Ms. Maya Mitalipova

Director of Central Asia Outreach

Maya attended Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy and in 1988 she received her master’s degree in Genetics. She then returned to Almaty, Kazakhstan where she worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Experimental Biology.After earning her PhD from the Moscow Medical Genetics Institute in 1995, Maya was given a position as Senior Research Scientist there.

In 1996 a prominent professor-embryologist, Neal First invited Maya to work in his laboratory at University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a postdoctoral scientist in First’s lab, her colleague-scientists in Scotland cloned sheep Dolly. At that time, under First’s supervision, Maya was working on cloning calves. In 1997 Maya and Neal First appeared on the first page of a New York Times in an article written by Gina Kolata, who later published the book “Cloning”. Maya had published several scientific articles with Neal First on cloning and bovine embryonic stem cells. In 1999 Maya had cloned two calves from fibroblasts by using nuclear transfer technology.

In 2001 Maya accepted a job in the Australian biotech company BresaGen, Inc., where she was the first scientist working on human embryonic stem cells. Maya has since continually given training to scientists from around the world, participated in teaching programs as a faculty member at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Stanford University, California; University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has even been given the nickname, “Stem Cell Queen”. In August 2005 Maya joined Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT where she was offered the position of overseeing the first Human Stem Cell Laboratory.

In 2007 Maya brought her mom, Janet Kassymova, to the US. Ms. Kassymova was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Instead of taking her to a care home, Maya became her mother’s sole caregiver for nearly 11 years. She learned everything she could on the disease. In the last five years Maya’s brother and sister from Almaty came to help her to take care of her mom. In September 2017 Maya lost her beloved mom in the battle to Parkinson’s disease. Maya’s mom is resting in Boston cemetery where Maya visits her every weekend.

OUR LEADERSHIP

Mr. Uerkesh Davlet

Chairman of the board

Ms. Rushan Abbas

Founder and Executive Director

Mr. Dilmurat Sulayman

Deputy Director

Mr. Kamalturk Yalkun

General Secretary

Ms. Jewher Ilham

Director of Public Affairs

Mr. Husenjan Emet

Director of Planning

Dr. Maya Mitalipova

Director of Central Asia Outreach

Ms. Mukerrem Kurban

Women's Outreach & Training Director

Mr. Reyhangul Mahmut

Director of Japan Outreach

Mr. Mehmet Hafiz

Director of Turkey Outreach

Mr. Mustafa Aksu

Director of Cultural Affairs

Advisory Board

Mr. Turdi Hoja

Chairman of the Board

Dr. Peter Jan Honigsberg

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Rebecca Clothey

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Sean Roberts

Advisory Board Member

Ms. Zerina Borhan

Advisory Board Member

Our Team

Mr. Kamalturk Yalkun

Chairman of the Youth Committee

Ms. Asiye Ablet

Chairman of OVOS Women’s Committee

Ms. Dilnur Kroren

Student Liaison For Turkey

Ms. Mehliya Cetinkaya

Student Liaison For Canada

Ms. Dilare Helil

Student Liaison For USA

Ms. Akida Pulat

Chairman of OVOS Women’s Committee

Ms. Sabrina Sohail

Communications Director

Mr. Babur Ilchi

Program Director

Ms. Paula Kaufman

Advocacy Director

Mr. Arslan Hidayat

Program Manager