Babson Diagnostics Expands Executive Management Team

Babson Diagnostics is expanding its management team as it develops and prepares to commercialize its blood-testing system that leverages innovations in collection, sample handling, and analysis.
 
Babson’s new additions include: Jim Jacobson, Ph.D., vice president of clinical affairs; Cynthia Mollet, vice president of people operations; Steve Nava, vice president of service; CJ Singh, vice president of information operations; and Nicholas Turos, PharmD, vice president of business development. “I am excited with the level of passion, talent, and expertise we have brought to Babson,” CEO David Stein said. “These executives all possess strong backgrounds in healthcare, as well as a passion for advancing our values. They will help us achieve our vision of making routine blood testing easier, more accessible and less invasive.”
 
Jacobson is Babson’s laboratory director and principal investigator, responsible for clinical research to further validate the safety and efficacy of Babson’s first-of-its-kind technological ecosystem. The ongoing research will build on a clinical study conducted in 2020 that demonstrated the effectiveness of Babson’s proprietary sample collection, sample handling, and analysis technology. Jacobson holds a doctorate degree in population biology and is a senior research and development executive with experience overseeing the daily operations of high-complexity, CLIA-certified laboratories. He was at Luminex Corporation in Austin for 10 years in various positions including chief scientific officer. He is an inventor on five patents and the author of publications in genetics, molecular biology, medical devices, and laboratory science.
 
Mollet is leading the human resources team as the company rapidly grows its workforce in preparation for commercial launch. Her responsibilities include attracting and retaining talented people who will innovate with integrity. She has more than 20 years of experience as a HR leader at startups and mature businesses, developing strategies that strengthen organizational leadership skills and create inclusive cultures.
 
Nava is building a quality field service, transportation, and customer support organization to operationalize the Babson ecosystem. The company’s testing platform is designed to collect capillary blood samples at retail pharmacies, automatically process them to preserve quality and reduce waste, and transport the microsamples to Babson’s CLIA-certified laboratory for analysis—without sacrificing quality, accuracy, or menu breadth. Before joining Babson, Nava spent 18 years at Luminex Corp., where he became senior director of global field service at the biotechnology company, which manufactures biological testing technologies in the clinical diagnostic and life sciences industries.
 
Singh is developing Babson’s next-generation information technology systems, powering the company’s omni-channel digital experience for partners, providers, retailers, and patients. This digital first approach will make blood testing more accessible and easier, empowering people to take charge of their health. Singh is a seasoned IT leader with 18 years of experience managing software product strategy, engineering and IT systems for startups and Fortune 500 companies. At Molina Healthcare, he successfully led the company’s implementation of the Medicaid Management Information System for the state of Idaho.
 
Turos is overseeing the formation of business partnerships to bring Babson’s testing platform to retail pharmacies and other convenient locations. Pharmacies are playing a bigger role in improving access to affordable, quality care. There are more than 67,000 community pharmacies in the United States, and most Americans live within five miles of one. Turos, a Doctor of Pharmacy, is an industry leader in retail pharmacy, pharmacy services and operations. Most recently, he was vice president of pharmacy retail operations at McKesson, the leading wholesale distribution company and franchiser of independent pharmacies.
 
The growth of the leadership team gives Babson the momentum it needs as it enters a pivotal year in the commercialization of its technological ecosystem that will enable a full range of diagnostic testing using only small capillary samples taken from a finger.
 
Babson Diagnostics is a healthcare technology company rooted in science reimagining the entire diagnostic blood testing experience. Babson’s mission is to make routine blood testing less invasive, more convenient, and affordable, empowering people to take charge of their health. Babson will bring medically accurate blood testing to the retail pharmacy by using patented technologies and a first-of-its-kind ecosystem that requires only one-tenth the sample volume of traditional venipuncture methods without sacrificing quality, accuracy, or menu breadth. The company has received key patents in the United States, European Union, and China related to its unique end-to-end technological ecosystem and the ability to maximize the clinical utility of microsamples of blood collected from a fingertip. In addition, Babson has fully validated a broad set of miniaturized assays that are ready for commercial use in its CLIA-certified laboratory.