary J. Laughlin, M.D., is the Founder and Medical Director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center. Dr. Laughlin is an internationally recognized hematology expert in allogeneic cord blood transplantation for adults and pediatric patients with leukemia and other hematological malignancies, and hemoglobinopathies including sickle cell disease. Dr. Laughlin, who has been a practicing physician in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation since 1992, performed one of the world’s first successful umbilical cord blood transplants in an adult leukemia patient in 1995 and conducted studies over the ensuing 25 years to establish cord blood as a new standard in the field. She previously served as President for the International Society for Cellular Therapeutics. She received her medical degree from SUNY in Buffalo, New York, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Rochester.
Marcie Finney, MS, MBA
Executive Director
With over 20 years of experience, Marcie Finney has played a pivotal role in educating medical personnel, supporting families, and driving the growth of cord blood applications. As the Executive Director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center, she has led the organization through significant milestones, secured vital funding, established invaluable partnerships, and fosters the ever-growing expansion of cord blood usage in patient treatment and clinical research.
Her expertise extends to both science and business, as she holds an Executive MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, complementing her Master of Science in Chemistry. Marcie Finney’s passion for health, technology, and business is evident in her influence in shaping national strategies for blood stem cell transplantation and cord blood banking and showcases her commitment to the betterment of patient care and medical science. She serves on the Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (ASBSCT), is on the Executive Committee of the Cord Blood Association as Treasurer, is the Chair of the Cord Blood Advisory Group, and as the Secretary of Goodwill Industries of Northeast Ohio and East Central Ohio, she supports programs aimed at removing barriers to employment and promoting independence for individuals in need.
Wouter Van’t Hof, Ph.D.
Director, Cord Blood Bank & CEO, Cleveland Cell Therapy Incubator
Wouter Van’t Hof has his Ph.D. in Cell Biology with over 25 years of biotech experience in translational research and development of adult stem cell therapies, including bone marrow stromal cells (MSC) and HPC, Cord Blood. He is accomplished in technology invention and transfer, product characterization, process development and scale up. His experience includes the management of projects with cross-functional teams in academia, biotech, and pharmaceuticals both in the U.S. and abroad. Van’t Hof was the Cleveland Cord Blood Center lead in acquiring FDA biologics license approval for the HPC, Cord Blood product CLEVECORD™ and oversees the organization’s CMC, Process Validation, Aseptic Processing, and GMP compliance. From 2002-2013, he was Director at Athersys (Cleveland, OH) and was responsible for technology transfer, product and process development, preclinical safety, regulatory discussion, clinical study design and management. Van’t Hof contributed to the CMC and Pharm/Tox sections of four approved IND applications for cell therapies.
Sara Shields, MLS (ASCP)
Associate Director, Processing Facility
Sara Shields, a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist, processed and stored the first umbilical cord blood units at the Cleveland Cord Blood Center in 2008. She is responsible for the development and implementation of more than 200 standard operating procedures and worksheets, equipment and service contract maintenance, validations, laboratory inspections and a robust training program for CCBC. Shields has several years’ experience with the Cleveland Clinic, where she performed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) testing, sequencing, panel reactive antibody (PRA) testing, and flow cytometry cross matching for solid organ donors and recipients. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from The Ohio State University Honors Program.
Dawn Thut, CMQ/OE (ASQ)
Quality Manager
Dawn Thut oversees the performance of the quality systems for the Cleveland Cord Blood Center, including the evaluation of testing procedures for product qualification and aseptic processing under cGMP guidelines. Her responsibilities include audits, design and review validations, incident and deviation investigations, risk assessments and the determination of appropriate corrective action. She has strong clinical laboratory experience gained at University Hospitals of Cleveland, where she specialized in the field of Flow Cytometry for the hospital’s system network, and at Maple Family Physicians, where she implemented and managed a private laboratory that obtained COLA’s highest award for Laboratory Excellence in 2006 and 2007. Thut holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Medical Technology from Youngstown State University and a Certificate of Graduation from the Western Reserve Care System Medical Technology program.
Kathy Bobik-Kurz
Collection Site Manager
Kathy Bobik-Kurz manages the daily collection activities at CCBC’s six donating hospitals. Working closely with the collection site liaison team and the collection site coordinators, she oversees compliance with standard operating procedures and ensures that coordinators and collecting practitioners are current on training for collecting umbilical cord blood. Working with CCBC’s medical director, she helps to ensure donor eligibility standards for transplantation are met. Kathy also works with CCBC’s management team on the development and review of standards to maintain accreditations of FACT, AABB and FDA licensure. Kathy and her staff provide education to hospital staff and the public regarding cord blood donation and its uses, and interface with donating mothers pre-donation and post-donation. Kathy holds a BSN from Kent State University and received a Legal Nurse Consultant certificate from the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.
Kim Vincent (ASCP)
Laboratory Manager, Processing Facility
Kim Vincent manages the Cleveland Cord Blood Center’s cord blood processing facility, overseeing lab productivity, staffing, short- and long-range planning, laboratory equipment performance, record-keeping and quality control. With degrees in both clinical laboratory science and business administration, she brings 11 years of experience in diagnostics, testing, transfusion therapy, processing technology and project administration. She has been with CCBC since 2012 and was named Laboratory Manager in 2019. Prior to joining CCBC, she was a medical laboratory technician with the Cleveland Clinic and with Nationwide Children’s Hospital ChildLab.