Nexus Medical Labs Team

Scientific Team

Keith Baillargeon

PhD Senior Scientist

When your testing program depends on a lab that can validate new assays quickly and stay audit-ready while doing it, Keith is the person accountable for making that happen. 

Keith holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Tufts University, where his doctoral research focused on paper-based microfluidic devices for point-of-care blood collection – work that sits directly at the intersection of decentralized diagnostics and clinical utility. 

At Nexus, he serves as Technical Supervisor for a CLIA, CAP, and NYS CLEP-certified laboratory, overseeing assay selection, validation, and implementation across both molecular and immunoassay platforms. He manages staff training and competency assessment, leads internal audits, and maintains quality systems as the lab scales.  

Since joining Nexus, he has launched seven clinical assays and completed three contract research projects. His postdoctoral work at Tufts included collaborating with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Africa to verify the performance of decentralized blood collection via dried sampling for HIV testing. 

Credentials: 

  • PhD, Analytical Chemistry, Tufts University; postdoctoral research on microsampling tools for decentralized blood collection, published in PNAS, ACS Measurement Science Au, and Bioengineering & Translational Medicine 
  • Technical Supervisor of record for CLIA, CAP, and NYS CLEP-certified high-complexity laboratory 
  • Launched 7 clinical assays and delivered 3 contract research projects at Nexus Medical Labs 
  • Co-authored international LDT verification work with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (South Africa)

Hunter Wondrash

Process Development & Automation Lead

When you go live with Nexus, the process behind your testing has already been assessed for all limits, stress-tested, and build to hold up as your volume grows. 

Hunter Wondrash leads process development and automation at Nexus Medical Labs, where he designs and validates the workflows that keep self-collected sample testing fast, consistent, and scalable.  

His background is unusual for this role: he came up as a bench scientist and end-user of the processes he now builds, which gives him a ground-level understanding of where workflows actually break down under real conditions.  

He holds the MB(ASCP) certification and spent two and a half years at Exact Sciences working on next-generation sequencing liquid biopsy assay development for early cancer detection, collaborating directly with hardware and software engineers to build and optimize automated workflows at clinical scale. That experience in high-complexity, regulated environments shapes how he approaches every process at Nexus: validating constraints before production begins, building in room for growth from the start, and ensuring any test result can be traced back through every step it touched.  

He studied Zoology and English Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Credentials: 

  • MB(ASCP) board certified, American Society for Clinical Pathology 
  • 2+ years in NGS liquid biopsy assay development at Exact Sciences, focused on automation and analytical performance 
  • Hands-on experience designing custom automated solutions for self-collected sample types including DBS cards 
  • Developed and implemented cost-efficient documentation and sample tracking systems in a high-growth startup lab environment

Andrea Mora

PhD, Scientist II

When you’re evaluating whether a lab can develop, validate, and operationalize a new test, not just run one someone else built, Andrea is the person behind that answer at Nexus. 

Andrea Mora holds a PhD in Chemistry from Tufts University, where she spent five years developing point-of-care and microsampling-based diagnostics for viral targets including SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1. At Nexus, she leads assay R&D through the full validation lifecycle while overseeing daily clinical operations for the molecular and immunoassay lab. Since joining, she has validated 4 immunoassay and molecular assays, expanding the clinical testing menu while maintaining a 1–2-day turnaround time on 200-300 samples per day across 49 states. 

Her research background spans isothermal amplification, immunoassay development, and dried and self-collected sample formats: the exact methods that underpin Nexus’s core service offering. She has authored peer-reviewed publications in ACS Sensors and ACS Measurement Science Au and holds a patent application from her doctoral work. 

Credentials: 

  • PhD, Chemistry, Tufts University; research focused on microsampling methods and salivary diagnostics for viral pathogens (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, HIV-1), published in ACS Sensors and ACS Measurement Science Au. 
  • General Supervisor for CLIA, CAP, and NYS CLEP-certified high-complexity laboratory. 
  • Launched 4 clinical assays for molecular and immunology targets. 

Scientific Advisory Board

Michael Springer

Ph.D. Technical Advisor, Scientific Advisory Board

When Nexus advises on sample collection design, assay performance, or lab scalability, that guidance runs through someone who has built and run one of the highest-volume diagnostic operations in academic medicine. 

Michael Springer is a Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School and Associate Faculty at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. His research sits at the intersection of diagnostic development and microbial engineering, with a particular focus on sample collection innovation and lab workflow optimization.  

During COVID-19, he designed Harvard’s high-throughput testing operation from the ground up: developed a novel nasal swab device, obtained FDA Emergency Use Authorization, established the institution’s first CLIA-certified lab, and oversaw more than 2.2 million tests in its first year. He co-founded Rhinostics to commercialize the sample collection technology and currently leads research into home-collection devices, cost reduction in clinical lab workflows, and diagnostic accessibility. 

Credentials: 

  • Professor of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School; Associate Faculty, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering 
  • Designed and operationalized Harvard’s first CLIA-certified lab, processing 2.2 million+ COVID-19 tests in year one 
  • Co-founder, Rhinostics (novel sample collection device); awarded Harvard’s George Ledlie Prize (2023) for COVID-19 diagnostic contributions 
  • Research funded by NIH, NSF, DARPA, and IARPA; over 60 peer-reviewed publications; Ph.D. in Cell Biology, UC San Francisco 

Mark Kellogg

PhD, MLS(ASCP), DABCC Scientific Advisor, Clinical Chemistry & Diagnostics

Mark has run CLIA laboratories, overseen ISO accreditations, and validated diagnostic methods in environments where accuracy was operationally critical. That depth of quality systems experience directly informs how Nexus approaches validation design and compliance infrastructure for client programs. 

When a Nexus client needs assurance that their validation work will hold up under regulatory scrutiny, Mark brings 40 years of clinical laboratory experience across some of the most demanding environments in medicine: from military bioweapon detection to pediatric reference laboratory leadership at one of the top children’s hospitals in the world. 

Mark Kellogg is Associate Director of Clinical Chemistry and Director of Quality Programs at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. He began his career as a medical technologist, spent nearly a decade teaching laboratory sciences at Ferris State University, and served as a research biochemist with the US Army, where he led the Field Operations Research Team at USAMRIID, validating bioweapon detection methodologies in the field and running mobile diagnostic operations for deployed biological, chemical, and radiological threat analysis. 

At Boston Children’s, he has served as CLIA laboratory director for multiple programs, including the clinical laboratory at BCH Waltham and Claritas Genomics, a commercial molecular diagnostics spinoff where he oversaw ISO 15189 accreditation. He is currently adjunct faculty in Medical Laboratory Sciences at UMass Lowell, teaching laboratory management and quality systems. 

Credentials: 

  • Associate Director of Clinical Chemistry and Director of Quality Programs, Boston Children’s Hospital; Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School 
  • DABCC (American Board of Clinical Chemistry), certified 2005, maintained continuously; MLS(ASCP), board certified Medical Laboratory Scientist since 1984 
  • CLIA laboratory director for BCH Waltham and Claritas Genomics; oversaw ISO 15189 accreditation for Claritas Genomics molecular diagnostics laboratory 
  • US Army research biochemist, USAMRIID: led Field Operations Research Team validating bioweapon detection methodologies and commanding mobile diagnostic capability for deployed environments 
  • 40+ years in laboratory medicine spanning medical technology, laboratory management, instrumentation, clinical chemistry fellowship, and quality systems; active in NAACLS laboratory science accreditation programs since 1995 

Carlo Brugnara

MD Scientific Advisor, Hematology

For programs where red cell biology, hematological biomarkers, or iron metabolism are part of the science, Carlo brings the kind of clinical laboratory depth and academic credibility that accelerates study design and strengthens the scientific foundation of the work. 

When a Nexus client’s program involves red cell biology, hematological biomarkers, or iron metabolism, that work is reviewed through one of the most credentialed hematologists in academic medicine. 

Carlo Brugnara is Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of the Hematology and Coagulation Testing Laboratories at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he has led laboratory medicine operations since 1992. 

His research spans both basic science and clinical application: he has spent four decades studying ion transport in erythrocytes, with work that identified novel therapeutic targets for sickle cell disease and established the clinical utility of reticulocyte parameters in diagnosing iron deficiency in children. 

He holds board certifications in both Clinical Pathology and Transfusion Medicine, and serves on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Hematological Experts Committee. Since 2007 he has been Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Hematology. 

Credentials: 

  • Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School; Medical Director, Hematology and Coagulation Testing Laboratories, Boston Children’s Hospital 
  • Board certified in Clinical Pathology and Transfusion Medicine (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1986-1992) 
  • Named inventor on 19 US patents; author or co-author of more than 280 original articles, book chapters, and reviews 
  • Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of Hematology (2007-present); current member, World Anti-Doping Agency Hematological Experts Committee; fellow of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians

Leadership

Esther Brown

When a client’s program is running, Esther is the reason it stays on track. 

Esther Brown leads operations at Nexus Medical Labs, overseeing a team of scientists and laboratory professionals across clinical production, quality systems, and process development.  

She came to Nexus from Harbinger Health, where she built and led the clinical laboratory operation from the ground up, growing from bench scientist to senior clinical lab manager as the organization scaled. Before that, she spent three years as a molecular technologist at Foundation Medicine and two years as a medical technologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  

At Nexus, she supported the ISO 27001-compliant information security management system, redesigned the lab’s physical workflow to reduce hands-on time and error risk, and built the quality infrastructure that supported Nexus’s CAP 2025 inspection with no findings. She is currently completing an MBA in healthcare management at Bentley University. 

Credentials: 

  • VP of Operations, Nexus Medical Labs; previously built and led clinical laboratory operations at Harbinger Health from inception through commercial scale 
  • 3+ years as molecular technologist at Foundation Medicine in NGS-based oncology diagnostics; 2+ years as medical technologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital 
  • Established Nexus’s ISO 27001-compliant ISMS; oversaw CAP 2025 inspection with zero findings 
  • MBA candidate, Bentley University, healthcare management focus; BS in Biochemistry, University of Maine 

Jill Sullivan

Jill makes sure that what gets discussed in a discovery call actually becomes a scoped, managed project. She coordinates across commercial, operations, and lab teams so nothing falls through the cracks between the conversation and the work. 

Jill Sullivan leads growth strategy and commercial execution at Nexus Medical Labs, where she built the sales and marketing infrastructure, pipeline governance, and scoping and pricing frameworks that support Nexus’s expanding service offering. She established the ISO 27001-compliant information security management system and coordinates execution across commercial, operations, and lab teams, ensuring that what gets agreed in a client conversation translates directly into a scoped, managed project. 

Her background is in program management for complex, cross-functional organizations, with experience translating technical and operational requirements into structured decisions. She holds an MBA from San Diego State University and has completed executive education in sustainability leadership at Harvard. 

Credentials: 

  • VP of Growth, Nexus Medical Labs; built commercial operating model including CRM infrastructure, pipeline governance, scoping frameworks, and ISO 27001-compliant ISMS 
  • Established Nexus’s PMO as the execution layer coordinating delivery across commercial and lab operations 
  • 10+ years in program management and strategic integration across technology, operations, and enterprise growth initiatives 
  • MBA, San Diego State University; Certificate in Project Management, Villanova University; Executive Education, Sustainability Leadership, Harvard University 

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