Our Experts
Leena Ala-Kokko, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Director of Research, Development and Technology
Dr. Ala-Kokko is a leading authority in the molecular biology of connective tissue disorders, and has more than twenty-five years of research experience in the field. She has published more than one hundred fifty scientific articles and has been invited to present her work throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. During her career, Dr. Ala-Kokko has held concurrent full professorships at universities in the United States and in Europe. She has received 15 grants and has mentored 18 students through their doctoral thesis studies. Dr. Ala-Kokko is the recipient of numerous prestigious science awards and professional merits.
Dr. Ala-Kokko is responsible for research, development and technology at CTGT, and oversees the design of all tests performed by the organization.
Curriculum vitae for Dr. Leena Ala-Kokko
James Hyland, M.D., Ph.D.
CEO and Medical Director
Dr. Hyland has board certifications in anatomical pathology, clinical pathology, and hematopathology. He has completed two postdoctoral fellowships in laboratories focused on the molecular biology of connective tissue and has worked as a hematopathologist, a clinical pathologist and as the director of a connective tissue diagnostic laboratory in an academic institution. Dr. Hyland serves as the medical director of CTGT.
Curriculum vitae for Dr. James Hyland
Kerry Kocher Brown, Ph.D., FACMG
Associate Medical Director
Dr. Brown is board certified in clinical molecular genetics and clinical cytogenetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics. She earned her PhD in genetics from Harvard Medical School where she investigated genetic causes of hearing loss. She completed a fellowship in clinical laboratory genetics through the Harvard Medical School Genetics Training Program, which included molecular genetics training at the Partners Healthcare Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, cytogenetics training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Cytogenetics Laboratory, and research in the field of cardiovascular genetics. Dr. Brown is a fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and has served on the ACMG Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee, where she assisted in the development of guidelines for interpretation of copy number variation and for implementation of next generation sequencing technologies in clinical laboratories. Dr. Brown is the Associate Medical Director at CTGT.
Curriculum vitae for Dr. Kerry Kocher Brown
Zhao Chen, Ph.D.
Assistant Medical Director
Dr. Chen received a Ph.D. degree in 2002 from the Department of Molecular Pathology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas. His Ph.D. studies were directed towards developing new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of solid tumors. He did postdoctoral training in the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas. His postdoctoral research was focused on development of molecular diagnostic tests for the detection of different malignancies including leukemias, endometrial and colorectal carcinoma. Dr. Chen completed the American Board of Medical Genetics Clinical Molecular Genetics fellowship program in the Genetic Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania in 2012. Dr. Chen is the Assistant Medical Director at CTGT.
Curriculum vitae for Dr. Zhao Chen
Hongbin Liu, MS, PhD.
Genetic Counselor
Dr. Liu received a MS degree in 2012 from the Genetic Counseling program at Arcadia University, Philadelphia. She completed clinical genetic counseling internships in a variety of clinics including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Integrated Genetics and Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, as well as a laboratory genetic counseling internship through the Cytogenetics Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Liu earned her Ph.D. degree in molecular biology from Hebei Medical University in China, and worked as a Research Associate in laboratories focused on the molecular mechanisms of embryonic development. Dr. Liu is the Genetic Counselor at CTGT.