Epigenetic Experts & Aging Authorities
At TruDiagnostic, we are firm believers that harnessing the power of epigenetic data can help the world live longer and healthier lives! We are a group of innovative doctors, researchers, clinicians, molecular biologists, biotechnology leaders, and diagnostic professionals.
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Experience Officer
Chief Technology Officer
Global Head of Research & Dev.
Director of Clinical Testing
Director of Bioinformatics
Clinical Genetics
Chief of Staff
Director of Laboratory Operations
VP of Marketing
VP of Operations
Dr. Matt Dawson, MD
Dr. Matthew Dawson attended medical school at The University of Kentucky before completing his residency in emergency medicine at The University of Utah, where he served as both chief resident and fellow. After practicing medicine and serving as an associate professor at the University of Kentucky for seven years, Dr. Dawson developed a deep interest in genomics and epigenetics, realizing their potential to revolutionize our understanding of health and longevity. As the CEO of TruDiagnostic, Dr. Dawson leads the company’s mission to advance the science of epigenetics and provide groundbreaking insights into aging and disease prevention. His dedication to optimizing human performance, which began with his personal focus on fitness and nutrition, has evolved into a professional pursuit of harnessing epigenetic data to extend health span and improve overall well-being. Under his leadership, TruDiagnostic is at the forefront of epigenetic testing and research, empowering individuals and researchers with actionable information about biological aging, disease susceptibility, and personalized health strategies. Dr. Dawson’s passion for using cutting-edge science to impact lives is evident in his efforts to bridge the gap between epigenetic research and practical healthcare applications. He has trained physicians and healthcare providers in the importance of epigenetic markers, ensuring that TruDiagnostic’s work continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in preventive health. He regularly shares insights through public speaking and educational platforms, advocating for the role of epigenetics in reshaping healthcare. Fast Facts: Started a landscaping business in middle school and sold it in high school Co-owner & Chief Farming Officer of the Kentucky Castle Co-Founder of Wild Health Co-Founder of Ultrasound Leadership Academy Real Estate Investor
Dr. Mike Mallin, MD
Dr. Mike Mallin is a board certified emergency physician and practicing precision medicine physician with over a decade of experience in the integration of generative AI, product management, and user experience design within the healthcare sector. Currently serving as the Chief Experience Officer at TruDiagnostic, Dr. Mallin leads the development and implementation of innovative epigenetic diagnostic products, focusing on enhancing both clinical utility and user engagement. Dr. Mallin’s career is marked by significant contributions to precision medicine. As a co-founder of Wild Health, he played a pivotal role in advancing personalized healthcare, achieving notable outcomes in chronic disease management through lifestyle interventions. His expertise extends to the development of AI-driven health coaching platforms, as demonstrated by his work at Holis, where he oversees the integration of biometrics, genetics, and laboratory data into personalized wellness programs. In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Mallin has a strong academic background, with over 20 peer-reviewed publications in the fields of precision medicine and emergency ultrasound. His work has consistently focused on translating complex scientific research into practical healthcare solutions, with a commitment to improving patient outcomes through the application of advanced technologies.
Chris Walker
Chris Walker is a seasoned technology leader with a rich background in both software engineering and athletics. Graduating from Texas A&M University in 2006 with a BS in Computer Science, Chris distinguished himself not only in the classroom but also on the court as a starter for the Texas A&M Men's Basketball team from 2004-2006. His ability to balance rigorous academics with the demands of collegiate sports laid the foundation for his future success. Chris is the visionary founder of two innovative SaaS platforms. His first venture was the pioneering cloud-based Test & Balance engineering platform, a tool that facilitated the synchronization of data from remote clients to a central server. His second venture was a cloud marketplace designed for trainers to distribute exercise programs and for athletes to track their progress. Over the past 13 years, Chris has led engineering teams across various domains, including healthcare, exercise & nutrition, Test & Balance engineering, and heat transfer engineering. His expertise lies in guiding teams to build distributed cloud applications and in leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to create industry leading products.
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith is founder of TruDiagnsotic. Ryan received a BA in biochemistry from Transylvania University before heading to medical school in 2013. After passing USMLE Step 1, he decided to leave and open up a pharmacy in the United States that focused on peptide synthesis and formulations for pharmaceutical preparations. That pharmacy, Tailor Made Compounding, became the 4th fastest growing company in healthcare in the US and grew to 80 million in revenue within 3 years. Through this pharmacy work, Ryan saw the value of preventative medicine. Many of the physicians Tailor Made served were treating age as a disease and a primary outcome but needed better tools to measure this process. As a result, Ryan exited Tailor Made in 2020 to create TruDiagnostic. TruDiagnostic is a CLIA certified lab and health data company which specializes in understanding and reporting insights found through Epigenetic methylation data. Since starting in 2020, TruDiagnostic has created the largest private epigenetic database in the world with over 15,000 patients tested on the EPIC850k array. From this dataset, they have created many new algorithms to interpret methylation data including algorithms to predict inflammatory markers, disease diagnosis, telomere length, aging pace, immune cell subsets, cellular replication, and more. TruDiagnostics has also led research in the field with over 30+ clinical trials investigating the best ways to reverse these markers through diet, lifestyle, and prescription interventions. Currently, TruDiagnostic is working with collaborators from Duke, Harvard, Yale, UCSF, Ohio St. and more to uncover new insights from the methylome. TruDiagnostic is also the only commercial company on the market to offer 2nd or 3rd generation aging algorithms which have shown to be more predictive and precise than 1st generation aging clocks. In addition to his work with pharmaceuticals, Ryan also consults with international pharmacies and has set up pharmacies in Thailand and Mexico. In addition, Ryan has developed novel supplements and cosmetic formulations with multiple 100M supplement brands and consults with clinics in the cash pay wellness space.
Hannah Went
Hannah Went has a lifelong passion for longevity and breakthrough, disruptive technologies that drive radical improvement to the human condition. She attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a degree in Biology. During that time, she had multiple research internships studying cell signaling and cell biology. After graduation, she worked for the International Peptide Society as their Director of Research and Content. Through work in the integrative medicine industry, Hannah saw an opportunity for methylation based age diagnostics and started TruDiagnostic in 2020. TruDiagnostic is a company focusing on methylation array-based diagnostics for life extension and preventive healthcare serving functional medicine providers. TruDiagnostic has a commitment to research with over 30 approved clinical trials investigating the epigenetic methylation changes of longevity and health interventions. Since TruDiagnostic’s inception, they have created one of the largest private epigenetic health databases in the world with over 75,000 patients tested to date. Hannah has since created Everything Epigenetics where she shares insights on how DNA regulation has an impact on your health.
Dr. Varun Dwaraka
Dr. Varun Dwaraka serves as the Head of Bioinformatics at TruDiagnostic, where he leads a team dedicated to developing and implementing advanced machine learning methods to identify epigenetic biomarkers. These models are crucial for understanding the molecular biology of aging and investigating the associations between aging, disease, and overall mortality risk. Dr. Dwaraka holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a PhD in Biology from the University of Kentucky. At TruDiagnostic, Dr. Dwaraka also serves as a Principal Investigator, leading the scientific investigations conducted by the company, with a current H-index of 8 as of August 2024. Many of these studies have garnered significant attention in popular culture, including Forbes, BBC, The Times of London, Newsweek, The Aesthetic Magazine, and Men's Health Magazine; documentaries presented on Netflix (“You Are What You Eat”) and HBO (“Curious Case of Natalia Grace”); and various popular health and science podcasts. His scientific endeavors have earned him a full membership to the prestigious Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, and recognition as a 2023 Foresight Fellow in Biotechnology and Health Expansion, an accolade awarded by the Foresight Institute. In his free time, Dr. Dwaraka enjoys maintaining an active lifestyle through HIIT workouts, hiking, and mountain biking. He also enjoys traveling, managing a photography business, producing music, and being a dog dad.
Melissa Keinath
Dr. Melissa Keinath is a board-certified laboratory geneticist with over 10 years of experience in clinical cytogenetic and molecular genetic analyses, specializing in the diagnoses and management of oncological and germline genetic diseases. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, where she tackled complex genomic issues in evolutionarily significant vertebrate species and served as a graduate-level bioinformatics teaching assistant (including mentoring Dr. Dwaraka, TruDiagnostic’s head of bioinformatics!) Melissa completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Carnegie Institution for Science, focusing on cytogenetics in lampbrush chromosomes and epigenetic modifications using direct RNA sequencing. During this time, she was a lead teaching assistant for a Practical Genomics course at Johns Hopkins University. At the height of Covid, Melissa relocated again to complete a three-year clinical fellowship in laboratory genomics and genetics at Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals. At TruDiagnostic Melissa spends most of her time training healthcare providers on the interpretation of epigenetic test results and their integration into clinical practice. She is deeply interested in how epigenetics can be woven into a comprehensive understanding of a patient’s overall clinical profile and more broadly interested in how epigenetics could be incorporated into hematology. She is also the lab’s CLIA lab director.
Jordan Weiter
Jordan Weiter serves as the Chief of Staff at TruDiagnostic, where she contributes to advancing the company’s mission in epigenetic research and healthspan optimization. With a background in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky, Jordan applies an analytical approach to her work. Her experience includes running operations at Wild Labs and co-founding Harbor Behavioral Health, where she learned how to navigate the challenges of scaling startups and improving organizational efficiency. At TruDiagnostic, Jordan is responsible for streamlining operations, aligning the team with strategic goals, and fostering a collaborative, supportive work culture. She is dedicated to ensuring that the company’s operational excellence supports its cutting-edge work in epigenetics. Jordan’s focus on building efficient systems and nurturing innovation continues to play a key role in the company’s growth and success.
Tavis Mendez
Tavis has a PhD in Pathobiology with experience in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry techniques. With over 2 decades of laboratory experience across North America and Asia, he has gained insight in lab management and upholding standards of several Federal guidelines such as IACUC and CLIA. Tavis’ focus was lipidology and genetics of an intestinal parasite which helped secure a $2.1 million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH). Acquiring several other grants such as the Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (RISE), Tavis was able to work in the fields of cancer and hypertension, learning several scientific techniques to power the studies such as Mass Spectrometry and Confocal/Electron Microscopy. With his scientific background, Tavis has always been devoted to studying nutrition, lifestyle and its effect on human health. Now at TruDiagnostic, he is applying this passion using microarray technology for epigenetics as Lab Director. With this state-of-the-art platform, he seeks to push forward research in aging and well-being to advance the field of preventative healthcare.
Katherine Gruneisen
Katherine Gruneisen is the Vice President and Head of Marketing at TruDiagnostic, where she leads initiatives to build brand equity, drive commercial growth, and advance the company’s mission of empowering individuals with epigenetics. Katherine earned her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds dual B.S. degrees in Finance and Marketing with honors from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. She brings a wealth of leadership experience, having previously led teams in brand strategy, sales, and e-commerce across the health, technology, and consumer sectors. Katherine's career spans a diverse range of businesses, from startups—including her own venture focused on gynecology and women’s health—to Fortune 500 companies. Her passions lie at the intersection of brand storytelling and the transformative power of precision medicine. Katherine is committed to advancing education and access to epigenetic insights at TruDiagnostic, driving the company’s role as a leader in the field.
Jamie Kennedy
Jamie, the Vice President of Operations and Head of Compliance, brings 15 years of experience in the dental and telehealth sectors. A native of North Carolina, Jamie is married to her high school sweetheart and is a proud mother of one daughter and two pup dogs. With a proven track record in building and optimizing high-performing teams, she leads initiatives in IT operations, security, compliance, and company-wide operations. Jamie is passionate about bringing structure to chaos, helping others not only excel in their roles but also enjoy their work. She’s equally committed to guiding other leaders in achieving balance in their professional and personal lives.
Fate/stay night
La città di Fuyuki è il perfetto palcoscenico per lo svolgersi di un antico rituale. Al fine di ottenere il leggendario Santo Graal, sette maghi riceveranno sette Spiriti Eroici scelti dal Graal stesso. Ogni mago stringerà un patto con il proprio Servant al fine di sconfiggere gli altri partecipanti ed ottenere l’agognata ricompensa. Questa è la “Guerra del Santo Graal” e la battaglia inizia ora!
FAQs
Epigenetics refers to changes in gene activity that do not alter the DNA sequence but can affect gene expression. These changes are influenced by various factors such as lifestyle, environment, and age. Understanding epigenetics allows us to see how external factors can impact our genetic code and overall health.
A biological age test measures the age of your cells and tissues, which can differ from your chronological age. It provides insights into your overall health and can help predict the risk of age-related diseases. By tracking your biological age, you can see how lifestyle changes affect your health over time.
Our tests are developed in collaboration with leading academic institutions and are based on cutting-edge research. We measure over 1,000,000 CpG locations on your DNA to provide highly accurate and reliable results.
TruAge is our most comprehensive test, offering an in-depth analysis of over 75 biomarkers related to aging and health. It includes reports on telomere length, immune system age, and the impacts of lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol.
TruAge tests are developed using the latest generation of aging algorithms and measure a comprehensive range of biomarkers. Our tests are backed by extensive research and collaborations with top academic institutions, providing highly accurate and actionable insights.
Yes, our laboratory services are CLIA certified and HIPAA compliant, ensuring the highest standards of data security and patient confidentiality.