About Us

Ciarán Lawlor

Chief Executive Officer

Ciarán’s career has been shaped by entrepreneurship, leadership, and a relentless drive to build organizations grounded in excellence and service. After emigrating to the United States, he pursued opportunities that allowed him to develop and scale successful ventures, gaining extensive experience in operations, strategy, and customer-focused growth. His leadership philosophy emphasizes integrity, accountability, and long-term value principles that continue to guide his work today.

Throughout his professional journey, Ciarán has remained committed to delivering quality and earning trust through performance. His ability to combine strategic vision with disciplined execution has enabled him to build strong teams and sustainable businesses. This foundation in business leadership ultimately positioned him to take on challenges far greater than commercial success alone.

It was Ciarán’s personal journey that inspired him to co-found Chronetyx. After losing his wife, Brandi, to cancer, his purpose became deeply personal: to help combat cancer and other devastating diseases. Guided by the words of St. John “Do good for yourself, by doing good for others.” Ciarán seeks to unite compassion, innovation, and business discipline to support patients, clinicians, and families in the fight against disease, honoring Brandi’s memory through meaningful and lasting impact.

Tim Hodge

Managing Director

Tim Hodge serves as the Managing Director of Chronetyx, with a background that spans over two decades in the diverse areas of clinical, translational, research and administrative laboratory medicine/pathology. His professional journey has always centered on patient care, and he continuously works to bridge laboratory services with physicians and their patients, creating a seamless interface of care and communication. His insights into the challenges facing clinical high complexity molecular testing, especially in an era marked by rapid technological advances and reimbursement constraints, make him an invaluable leader. He remains ever focused on the broader vision of what’s possible, celebrating opportunities for growth and innovation.

Before joining the ranks at Chronetyx, Tim’s vast experience stretched across esteemed institutions like LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, and the University of Cincinnati Hospital. He was the co-founder, President, and Chief Science Officer at Transnetyx and most recently the Director of Pathology at UT Pathology. Tim is not just a leader but also an innovator, pioneering groundbreaking technologies in the molecular laboratory. Among his many accomplishments, he led the initiative behind the creation of automated systems crucial for Next Generation Sequencing and PCR. A thought leader in his domain, Tim’s inventions and forward-thinking methodologies have been recognized and cited in an array of scientific journals and peer-reviewed articles, attesting to his indelible mark on the field.

Dr. Abdallah Azouz

Clinical Consultant

Dr. Abdallah Azouz is a distinguished name in the world of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Currently holding the esteemed position of Chief of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, Dr. Azouz’s role isn’t just administrative; he actively participates in steering various committees, ensuring the highest standards of medical practice and patient care. His certifications in both Anatomic Pathology/Clinical Pathology and Hematopathology underscore his depth of knowledge and commitment to his specialty. Throughout his career, he has displayed unmatched leadership.

His foray into medicine has seen him in pivotal roles at numerous healthcare centers, notably the President of the medical staff at Regional One Health Medical Center. Additionally, Dr. Azouz’s academic tenure included being named the interim Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center which has enriched his practice with a blend of research and hands-on experience. His educational credentials are commendable. Furthermore, he’s a recipient of numerous accolades like the Lawrie B. Morrison Best Research Award, and he’s been an active participant in cutting-edge medical research. His affiliations with prestigious medical societies and a rich portfolio of peer-reviewed journal articles showcase Dr. Azouz as a mentor, educator, and fierce patient advocate in the healthcare community.

Dr. Para Kumaravelu

Chief Science Officer

As Chief Science Officer, Dr. Kumaravelu conceptualizes, manages, and transforms abstract scientific concepts into practical applications. She bridges the gap between theoretical research and real-world implementation by designing and executing experiments that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Her deep analytical thinking combined with creative approaches to overcoming technical challenges forms the backbone of Chronetyx laboratory operations and assay development.

Dr. Kumaravelu is a highly accomplished program management and technology leader with over twenty-five years of expertise in drug development, clinical and research molecular diagnostics, automation, and biopharmaceutical production. She specializes in laboratory-developed test (LDT) implementation, as well as project improvement and remediation. Dr. Kumaravelu has established a proven track record with her focus on PCR, Next-Generation Sequencing, cell therapy, oncology, and personalized medicine. She provides expert guidance to our diverse cross-functional teams, including physicians, executives, regulatory professionals, and international partners.

Stephen Dukes

Chief Information Officer

For over three decades, Stephen has dedicated his career to the design, development, testing, and deployment of information technology systems. As Chief Information Officer, Stephen provides leadership and strategic direction for the planning and implementation of all information and bioinformatics systems at Chronetyx. This includes the design and development of the Chronetyx Laboratories Operations Control System or CLOCS, a proprietary custom Lab Information Management System (LIMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system as well as the Chronetyx Express Online Ordering application (CLEO), a customer focused system aimed at simplifying the ordering of Chronetyx services, sample tracking, and result retrieval.

Stephen’s experience with logistical and tracking software systems, and database architecture began at FedEx Express, where he served as the project manager for design, testing, and rollout of the PowerPad handheld, replacing FedEx’s original electronic scanning and tracking system. Also while at FedEx, Stephen served as manager of Global Support Systems where he lead a team to maintain and enhance FedEx’s international shipping and customs control systems. Stephen’s laboratory and healthcare technology experience was culminated over 16 years as Partner and Chief Software Architect of Mellon Consulting Group, whose clients include small and medium sized laboratories and clinics, hospital systems, medical research firms, and fortune 500 companies. Stephen also serves as Technology Director on the board of several for profit and charitable organizations.

Brian Reed

Chief Engineer

Brian Reed is a seasoned automation engineer with over 20 years of experience in multiple industries. Before joining Chronetyx, Brian obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. From there Brian’s education and predilection to process control/improvement allowed him to gain experience in the fields of pharmaceutical research in a laboratory environment, industrial automation/control, field applications, and genetics for crop research and development.

Throughout his work experience, Brian has been a leader in design, implementation and deployment of automation systems for the continuous improvement of critical operations. Specializing in automated liquid handling, controls, mechatronics, and computer programming, Brian leverages that experience to deliver process improvement and automation solutions that provide meaningful increases in productivity while decreasing the cost and time inputs required. Regardless of the business type, size and structure, by focusing on client needs, his experience and education has been a substantial benefit to every employer he has had the opportunity to serve.