Dr. Buccellato has supported a wide variety of research on animal species in dose range-finding, sub-chronic, and chronic studies. He has served as lead pathologist for pharmaceutical efficacy and preclinical toxicity studies and has extensive experience aiding the development of therapies for a number of bacterial and viral pathogens and chemical agents.

Dr. Buccellato earned his DVM from North Carolina State University in 2001, then completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology and received his PhD from The Ohio State University in 2008. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2008.

Dr. Cramer has over 10 years of experience in the field of veterinary anatomic pathology and has spent several years focusing on toxicologic neuropathology. As principal investigator or study pathologist, Dr. Cramer has read dozens of neurotoxicity studies and frequently consults with companies and clients regarding study design and approaches. Prior to joining StageBio, Dr. Cramer worked at Tox Path Specialists as a Senior Research Pathologist. Dr. Cramer completed graduate training at the National Cancer Institute as a part of the Comparative Biomedical Scientist Training Program (National Institutes of Health). Before graduate training, Dr. Cramer completed a residency in anatomic pathology at Oklahoma State University and attended the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Lee completed her training in anatomic pathology at the Joint Pathology Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and a member of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology. Dr. Lee has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Veterinary Pathology with experience in molecular pathology. In addition to her work in pre-clinical studies involving medical devices and neuropathology, she brings a robust enthusiasm for sound science and quality work to any study as a consulting or lead pathologist.

Thomas is a French ECVP board-certified veterinary toxicologic, experimental and comparative pathologist with 30 years of experience. Thomas started his career as a diagnostician and research immuno-pathologist in the United States and received his PhD from Louisiana State University in 2000. He then joined the biopharmaceutical industry in Europe as a research and regulatory safety pathologist in Servier then Eli Lilly & Company. Thomas moved to the CRO arena in 2007 to develop TCR and IHC/ISH assays and has contributed to over hundreds of studies. Thomas is currently embracing and leading the digital revolution in pathology at StageBio and is specialized in in situ molecular techniques and investigative/efficacy studies in animal models out of TPL Path Labs GmbH, a company of StageBio, based in Freiburg, Germany. Thomas helps clients design the best possible clinical and non-clinical efficacy or safety investigative studies and is leading implementation of in situ molecular assays and quantitative pathology projects, along with performing pathology evaluations.

Dr. Stephanie Shrader joined the StageBio team as a Senior Pathologist in 2019. She has a strong background and primary subspecialty interest in ocular pathology with extensive experience evaluating a variety of ophthalmic drugs, animal models, ocular dosing routes, and ocular medical devices. Prior to StageBio, Dr. Shrader spent two years at Charles River Laboratories in Spencerville, Ohio where she also served as the site’s IACUC chairperson.  She is an active member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) and the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP), enjoys collaborating with her colleagues to author book chapters and peer reviewed journal articles, and serves as a peer reviewer for several journals. Dr. Shrader earned a BS in Biological Sciences from Wilson College in Pennsylvania, a DVM from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and completed her anatomic pathology residency and PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Stephanie resides in Delphos, Ohio with her husband, Jeff, and their canine companions.

Dr. Butt has more than 20 years of experience evaluating the nervous system in a wide variety of laboratory species. As the principal investigator/study neuropathologist of over 500 preclinical investigations, Dr. Butt has consulted with global pharmaceutical and histopathology companies and is a regulatory consultant on matters concerning the nervous system. He is a frequent speaker at national/international meetings, educational symposiums, and FDA-sponsored events. Prior to joining StageBio, Dr. Butt was founder and president of Tox Path Specialists, a national leader in the field of neuropathology. Previous to this, he managed the Charles River Laboratories - Frederick, MD division, providing professional oversight for over 200 employees and 35 veterinary pathologists.

Dr. Rousselle spent the early part of his career as a toxicologic pathologist in the pharmaceutical industry. Over time, his work has made him a luminary in medical device histopathology. As a medical device expert, Dr. Rousselle enjoys collaborative work with sponsors and colleagues and the challenges of improving the way new products are assessed and patient safety is ensured. As CSO, his work is now also focused on new imaging techniques, digital pathology, and image analytics. Dr. Rousselle is an active member of ACVP and STP and has co-authored over 30 journal articles and many abstracts presented at international conventions.

Dr. Mike Betley comes to StageBio from Inotiv where he served as a study pathologist for preclinical safety and drug efficacy studies in laboratory animals. Dr. Betley grew up in the Saint Louis region and earned his DVM from the University of Missouri in 2011. Following graduation, he entered the Neurosciences PhD program at Stanford University where his thesis research focused on the connection between aerobic exercise and adult hippocampal neurogenesis. He graduated with his PhD in 2016 and moved to Fort Collins, CO to complete his pathology residency training at Colorado State University. Dr. Betley is looking forward to utilizing his pathology skills and neuroscience research training to serve the needs of StageBio’s Neuropathology clients. When he’s not working, you can find Dr Betley spending time outdoors cycling, playing golf and fishing.

Dr. Amy Brix joins StageBio after working for EPL, Inc. in North Carolina for over 22 years, the last 11 of which were spent on-site at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in the Division of the National Toxicology Program. Dr. Brix did her residency at the University of Georgia, where she worked with Duke University to develop a canine model of von Gierke’s disease (glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency). She also did her graduate studies at Georgia, examining the effect of growth factors on the production of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans in cell culture. Following her PhD, she did a post-doctoral fellowship in comparative medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, looking at several genetically modified mouse models of human disease.   She is excited to be part of the StageBio Team!

Dr. Elcock has more than 30 years of experience as a toxicologic veterinary pathologist, serving as the primary study pathologist for 500-plus GLP preclinical studies in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. She has a particular interest in reproductive pathology and has evaluated more than 15 peer-reviewed carcinogenicity studies in a variety of mouse and rat strains.

Dr. Elcock earned her DVM in 1982, as well as her MS and PhD in Veterinary Pathology in 1983 and 1985, respectively, all from Kansas State University. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1987.

Dr. Friedemann completed her residency in anatomic & cardiovascular pathology at Texas A&M University, where she received specialized training in medical device pathology and earned her master's degree (Biomedical Sciences). Dr. Friedemann is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) and is an active member of ACVP as well as the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP). Her primary interests include cardiovascular and orthopedic devices, as well as working with subcutaneous biosensors and resorbable materials.

Dr. Garlick’s wide-ranging anatomic pathology experience in preclinical discovery and development of therapeutics and medical devices spans over three decades. He has extensive experience with the evaluation of biomaterials, medical device efficacy and biocompatibility (orthopedic, cardiovascular,  ocular, neurologic), wound healing studies (assessment of polymers, living skin equivalents, cell-based therapies, scaffolds, microspheres, hydrogels), and the histopathology of minipigs.  Dr. Garlick earned his DVM from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1985 and completed his pathology residency training at Tufts in 1989. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1990

Dr. Joy Gary has over 10 years of experience in the field of veterinary anatomic pathology, working with a variety of laboratory animal species and focusing on animal models of disease.  Dr. Gary completed her graduate training at the National Cancer Institute as a part of the Comparative Biomedical Scientist Training Program (National Institutes of Health) in partnership with Michigan State University, where she also completed her residency training. She received her D.V.M from Colorado State University.  Prior to joining StageBio, Dr. Gary served as a pathologist in the Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she evaluated animal models of infectious disease, led the digital pathology unit, and participated in outbreak responses and international collaborative projects.

We are pleased to welcome Jessica Hoane, DVM, MTOX, DACVP, DABT to the StageBio team! Jessica comes to us from Charles River Laboratories in Durham, North Carolina, where she spent nearly a decade cultivating expertise in safety assessment and organizing pathology working groups for the National Toxicology Program. Prior to joining CRL, she spent three years at MPI Research in Mattawan, Michigan. Jessica received her D.V.M. from Michigan State University, where she also completed a residency in veterinary anatomic pathology. She more recently earned a Master of Toxicology (MTOX) degree from North Carolina State University and became a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. Prior to pursuing veterinary pathology, she spent five years as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Kentucky studying equine antibody response to surface antigens of Sarcocystis neurona and the Neospora hughesi. Jessica has instructed undergraduate and veterinary students at several institutions in anatomy, physiology, and histology and has served as an Associate Editor of the journal Toxicologic Pathology.

Dr. Crystal Johnson comes to StageBio from Charles River Laboratories, Inc. (CRL) in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Johnson completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. She joined Charles River Laboratories as a rodent surgeon immediately after veterinary school before joining Pathology Associates International (PAI) where she held a variety of positions including histology/necropsy technician and research associate. Charles River purchased PAI in 2000 and in 2006 Dr. Johnson proposed returning to school to pursue a residency in anatomic pathology. While in her residency, she continued to work limited hours at CRL and received her board certification with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2010.

Dr. Johnson has special expertise in inhalation studies, female reproductive pathology and endocrine disruption, and in several animal models including pancreatic cancer, colitis, xenotransplantation, and orphan diseases.

In her spare time, she likes to put her crafting skills to work on various artistic hobbies including building miniature models and designing and assembling laser cut items.

Dr. Eric Lee brings over 9 years of experience in the field of veterinary anatomic pathology, working with a variety of laboratory animal species in animal model development and evaluation of various treatment strategies against biological and chemical agents. Dr. Lee served 16 years with the United States Army, where he completed his residency training at the Joint Pathology Center. He received his D.V.M from Ross University.  Prior to joining StageBio, Dr. Lee served as a pathologist within multiple Department of Defense research institutes whose missions were to provide medical capabilities to deter and defend against current and emerging biological, chemical or biochemical threat agents.

Dr. Lisa Mangus comes to StageBio from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she completed her PhD training and became a faculty member in the Dept. of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology in 2016. Her research has focused on studying neuropathology and neuroimmunology in animal models using a variety of advanced molecular and morphologic approaches. Concurrent with her PhD training, Lisa completed a residency in comparative anatomic pathology at Johns Hopkins and joined the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2014. Lisa earned her DVM from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and prior to pursing pathology training, completed a one-year clinical internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg, MD. In addition to neuropathology, Lisa has a special interest and experience in pathology of wildlife and aquatic species. 

Dr. Morgan’s professional interests include the use of animal models of disease in drug development. Prior to joining StageBio, she worked at Abbott/AbbVie and provided pathology support across multiple therapeutic indications. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Morgan received her DVM from Kansas State University (1980) and her PhD in pathology from Texas A&M University (1988). She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, the American Board of Toxicology, and the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology.

Dr. Suresh Muthupalani brings over 10 years of experience in the field of veterinary anatomic pathology, working with a variety of laboratory animal species and focusing on animal models of disease. Dr. Muthupalani completed his veterinary anatomic pathology training at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine disease and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP). Dr. Muthupalani pursued his graduate training in Microbiology and obtained his PhD from the University of Kentucky. He completed his professional veterinary degree and master’s degree in Veterinary Pathology in India. Prior to joining StageBio, Dr. Muthupalani served as a comparative pathologist and Assistant Director in the Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for more than a decade, where he conducted independent and collaborative research pathology studies in diverse areas including cancer, inflammation, infectious disease, nanotechnology, spontaneous disease using various animal models. At MIT, he directed the histology and diagnostic labs and actively trained numerous laboratory animal and veterinary pathology fellows. Over the course of his career, Dr. Muthupalani has provided his pathology expertise to numerous investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate/undergraduate and holds  80+  publications to his credit.

Dr. Tracey Papenfuss earned a BS in Biology and Wildlife from the University of Alaska, a DVM and MS in Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota, and an anatomic pathology residency and PhD in Immunology and Experimental Pathology at Ohio State University. Prior to StageBio, Dr. Papenfuss spent seven years in a faculty immunology and experimental pathology position at Ohio State before moving into industry roles over the past 8 years with Charles River Laboratories, including their legacy WIL Research and MPI Research teams. As part of her role as Senior Pathologist with StageBio, Tracey will support general toxicology research while helping to build special expertise in immunopathology and immunosafety. Tracey resides in Westerville, Ohio, with her husband, Tom, and their family.

Dr. Jaime Paulin’s interests range from medical device pathology and toxicologic pathology to diagnostic pathology. He joined StageBio after previously evaluating a wide range of medical devices for 12 years at a major medical device company. He has supported more than 400 independent studies, ranging from proof-of-concept studies to in-person meetings with FDA. Dr. Paulin has also provided pathology support for post-market surveillance of medical devices. His experience spans multiple device types including, but not limited to, devices used to treat neurologic and cardiac/cardiovascular conditions. He has also supported research for improvement of biopsy tools, diabetes, and thermal tissue ablation devices. Dr. Paulin enjoys having collaborative interactions with sponsors to help understand and better serve their needs. Dr. Paulin completed his residency and MS degree in comparative medicine and pathology at the University of Minnesota. He is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP), a member of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) and has co-authored multiple publications involving medical device pathology.

Dr. Paulman specializes in animal models of autoimmune disease, cancer drug development, neuropathology, and male reproductive toxicity. Prior to joining StageBio, she worked at Covance, where she focused on non-GLP early-stage toxicology and investigational studies. Earlier, she provided pathology support to multiple drug development project teams at Eli Lilly and Co.

Dr. Paulman received her DVM in 1998 and her PhD in pathology in 2006, both from the University of Illinois. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in anatomic pathology.

Dr. Lauren Peiffer comes to StageBio with a variety of experiences in biomedical scientific research and veterinary anatomic pathology.  Most recently, Dr. Peiffer completed her PhD training under the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHU SOM), where she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology.  Dr. Peiffer became a certified member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2018 and provided both diagnostic and experimental pathology support for JHU SOM.  She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University and practiced small animal medicine prior to pursuing specialty training in pathology.  Prior to pursuing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Dr Pfeiffer received her Bachelor of Science from the University of California Los Angeles, and she worked as a scientific research associate in both academia and industry.

Dr. Lynette Phillips brings over 20 years of experience in the field of veterinary anatomic pathology, the majority of which has focused on preclinical medical devices. Dr. Phillips received her D.V.M. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology at the University of Florida. Prior to joining StageBio, Dr. Phillips worked as a pathologist at medical device company Medtronic, Inc, and CRO American Preclinical Services, where she evaluated safety, biocompatibility and toxicologic studies in large and small animal models. Dr. Phillips originally completed her undergraduate and graduate training in chemical engineering, to which she attributes her interest in medical devices and implant pathology.

Dr. Rachel Reams joined VPS in 2020 as a Senior Pathologist. She has 17 years of experience in toxicologic pathology including 10 years of experience at a large pharmaceutical company as a member of drug development teams and 7 years of experience with a large contract research organization, and over 30 years of experience in veterinary medicine and pathology. Dr. Reams has a broad range of experience in drug development including early discovery/non-GLP, GLP toxicology, clinical pathology, biomarker development, immunohistochemistry, and pathology peer review.

Dr. Saladino has over 20 years of experience in veterinary pathology and has completed over 250 studies including non-GLP and GLP safety assessment, animal models of human disease, radiation exposure models, medical device studies, and carcinogenicity assays in transgenic mice. She has worked at three other contract labs, with 11 years in management. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Charles Louis Davis and Samuel Wesley Thompson DVM Foundation. Dr. Saladino earned her DVM from the University of Wisconsin in 1992, then served in the Army Veterinary Corps for 10 years. She completed a pathology residency at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1999.

Dr. Young’s professional interests include cancer drug development, neuropathology, and female reproductive toxicity. Prior to StageBio, she worked at Covance, where she concentrated on non-GLP early-stage toxicology and investigational studies. Earlier, she worked at Eli Lilly and Co., where she provided pathology support for multiple drug development project teams. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and was formerly Chair of the STP/ASCVP Clinical Pathology in Carcinogenicity Studies Working Group.

Dr. Young received her DVM from Iowa State University in 1988 and her PhD in pathology from Colorado State University in 1998. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and double boarded in both anatomic and clinical pathology.

As CEO of StageBio, Lori Ball is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for StageBio, including growth planning, operations, organizational development, risk management, and quality. Ms. Ball has a proven history of global leadership in the life sciences industry. Prior to StageBio, Ms. Ball held leadership positions at BioIVT, BioStorage Technologies, and Covance. She also has in-depth knowledge and experience of the global research environment and was co-founder of The Global Initiative for the Ethical use of Human Specimens (the “GIFT Initiative”). A strong mentor and a passionate advocate for her mentees, Ms. Ball serves as a member of the CICF Women’s Fund Board of Advisors, the Anderson University Falls School of Business Marketing Advisory Board, and the Anderson University Athletics Alumni Engagement Council.

As Chief People and Business Integration Officer, Ellen Humphrey leads StageBio’s talent strategy and integration efforts. Ms. Humphrey has more than 20 years of experience leading human resources at global corporations across the healthcare, technology, professional services, and energy sectors. Prior to StageBio, Ms. Humphrey held senior human resource roles at Equian, Healthx, Appirio, and ExactTarget. An avid mentor, Ms. Humphrey serves as a board member with Pass the Torch for Women Foundation and as an Advisory Board Member to the University of Indianapolis Masters of HR Development and Administration Program.

Damon brings experiences from a broad spectrum of industries for both public and private equity-backed companies. He has guided those companies through many mergers & acquisitions and other financial transactions totaling over $500 million of M&A transactions. Prior to joining StageBio, Damon was the CFO of ChoiceStream, Inc., Boston Globe Media Group, LLC, and Sentient Jet, LLC. He also has six years of experience at "Big 4" accounting with Ernst & Young, where he gained his CPA license. His experience in small start-up environments as well as multinational corporations will be a huge benefit as we continue to grow StageBio into the leading provider of research and preclinical histology, pathology, and archiving services for the biopharmaceutical, medical device, and contract research industries. Damon is originally from Texas and now resides in Reading, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children. He received his BBA from The University of Texas and his MBA from Northeastern University.

Tom founded HSRL, now StageBio, in 1999 with the goal of providing superior histology, pathology and specimen archiving services for the biopharmaceutical, medical device, and contract research industries.

As StageBio’s Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategic Growth, Charles Coffman oversees a variety of strategic, operating, and financial initiatives including M&A, commercial, integration, and financial analysis. Prior to StageBio, Mr. Coffman was an investor at Ampersand Capital Partners, a healthcare focused private equity firm, where he was involved in growth equity financings, M&A transactions, and strategy discussions with a variety of healthcare CROs and CDMOs. Mr. Coffman began his career in investment banking at Cowen where he focused on healthcare and technology transactions. He holds a B.A. in Economics-Mathematics with a concentration in financial markets from Colby College.

Carrie joined StageBio in 2006 and manages all areas of the General Toxicologic Pathology Services division, to include Pathologists, Project Leaders, Quality Assurance, and the pathology support team.  She also continues to serve in an essential position for many of StageBio’s client relationships.  Carrie plays a key role on StageBio’s executive leadership team, utilizing expertise from her previous roles in pathology support, pathology scheduling, project management, and pricing.  Her experience includes responsibility for coordinating all pathology deliverables and deadlines among pathologists, the pathology support team, Quality Assurance and clients.  Carrie's comprehensive experience as a project manager, prior to and during her current career, makes her extremely well-suited to manage many of the daily operations at StageBio. Carrie earned her Associate of Arts degree from Frederick Community College and subsequently continued her education at Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Sam has more than 17 years of experience working in biological specimen storage and in the preclinical research industry. In this role at  StageBio, he will lead and direct the strategic vision for the company's general paraffin histology facilities as well as short-term and long-term materials archiving services.  He was also a founder and owner of HSRL Archives, LLC from 2005-2019. Sam received his BS from James Madison University.

Patty joined StageBio in 2010 as the Controller.  Now, as the Vice President of Business Optimization, Patty oversees the IT department, plays a key role in the executive leadership team, and manages company projects related to process improvement and systems development. 

As Managing Director of StageBio Germany, Ayse Bal oversees all laboratory, pathology, and commercial operations at the Freiburg, Germany site. Prior to StageBio, Ms. Bal acted as COO of TPL Path Labs GmbH.

Lori A. Wright, RQAP-GLP, is the Senior Director, Quality and Regulatory and leads StageBio’s Quality Assurance team in the US and Germany with primary objectives geared to development and execution of regulatory strategy and serving as the subject matter expert to the executive team.
Lori brings 30 years of industry experience to StageBio. She has served in quality leadership roles at Southern Research (Birmingham, AL) and Charles River Laboratories (formerly WIL Research Laboratories) in Ashland, OH. Lori serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of Quality Assurance (SQA) and she has been recognized as an SQA Distinguished Speaker each year since 2018. She earned a BS in Psychology from Ashland (Ohio) University and a Graduate Certificate in Biotechnology Regulatory Affairs from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and a Registered Quality Assurance Professional in Good Laboratory Practices (RQAP-GLP).