Management

Dwight H. Egan; Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Egan has been an officer and director since April 2013. Mr. Egan has been engaged in private investment business from February 1999 to the present. He was a senior executive at Data Broadcasting Corporation, a leading provider of wireless, real-time financial market data, news and sophisticated fixed- income portfolio analytics to 27,000 individual and professional investors from 1995 to 1999. He co-founded and served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Broadcast International, Inc. from 1984 to 1995, when Data Broadcasting Corporation acquired Broadcast International and created CBS MarketWatch, a leading financial news site and participated in its initial public offering. Mr. Egan’s prior experience in directing a public company and working with capital markets gives him valuable experience in advising the board on matters of finance and operations.

Brian L. Brown, CPA; Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Brown was appointed Chief Financial Officer in February 2021. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of A-Core Concrete Cutting, Inc., a privately held specialty construction company, and was Vice President of Accounting, Treasury & Investor Relations, in addition to Director of Finance, for Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPWH), a publicly traded outdoor sporting goods retailer. Prior to becoming a Certified Public Accountant in 2007, Mr. Brown received his Master of Professional Accountancy (MPrA) degree from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business in 2001 and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from the University of Utah in 2000. Mr. Brown’s experience in finance, accounting, and roles directing successful financial departments all help make Mr. Brown a critical component of the Co-Diagnostics management team.

Mark Poritz, PhD; Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Poritz was appointed Chief Scientific Officer in November 2022. Previously, he served as CSO of the Co-Diagnostics subsidiary, Idaho Molecular, where he was supervising the development of the biochemical reagents for the Co-Dx PCR platform. Dr. Poritz has spent the last 25 years working on infectious disease therapeutics and diagnostics. He joined Idaho Technology in 2002 to write the NIH grant that funded the initial development of the FilmArray IVD platform. He led the development of the chemistry and molecular biology aspects of the first FilmArray product – the respiratory pathogen panel. After the acquisition of Idaho Technology/BioFire by bioMérieux, Dr. Poritz moved to BioFire Defense where he led the assay design effort for the US Department of Defense FilmArray Global Fever panel. Dr. Poritz received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his PhD in Genetics from the University of California at San Francisco.

International

Mayuranki Almaula, PhD; Sr. VP Overseas Operations and Strategic Alliances

Dr. Almaula is responsible for establishing clinical verification and validation strategies that support our diagnostic portfolios. This involves supporting the India-based clinical and manufacturing operations for our joint venture, CoSara Diagnostics Pvt Ltd. Dr. Almaula has provided support in establishing relationships across multiple continents for companies including Insilico Sciences, as Business Development Director, Gen Probe (now Hologic), as supporting the Senior Executive VP of Business Development in defining and executing their India strategy, and Symbiosis Biowares in their International Business Development strategy. Mayuranki completed a Masters in Microbiology from Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda, and a doctorate in Microbiology from Stanford University.

Cameron Gundry; Head of Commercialization LATAM/EUR

Mr. Gundry has over 20 years’ experience in qPCR technique invention, instrument and clinical assay manufacture, product development and management, and commercialization of molecular diagnostic products. Mr. Gundry’s background also includes 18 years with BioFire Diagnostics, working closely with that company’s founders, a Master’s of Science in Lab Medicine and Biomedical Science from the University of Utah, and peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and PCR-related patents that have collectively been cited more than 2,000 times. Currently, Cameron brings his breadth of experience to bear in overseeing the sales and commercialization efforts of the Company’s products throughout Latin America and Europe.

Research and Development

Rebecca A. Garcia, PhD, MLT (ASCP)^CM; VP of Product Development

Dr. Garcia’s direction has been instrumental in Co-Diagnostics acquiring ISO-13485 certification, the Company’s development of over 20 assays, several of which are approaching product launch in 2019, and global expansion of testing and manufacturing. She has extensive experience developing and translating molecular diagnostic assays for clinical application. Dr. Garcia is co-inventor of several Co-Diagnostic’s patented technologies. She finished her doctoral degree in Healthcare Genetics from Clemson University and B.A. in Natural Sciences with an emphasis in Biology from Erskine College. Dr. Garcia has several publications and continues to present at conferences and workshops. She is an avid supporter of genomic health policy and global healthcare initiatives. 

Jana Kent, PhD; Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Kent develops novel applications of the Company’s proprietary and patented technology, often facilitated through partnerships with agricultural and other biotechnology firms. More recently this has included high-throughput testing for SNP detection with CoPrimers for agriculture and liquid biopsy uses. Dr. Kent received her doctorate in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Institute of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, Charles University (Prague). Her past experience includes time with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and the Wittwer Laboratory for DNA Analysis at the University of Utah.