Laboratory Directors
Nationally recognized experts in DNA technology lead
DDC’s scientific team. Only the best are invited to take the
challenge of translating the latest DNA technology into applications
for our clients.
If you are a member of the media and are seeking expert sources on DNA testing, please email pr@dnadiagnosticscenter.com.
Dr. Michael Baird,
the Laboratory Director at DNA Diagnostics Center, has decades of
experience in the field of DNA testing. In 1982, Dr. Baird was at
the forefront of DNA testing as part of a team that pioneered identification
through DNA and then offered it commercially. In 1987, he was the
first DNA expert to testify in a U.S. court case and has since testified
in hundreds of court cases involving DNA and forensics. In 2007, Dr. Baird was appointed by the courts as the DNA expert in the paternity case involving Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn. Dr. Baird has
written and published numerous articles and manuscripts in the field
of DNA technology, paternity testing, and forensics.
Dr. Baird has appeared on several national TV shows that featured DNA testing. NBC News hired
him as their on-air DNA expert during the OJ Simpson trial. He has also been interviewed on Larry King Live, Nancy Grace, Court TV, and others.
Before joining DDC, Dr. Baird spent 7 years as Chairman of the Parentage Testing Accreditation Program Unit for the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). This organization oversees, sets rules and regulations, and accredits DNA paternity testing laboratories in the U.S. He has continued to be an active member of the AABB. In January 2008, Dr. Baird was appointed by the AABB Board of Directors as Chair of the Relationship Testing Standards Program Unit. He is in charge of rewriting the Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories, 9th Edition and the Guidance Document which will become effective in January 2010.
Dr. Baird is currently the president of HITA, the Human Identity Trade Association. This is an organization of individuals from the DNA field who represent the DNA industry to the government and the public. HITA has also sponsored workshops at international meetings such as Promega.
Dr. Susannie Lee
is the Director of Laboratory Operations at DDC. She is responsible
for planning, developing and directing all operational aspects of
the laboratory. She has personally overseen the testing of over
200,000 paternity cases in the past 5 years.
Dr. Susannie Lee served as a voting member on the American Association of Blood Bank’s (AABB) Parentage Testing Standards Committee between 2001–2005. She was actively involved in the writing of the 6th and 7th Editions of the Parentage/Relationship Testing Standards. She is also an assessor who inspects and certifies other DNA testing laboratories in the industry.
Dr. Susannie Lee received her bachelor’s degree
in Chemistry from Yale University and completed her PhD in Biological
Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. She also has earned
an MBA degree at Miami University (Ohio).
While working on her PhD, Dr. Lee became one of
the first scientists to create synthetic DNA. That experiment became
the first DNA experiment ever to go up on a Space Shuttle mission.
Before joining DDC in the mid ‘90s, Dr. Lee
worked at Procter & Gamble’s Pharmaceutical Research Division,
developing drugs for chronic inflammatory diseases.
Dr. Julie Heinig, Assistant Laboratory Director in charge of the forensic laboratory operations at DNA Diagnostics Center, performs DNA testing on crime scene evidence for DDC Forensics. Dr. Heinig designed and prepared DDC’s forensics laboratory for accreditations by the prestigious FQS-I (Forensic Quality Services-International)/ISO IEC17025 and ASCLD/LAB-International, setting up the laboratory policies and procedures and performing validation studies.
Before joining DDC, Dr. Heinig spent 4 years as a Senior Forensic Scientist/DNA Analyst at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office, where she performed testing on the highly publicized Dr. Sam Sheppard case. Dr. Heinig has appeared as an expert in a number of court cases testifying on her own casework and that of other scientists. She has extensive experience in processing crime scenes.
Dr. Heinig is an experienced lecturer, having hosted
seminars and given lectures at the Coroner’s office and offsite
to various groups including attorneys, physicians and universities.
She has also conducted crime scene evidence collection workshops
for law enforcement agencies.
|
