Mary J. Laughlin, M.D.
Founder and Medical Director

Mary J. Laughlin, MD, FACP, is the Founder and Medical Director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center.  Dr. Laughlin is internationally recognized as an expert in hematology oncology therapies for adults and children including autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and genetically modified cell-based therapeutics for patients with cancer, inherited metabolic disorders, benign hematologic disorders including sickle cell disease, β-Thalassemia, and bone marrow failure syndromes.  Dr. Laughlin’s clinical practice and research in hematology-oncology has spanned 34 years, focused on allogeneic and autologous cellular therapies, with specific expertise in umbilical cord blood studies, novel cell therapy based clinical development under FDA/EMA/PMDA regulatory guidance, as well as the design and implementation of human clinical trials for patients with life threatening malignancies.

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, MPH, MLS (ASCP)
Director of Operations

Sara Shields, a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist, serves as Director of Operations for both the Cleveland Cord Blood Center (CCBC) and the Cleveland Cell Therapy Incubator (CCTI), a subsidiary of CCBC. In these leadership roles, she provides strategic direction and oversight for organizational operations, process optimization, and product distribution. She leads cross-functional teams in developing and managing operational budgets, financial forecasts, and resource allocation to drive efficiency and strengthen organizational performance. As a key liaison between customers and CCBC’s operational teams, Shields fosters collaboration, aligns client needs with organizational capabilities, and ensures the effective delivery of products and services.

Sara began her career at The Cleveland Clinic, where she performed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing and cross-matching for solid organ donors and recipients. With nearly 25 years of experience in clinical transplantation, including 18 years specializing in cord blood operations and manufacturing, she brings a unique combination of scientific expertise, operational leadership, and industry knowledge.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from The Ohio State University Honors Program and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Management from Kent State University.

Dawn Thut, CMQ/OE (ASQ), CABP
Associate Director, Quality and Regulatory Affairs

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 regulatory reporting and compliance, audits, design and review validations, incident and deviation investigations, risk assessments, and determining appropriate corrective and preventative actions. With over 12 years of clinical laboratory experience, she understands the complexity of working with a biologic and the importance of quality, safety, and efficacy in the final product. Thut holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Medical Technology from Youngstown State University, is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, a Certified Advanced Biotherapies Professional, and has a Regulatory Affairs Certificate for Pharmaceuticals from the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society.

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.