Beth Shaz, MD, MBA
Deputy Director, Marcus Center for Cellular Cures at Duke University

​Beth Shaz, MD, MBA is Professor of Pathology, Chief of Clinical Pathology, and Deputy Director of Marcus Center for Cellular Cures at Duke University. She is a physician leader with expertise in transfusion medicine and cellular therapies.  Currently, she oversees cGMP facilities, a process development laboratory, and clinical trials, and is the Co-Director of the Stem Cell Laboratory and Associate Director of the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank. Her previous positions include Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, New York Blood Center enterprises; Associate Professor, Emory University and Director, Transfusion Service, Grady Memorial Hospital; and Instructor, Harvard Medical School and Assistant Medical Director, Transfusion Service, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. 
 
Dr. Shaz is Past-President of the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, member of the Board of Directors of the Cord Blood Association, and scientific member of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion Collaborative. She has published about 200 peer-reviewed articles and has co-edited eight books. She is an Associate Editor of the journal Transfusion and was on the editorial board of the journal Blood. She received her BS with Distinction in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, her MD with research distinction at University of Michigan Medical School, and her MBA in Healthcare Leadership at Empire State College, State University of New York. She completed her surgical internship at Georgetown University, her pathology residency and blood banking / transfusion medicine fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and recently completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship in the Heath Care track through Drexel University.

Marcie Finney, MBA
Executive Director, Cleveland Cord Blood Center

With over 20 years in the cell and gene therapy field, Marcie is the Executive Director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center and the Administrative Director of the National Cord Blood Network, formed in 2023. Her leadership has helped result in significant milestones, secured funding, and established key partnerships, expanding cord blood use in treatment and research. Her efforts aim to establish cord blood transplant as a curative therapy for hematologic malignancies at U.S. Transplant Centers.

Wouter Van't Hof, PhD
Cord Blood Bank Director, Cleveland Cord Blood Center

Wouter has a PhD in cell biology and over 20 years of experience in U.S. biotech, specializing in adult stem cell therapies. As Director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center’s Cord Blood Bank, he led the FDA approval of HPC, Cord Blood (CleveCord) in 2016. Since 2020, he has headed the Cleveland Cell Therapy Incubator (CCTI), focusing on expanding cord blood applications in cell and gene therapy beyond traditional transplants. An influential figure, Wouter is deeply involved in international groups promoting cord blood use and standardization, serves on various advisory committees, and advocates for regulatory support of cell and gene therapy advancements.