Leading the Field
At Athari Bio, the impacts we make every day are driven by our compassionate and collaborative leadership team. Decades of expertise and unique experiences inform creative, innovative solutions for the greatest challenges facing public health.
Susan Mitchell, MEL
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
With a strong passion for innovation, Susan Mitchell is eager to leverage her government contracting experiences to make meaningful contributions in the field and is known for protecting people, programs, and performance at the helm of Guardians of Honor. After 20+ years leading teams that support program evaluations, grants management, research, and workforce development efforts for agencies such as NSF, NIH, and NASA, Susan is deploying that body of knowledge to positively impact the biotech industry via her newest venture, Athari BioSciences, an independent CLIA certified BSL-2 diagnostic, research, and training laboratory. Driven by collaboration and a deep desire to advance wellness and workforce initiatives, Susan brings her expertise to the forefront with unwavering dedication. Her efforts sustain the integrity of operational and program objectives and drive improvement and access. Her passion is safeguarding economic structures and transformation by facilitating purposeful participation and creating capacity within the broader economic landscape at all levels.
Susan is an implementation scientist and translational researcher committed to delivering knowledge, skills, and abilities that solve the contemporary challenges of today while developing solutions for a brighter tomorrow. Ms. Mitchell graduated from Norfolk State University with a B.S. in Mass Communications. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Legal Studies from Hampton University and successfully completed her Master’s in Executive Leadership from Liberty University’s Stern School of Business.
Tammey Naab, MD
Chief Medical Officer & Laboratory Director
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tammey Naab has a 28-year career as a laboratory director, 20 years as the Director of Laboratory Services at Howard University Hospital, and eight years as the Laboratory Director at a private lab in Maryland. She is triple boarded in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and medical microbiology.
She earned her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed her pathology residency, followed by a fellowship in medical microbiology at Cleveland Clinic.
She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Pathology, College of American Pathologists, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, and Association for Molecular Pathology.
During the past decade, she has authored 121 posters, which have been presented at annual national meetings, and has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. Her areas of clinical expertise include medical microbiology, infectious diseases, molecular genetics, genitourinary pathology, breast pathology, and genogenic immunohistochemistry. She has a special research interest in COVID-19.
She has a special research interest in COVID-19, Long Covid, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
Kareem Washington, PhD
Chief Clinical Operations Officer
Dr. Washington, Ph.D., obtained his doctorate in Biochemical Genetics from Howard University and received specialized training in Gene Therapy for Molecular and Clinical Hematology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases ( NIDDK ) and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
During his post-doctoral tenure in the Molecular & Clinical Hematology lab, Dr. Washington played a pivotal role in the advancement of lentiviral therapy, which is currently undergoing clinical trials. His research has prominently focused on RNA trans-splicing, a pivotal component of gene therapy.
With a career spanning 25 years, Dr. Washington has made significant contributions to translational sciences, particularly in the development of gene therapy and gene editing for inherited diseases. Additionally, he boasts over a decade of experience in teaching and serving as an expert as the Genetics Graduate Program Chair.
Tshaka Cunningham, PhD
Chief Scientific & Technical Advisor
Dr. Cunningham, Ph.D., completed his doctoral studies in Virology and Immunology at Rockefeller University in New York City, following an undergraduate education in Molecular Biology from Princeton University.
His professional journey includes serving as an Associate Research Scientist within the Cardiovascular Drug Discovery Division at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Additionally, Dr. Cunningham has provided independent consultation services to a diverse range of biotech companies, including both established firms and early-stage startups.
With a robust background spanning over 25 years, Dr. Cunningham has amassed extensive expertise in basic and applied translational research encompassing genomics, molecular and cellular biology. Furthermore, his skill set extends to biotechnology product development and consultancy within the life sciences domain.
