Leadership

Approved by MaineHealth, MHIR and NorDx leadership in August 2021, the Center is co-directed by Anne Breggia, PhD, MHIR Center Director and by Robert Carlson, MD, NorDx Laboratory Medical Director.

Through resource sharing and collegial collaborations established in 2019, Dr. Breggia and Dr. Carlson have facilitated numerous investigator-initiated studies, expanded human sample collection and distribution to support the research of MMC/MHIR physicians and scientists, and successfully executed a variety of Precision Medicine focused projects that have helped to improve the care of MaineHealth patients.

Anne C. Breggia, PhD
Anne C. Breggia, PhDDirector, Center for Applied Science and Technology
Dr. Breggia is the Director of the Center for Applied Science and Technology, Chair of the Maine Health Precision Medicine Council and serves as a Clinical Coach for the MaineHealth Innovation Center. Dr. Breggia joined Maine Health in 1991 and has over 30 years of experience in clinical laboratory diagnostics and basic science research. Dr. Breggia is the principal investigator for the NIH/NCI Cancer Moonshot Biobank study conducted at the NCORP/MaineHealth Cancer Care Network. Learn more about Dr. Breggia
Robert Carlson, MD
Robert Carlson, MDChief Medical Officer, NorDx, Co-Director, Center for Applied Science and Technology
Dr. Robert Carlson is the Chief Medical Officer at NorDx, the MaineHealth clinical diagnostic laboratory, and the co-Director of the Center for Applied Science and Technology at MHIR. Prior to joining MaineHealth in 2019, Dr. Carlson served as the Vice President of Medical Affairs at ACM Laboratories in Rochester NY, the Laboratory Director for NxGen MDX in Grand Rapids MI, CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Swallow Solutions in Madison, WI., and as both the Director of Laboratory Medicine and Director of Applied Science at Marshfield Clinics, Marshfield, WI. Learn more about Dr. Carlson

Center for Applied Science & Technology Staff

Sue LaPierre, MBA
Sue LaPierre, MBAScientific Manager, MH Biobank

Prior to joining MaineHealth, Sue began her career at the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough, as a Research Associate, later supervising the Molecular Genetics Laboratory.

Sue holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Maine, Orono, and a Master of Business Administration-Healthcare Management graduate degree from Husson University.

Sue’s work experience includes medical research, assay development, clinical diagnostic testing, clinical and research laboratory supervision, biobanking, program oversight, and operations management.

Lindsey Gower, BS
Lindsey Gower, BSTechnology Manager, Research Laboratory Services

Lindsey later joined the lab of Dr. Leif Oxburgh, where her research focused on the mechanisms of acute and chronic kidney injury. Subsequently, she joined the lab of Dr. Peter Brooks, investigating the role of the cryptic epitopes of collagen in the tumor microenvironment.  Prior to joining MaineHealth, Lindsey worked in pharmaceutical research labs in Boston, MA, before returning to her home base in the Portland area, where she worked in several diagnostic research labs, including Chemogen Inc., Inverness Medical (Abbott), and Envirologix Inc.

Lindsey holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and is currently working towards her Masters of Business Administration-Healthcare Management degree from Husson University in Bangor, Maine.

Lindsey’s work experience includes molecular biology, animal husbandry, pharmaceutical and diagnostic research; bio-specimen collection, processing, and testing; assay design and development; phlebotomy; and research lab management.

Howard Feller, JD
Biobank Assistant

Chris Keister, AS
Biobank Associate

Susan Nester, BS
Biobank Assistant

Nic North, BS
Research Program Manager

Amanda Popadak
Biobank Associate

Richard Carter, BS
Pathology Lab Manager

Jacqueline Cofone, BS
Manager Pre-Analytic Lab

Alyssa Foster, BS
Supervisor, Pre-Analytic Patient Services

 

David Groft, MS
Laboratory Research Coordinator

Candace Kane
Supervisor Pre-Analytics

Sara Loiselle, BS
Laboratory Technician

Cynthia MacWhinnie, BS
Lab Systems Architect

Robert Mayo, BS
Laboratory Manager

David Pellegore, BS
Director of Lab Information Systems

Mistyn True, BS
Lead, Pre-Analytic Patient Services

Alicya Vachon, BS
Supervisor Molecular Diagnostics