UPMC Genome Center Team

Ed joined the UPMC Genome Center in early 2022 as Senior Director, Clinical Genomics Service in the Translational Sciences Division of UPMC Enterprises. In this leadership role, his focus is on the enhancement and expansion of the UPMC Genome Center to meet the evolving genomic testing needs of a dynamic and growing UPMC Integrated Delivery and Financing System and its affiliated University of Pittsburgh research community.

Ed Smith began his healthcare career as a Certified Genetic Counselor in the clinical areas of Prenatal and Pediatric Genetics. He is an experienced, accomplished leader with progressive advancement through multiple layers of responsibility and proven success in the identification of new market opportunities and strategic positioning in the rapidly evolving health care environment. In his 30+ years in healthcare, he has held hospital leadership roles in departments offering both clinical and laboratory genetic services as well as clinical and anatomic pathology services.

Ed is a graduate of Bloomsburg University (B.S. Biology), the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (M.S. Genetic Counseling) and the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business (M.B.A.).

Daniel Bellissimo is the Lab Director of the UPMC Genome Center and the UPMC Clinical Genomics Laboratories.  Daniel is responsible for clinical test development and validation, the review and reporting of clinical results.  He also serves as the CLIA Lab director and program director for the Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship program.

Before joining the UPMC Genome Center, Daniel was a Lab Director at BloodCenter of Wisconsin (1996-2015) and Lab Director at UPMC Clinical Genomic Lab (2015-present).

Daniel is a medical geneticist, board-certified in clinical molecular genetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics and an ACMG Fellow.  He received his BS from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a PhD from Duke University.  He completed his post-doctoral training in molecular genetics at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Fen Guo is a board-certified professional in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) and in Molecular Genetics by the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists (CCMG). She also holds a Laboratory Director Certificate of Qualification in Genetic Testing and Oncology, awarded by the New York State Department of Health.

Currently, Dr. Guo serves as the Associate Director at UPMC Genome Center (UGC) and UPMC Clinical Genomics Lab (UCGL). Additionally, she holds a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining UPMC, she worked at PerkinElmer Genomics (PKIG) as a Clinical Reporting Director, where she also managed clinical production and R&D for the NGS section.

Dr. Guo possesses profound experience in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics. She is highly skilled in delivering precise and accurate clinical diagnoses through genome and exome sequencing, ensuring timely and efficient results for clients. Her expertise extends to clinical assay design, development, validation, and implementation. Dr. Guo is proficient in technical troubleshooting, laboratory workflow optimization, and automation strategy planning and execution. Her passion lies in making a positive impact in the workplace, addressing challenges proactively, and seeking new opportunities to enhance the best patient care.

Dr. Guo’s research interest centers on employing multi-omics approaches—including genomics, epigenomics, and proteomics—to address rare genetic diseases and investigate their underlying causes. She is dedicated to expanding our knowledge in these fields to improve diagnostics and understand the mechanisms of disease.

Dara Kozak is the Director of Operations for the UPMC Genome Center.  Dara oversees the Lab, Bioinformatics, IT, and Project Management teams to uphold the high standards of a CAP/CLIA certified laboratory.  In addition to that, she works closely with the UGC CAP/CLIA Lab Director and upper-level management in decision making, budgeting, and working towards the UPMC Genome Center’s long-term goals.  She takes great pride in the work that the UPMC Genome Center performs and is constantly working towards the vision to improve the lives of patients through the development and delivery of comprehensive genomic testing.

Dara started at UPMC in 2012 and joined the UPMC Genome Center in 2017 as a Senior manager of Data and Technology. Dara has a wealth of experience in many of UPMC’s applications as well as becoming an expert in integrating patient, provider, and genomic data from different sources such as EPIC, Cerner, and Medipac. Dara has over 20 years of experience in areas such as project management, managing multi-functional teams, quality assurance, data warehousing, master data management/data governance, managing custom applications, and IT infrastructure.

Dara earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Information Science/Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Lindsey Kelly is currently the Laboratory Manager at the UPMC Genome Center. Lindsey manages the lab team, working closely with them to perform clinical whole genome, exome, and transcriptome testing. She also works with researchers to coordinate in-house testing and sequencing of submitted libraries. Lindsey leads the quality management program for the UCG under CAP and CLIA guidelines.

Lindsey has over ten years of clinical molecular laboratory experience, working at UPMC clinical and research labs before joining the UPMC Genome Center. In her roles before the Genome Center, Lindsey performed routine molecular testing using traditional sanger sequencing and fragment analysis. She also worked to implement new next-generation sequencing assays for clinical tests at UPMC, helping to fulfill UPMC’s value of Excellence and Innovation.

Lindsey earned her BS degree from Duquesne University and her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Pathology and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Maureen is currently a project manager at the UPMC Genome Center. Maureen’s focus at the UPMC Genome Center is facilitating research and clinical testing to support providers in delivering exceptional evidence-based care to our patient community.

Prior to joining the UPMC Genome Center team, Maureen worked as a clinical genetic counselor (GC) with a focus on hereditary gynecologic and gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. In her work on the hospital Commission on Cancer committee, Maureen collaborated with pathologists, colorectal surgeons, and medical oncologists to establish a system wide tumor-based screening program for Lynch syndrome in newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients. As a laboratory GC, she focused on test methodology and design, clinical decision support tools, laboratory stewardship, and process improvement. These experiences have inspired a passion for making genetic healthcare accessible, safe, and equitable for patients and simple for providers.

Maureen’s first career was in medical wraparound and family preservation services, where she worked with several families affected by generations of genetic disorders sparked her interest in genetic counseling.

Maureen is a past vice-chair of the Education Committee for the Collaborative Group of the Americas for Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer and an active member if the University of Pittsburgh MS in Genetic Counseling program admissions committee. She earned her MS in genetic counseling at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.