Our Leadership

With deep experience, diverse skills, and a shared purpose, our Board of Directors, Executive Leadership, and Management team position Geneoscopy as an industry leader devoted to transforming gastrointestinal health.

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Together

Our leadership sets and achieves ambitious goals that will change the landscape of GI healthcare through innovative diagnostics technologies.

Board of Directors

Andrew Barnell, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

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Co-founder of Geneoscopy, Andrew graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics & Management and a specialization in Finance. He received an MBA in Health Care Management and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School. Andrew began his career as a financial analyst in J.P. Morgan’s healthcare investment banking group, working primarily on M&A and capital markets transactions. Andrew also worked as an associate at Lindsay Goldberg, a middle-market private equity firm focused on partnering with family-owned businesses.

Don Hardison

Board Chair

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Don brings more than 40 years of executive leadership experience in both emerging and Fortune 500 companies to Geneoscopy’s advisory board. Most recently, Don served as President and CEO of Biotheranostics up until its acquisition by Hologic in February 2021. Prior to that, Don was President, CEO and Director at Good Start Genetics. Don also served as President and CEO of Exact Sciences, where he helped oversee the company’s initial public offering. Don has also held multiple senior leadership positions at companies such as LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, and SmithKline Beecham, where he built a strong track record in strategy development, team building, and market planning and execution.

Drew Dennison

Board Member

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Drew is Geneoscopy’s Board Chair and the Managing Director of Lightchain Capital, LLC, the family office for Scottrade Founder and former Chief Executive Officer Rodger Riney. At Lightchain, Drew is responsible for venture capital investments in the life science and technology sectors. He also assists the Riney Foundations with their philanthropic endeavors. Previously, Drew served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Scottrade Financial Services, Inc. He led the Company’s operations, technology, operations, finance, and strategic planning functions and worked at the Company for over a decade. Mr. Dennison led the sale of Scottrade to TD Ameritrade, then co- led the integration project, successfully combining the two companies. In addition, Mr. Dennison serves on the board of CareVet Holdings, ArchOncology, NextRNA and Mana Therapeutics.

Jason Dinges, JD, PhD

Board Member

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Since February 2011, Dr. Dinges has served as an investment advisor at Morningside Technology Advisory LLC. Prior to that, Dr. Dinges was an associate attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP, practicing intellectual property law in the firm’s Chemical, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical practice group. Dr. Dinges also serves on the board of directors of various privately held biotechnology companies. Dr. Dinges received his Ph.D. degree in genetics from Iowa State University and a J.D. degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.

James Merselis

Board Member

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Jim has over forty years of experience in healthcare, including twenty-two years at Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics (now Roche Diagnostics). Jim has led a number of healthcare diagnostic start-ups. From 2002 to 2007, he served as President and CEO of HemoSense, a point-of-care diagnostics company which he successfully took public (AMEX: HEM) and sold two years later to Alere (NYSE: ALR). He has also served in leadership roles at several other start-ups, including Nexus Dx (now Samsung), Alverix (now Becton Dickinson), and Micronics (now SONY). Jim is a Managing Director of Synchrony Bio, a seed stage biomedical and life science venture fund. Jim also serves on the board of several other biotechnology and diagnostics companies including Trinity Biotech, Kypha, and Abram Scientific.

Bobby W. Sandage, Jr., PhD

Board Member

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Bobby has almost 40 years in the pharmaceutical and venture capital business. He is currently Managing Director of Paula and Rodger Riney Foundation, General Partner in Cultivation Capital Life Sciences Fund II and President and CEO of Euclises Pharmaceuticals. He was formerly President and CEO of Coronado Biosciences (NASDAQ: CNDO) where he led the effort to take the company public, prior to that he was VP of oncology at Covidien Pharmaceuticals (now Mallinckrodt), and prior to that he was the executive vice president, research and development, and Chief Scientific Officer at Indevus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IDEV). He previously held senior drug development positions at DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company and Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. He serves on the boards of Immunophotonics, Endevica Biosciences and BioVentures. He received his Ph.D. in clinical pharmacy from Purdue University and his B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Arkansas.

Najeeb Thomas, MD

Board Member

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Dr. Thomas is a native of Louisiana and practices in his home city of New Orleans. He graduated medical school from Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He finished his residency in Neurological Surgery at Louisiana State University in New Orleans and completed specialized additional training in complex and minimally invasive spinal procedures in Memphis, Tennessee under the direction of Kevin T. Foley, M.D.

He has lectured about spinal procedures on five continents and has had interactions with hundreds of surgeons from around the world. He is recognized as an innovator having been involved in the development and commercialization of many medical devices and technologies. He continues to be active with industry in the latest developments of minimally invasive spine procedures and regenerative medicine technologies so his patients may receive the most advanced spinal care in the world.

Dr. Thomas has been a successful investor in multiple early technology, biotech, and medical device companies with several successful exits. He has led multiple fundraising rounds in the biotech space.

He is the Co-founder, Chairman of the Board, and Medical Director of Crescent City Surgical Centre, a multispecialty surgical hospital serving the greater New Orleans area. Additionally, he serves as Managing member of Southern Brain & Spine, a multispecialty practice focusing on diseases of the brain and spine. He currently serves as a Director for Discgenics Inc., a late stage cell therapy company focusing on the treatment of painful degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and Geneoscopy Inc., a late stage medical diagnostic company for the detection of colorectal cancer. He is a medical adviser for Climbr, Inc and Neurogami Medical. He serves as a Director for Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Foundation and is on multiple committees for the Foundation. He is Past President of the Louisiana Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has served on multiple committees for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons including as a director for (AANS) Political Action Committee. He is a member of the Louisiana Office of Worker’s Compensation Medical Advisory Committee establishing the treatment guidelines for injured workers in Louisiana. He has lectured and taught courses for multiple professional organizations throughout the world regarding advanced surgical techniques and treatment of patients with spinal disorders.

Executive Team

Andrew Barnell

Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder

Vince brings almost 18 years of experience from Roche Diagnostics, where he held senior leadership roles in marketing, sales, strategy, business development, market access, and communications. Most recently, Vince served as Roche Diagnostics’ Vice President of Sales, Point of Care Diagnostics and as Vice President / General Manager of Physician Office and Specialty Diagnostics, managing >$600M in sales. At Roche, Vince led teams serving physician groups, hospital systems, patients, biopharma, retail pharmacies, and payors in the areas of Diabetes, Oncology, Cardiovascular, Infectious Disease, and Women’s Health. Vince serves as Executive in Residence with IU Ventures. Vince earned his BA at the University of Notre Dame, JD from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Vince earned his BA at the University of Notre Dame, JD from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Vince Wong, JD, MBA

Chief Commercial Officer

Geneoscopy co-founder, Erica Barnell graduated from Cornell University with a dual degree in Biological Sciences and Applied Economics & Management. Erica is an MD/PhD candidate at the Washington University School of Medicine. In 2019, Erica completed her PhD at the McDonnell Genome Institute. Her thesis work surrounded the development of bioinformatic tools to alleviate the analysis bottleneck within precision oncology. Erica has published 19 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 11 abstracts with 4 platform presentations, and two book chapters within the oncology space. Erica conducted the original research to validate Geneoscopy’s stool extraction method and managed all feasibility studies for Geneoscopy’s colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test. Erica was responsible for existing engagement with the FDA, which includes holding three presubmission meetings and obtaining Breakthrough Device Designation for the lead CRC screening test. Erica is the lead inventor on all patents pertaining to Geneoscopy’s technology and is currently the site investigator on two IRB-approved protocols.