Ashley Blegen

Ashley Blegen is a Program Manager for the Mayo Clinic Biospecimens Accessioning and Processing (BAP) Laboratory. A southeast Minnesota native, Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a focus on Cell and Molecular Biology from Winona State University. During her undergraduate studies, she completed multiple research internships within the Mayo Clinic Infectious Disease Laboratory, gaining hands-on technical expertise and presenting her work at regional, national, and international scientific meetings.

Ashley’s career blends scientific rigor with strong leadership development. She advanced through progressive leadership roles in human services before returning to the biomedical field, further strengthening her technical and customer-focused skillset. She joined Mayo Clinic in 2017 as a Research Technologist within BAP, later advancing to Technical Specialist I and ultimately Program Manager. In her current role, Ashley works closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to advance program objectives, manage complex projects, and support continuous improvement. She is recognized for her leadership, communication skills, project management expertise, and enthusiasm for lifelong learning.

Eric Feil

Eric Feil is an Education Specialist for the Mayo Clinic Biospecimens Accessioning and Processing (BAP) Laboratory. A Twin Cities native, earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hamline University and a Masters of Biological Sciences with a focus on Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of Minnesota. During his master’s studies Eric focused specifically on the mechanisms of limb development using mice as a model organism. His thesis involved the interaction of the role of zinc finger transcription factor SALL4 within the limb bud as it relates to Okihiro Syndrome.

Eric’s career has covered multiple facets of both the scientific and interpersonal worlds. Before joining Mayo Clinic he spent time developing as a soccer coach, eventually reaching a spot as a head coach for a pre-professional women’s team. This helped grow his education focused mind set that he uses daily in his current role. He joined Mayo Clinic in 2017 as a Research Technologist within BAP, later advancing to Technical Specialist I, and then transitioned to his current role. As an Education Specialist, Eric works closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to advance program objectives, provide world class education, and customer support for multiple large projects.

Mine Çiçek

Mine S. Çiçek, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Çiçek is the Program Director of the Biorepositories Program, part of the Office of Core Shared Services. She joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2008 as the Director of Biospecimen Accessioning and Processing (BAP) Core Laboratory and holds the academic rank of Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Dr. Çiçek earned her PhD in Genetics at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She subsequently completed a Cancer Biology postdoctoral fellowship at Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic and a Molecular Cancer Genetic Epidemiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic.

As the Director of the Biorepositories Program, Dr. Çiçek contributes her expertise in research studies and clinical trials and supports the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, SPOREs, and the clinical trials networks Alliance across all Mayo sites. She gives guidance in study design, biospecimen collections and processing. She continuously brings knowledge to the program to improve automation, expand storage capacity, and educate investigators on best practices for biospecimen usage. Dr. Çiçek is a member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories. She is the Mayo Clinic PI of The Alliance NCTN Biorepository and Biospecimen Resource, PI of the RECOVER Biobank, and PI of the All of Us Research Program (AoURP) Biobank and Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) Biobank.