Our Scientific and Administrative Management Team:

John R. Cashman. Ph.D., Director and Founder, has more than 23 years experience in biomedical research as a researcher, consultant, entrepreneur or administrator. In 1997, he founded the Human BioMolecular Research Institute, a non-profit research institute dedicated to performing fundamental and applied research to address important human diseases of the central nervous system. Previously, he was Senior Scientist at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and prior to that, he was Associate Director for the IGEN Research Institute in Seattle, Washington. In 1984, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Professor E.J. Corey (1982-1984). In 1990, Professor Corey received the Nobel Prize. Dr. Cashman received his Masters and doctorate degrees in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas (1982). Prior to graduate school, he obtained bachelor degrees in chemistry and biology at the College of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara (1977). Dr. Cashman was a University of California Presidents Undergraduate Researcher (1974-1976), received a Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research fellowship (1975), was a PEW Scholar Nominee at the University of California, San Francisco (1986), received a March of Dimes Basil O’Connor Research Award (1986), was appointed Technical Advisor, San Francisco Estuary Project (1990) and was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1996. In 1991, Dr. Cashman was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board, Chemical Research in Toxicology and in 1999 he was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of Current Drug Metabolism. Dr. Cashman is the author of over 150 research articles or book chapters and 6 patents in the area of drug discovery and evaluation. He is extensively consulted by biotechnology, pharmaceutical industry and government in various areas of human drug development, drug safety evaluation, medicinal chemistry, pharmacogenetics and biochemical toxicology. Dr. Cashman is on the Board of Directors of three biotechnology companies.

Click Here to View a list of Publications by John R. Cashman, Ph.D

Jun Zhang, Ph.D., Senior Scientist. Prior to her current position, Dr. Zhang was a Staff Scientist at HBRI. Dr. Zhang has a broad background in parasitology, molecular biology, protein chemistry, cell biology and neuroscience. Dr. Zhang’s research interests are in the neuronal system development and the cellular response of neuronal cells to internal and environmental stimuli, such as viral infection, drug treatment and aging. Dr. Zhang recently received the New Investigator Award from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), studying the neuronal cell apoptosis pathways induced by nicotine and its metabolites. The proposed research should help understand the detailed mechanisms of nicotine-mediated neuronal cell death and the sensitivity of differently aged neurons to nicotine exposure, and may promote a better understanding of fetal brain damages during maternal smoking. Dr. Zhang also actively participates in studies of drug metabolism in brain and targets for drug abuse treatment. Currently, Dr. Zhang has published or submitted 17 scientific papers, abstracts or presentations. She has co-authored one patent application. Dr. Zhang received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Microbiology from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1997 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University in 1999. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Nanjing University in Nanjing, China in 1991.

Rebekah Handley, Chief Operating Officer. Mrs. Handley currently serves as the institute's Chief Operating Officer. Prior to her current position, Mrs. Handley was the Senior Administrative Officer at HBRI. She received her B.A. in Business Administration from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2002.

Harry Duffield, C.P.A., Consulting Accountant. Mr. Duffield is a C.P.A. in private practice in San Diego, CA. Mr. Duffield has extensive experience in working with and in conducting audits for the for-profit and non-profit areas. He consults widely for Subchapter S clients, Corporate Clients, Non-profit organizations and Partnership clients. Prior to his self-employment, Mr. Duffield was Vice-President of Finance, Picerne Associates, San Diego, CA, from 1993 to 1994. Before that he was Vice President and Controller for McKellar Development from 1985 to 1993. From 1982 to 1985, Mr. Duffield was Corporate Controller for McMillin Development, San Diego, CA. Before that, he was Controller for La Jolla Development Company, La Jolla, CA. From 1972 to 1978, he was on the Audit Staff of Deloitte and Touche, and West, Blue and Kuhn, San Diego, CA, and Plante and Moran, Detroit, MI. Mr. Duffield obtained his B.A. of Business Administration and his C.P.A. certification in 1972.

Institute Affiliate Members

Geraldine Lampkin, M.S., Associate Scientist

Ronald Christopher, Ph.D., Associate Scientist

Nicholas Schork, Ph.D., Associate Scientist

Milan Fiala, M.D., Associate Scientist

James Leushner, Ph.D., Associate Scientist