Affiliated, joint and adjunct faculty

Max Coppes, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, FAAP

Dr. Max Coppes is the Director of the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute (PCI) at Renown Health, a Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Internal Medicine at University of Nevada, Reno's Med and a Clinical Professor of Public Health. After he received is medical training at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, he served in the Dutch Air Force, completed his Pediatric Residency at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht in the Netherlands, then continued with pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif in France and at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He obtained his PhD from the University of Amsterdam and an MBA from the Haskayne School of Business in Calgary. Dr. Coppes is an experienced academic healthcare leader and skilled in program expansion. Currently, he is focused on establishing an NCI designated Cancer Center in Reno. 

Dr. Coppes has published over 150 manuscripts. He has been actively involved in translational research (he worked in one of the 3 labs that discovered the Wilms tumor gene WT1) as well as clinical trials research. His areas of interest have included pediatric tumors (primarily but not exclusively pediatric renal tumors), antiemetic treatments and bone marrow transplantation. He has also contributed to epidemiologic studies. Currently, Dr. Coppes is interested in helping to elucidate what can be learned from patterns derived from ‘big data’, including health record data, environmental data, genetic background and socioeconomic factors. He is also actively involved with University of Nevada, Reno's School of Public Health in determining the effects of healthcare related media messages on different audiences. 

John Westhoff, M.D., MPH

Dr. John Westhoff is an associate professor at the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health, where he also serves as Assistant Dean for Student Research. He directs the Evidence and Systems-Based Practice curriculum, focusing on clinical epidemiology, biostatistics and health systems science, teaching students to apply evidence-based thinking in healthcare.

With a career combining clinical medicine and public health, Dr. Westhoff earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, completed an emergency medicine residency and earned an MPH in epidemiology from the University of Washington. His 25-year Army career included leadership roles in public health, overseeing operations in the Pacific and Europe while practicing emergency medicine. He is triple board-certified in emergency medicine, public health and preventive medicine.

His academic interests include physician communication, the impact of online misinformation on healthcare, using media and AI to improve health literacy, issues with Electronic Medical Records and mountaineering injury epidemiology.

Outside work, Dr. Westhoff is an avid skier and FC Bayern Munich fan, having lived in Munich during high school. After retiring in 2020, he and his wife Rachel moved to Reno, where they enjoy the Sierra Nevada mountains and staying connected with their five children and growing number of grandchildren in Boston and Dallas.

Justin Coran, Ph.D., MPH

Justin Coran is an executive, data scientist and applied medical sociologist specializing in AI/ML applications and healthcare analytics. As Chief Analytics Officer at Renown Health, he leads a team of 50 professionals to transform healthcare decision-making through data insights.

Coran is one of 100 nationally recognized senior leaders in data science and the only expert from Nevada to win the AI100 Award. He previously led analytics at NOMS Healthcare and University Hospitals Health System in Cleveland.

His work includes developing reporting systems, predictive models for hospital and surgeon selection and risk stratification algorithms, improving population health management and care coordination.

Coran holds a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology, MPH in Epidemiology and Hospital Administration and M.A. and B.A. in Sociology from the University of Florida. He also completed an executive coaching program at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. His research has been published in leading journals, shaping healthcare analytics.

Nancy Diao, Sc.D.

Dr. Nancy Diao is the current Division Director of Epidemiology and Public Health Preparedness at Northern Nevada Public Health, where she works with expert teams in communicable disease surveillance, vital statistics, public health preparedness and emergency medical services oversight. Prior to joining Northern Nevada Public Health, Nancy worked on overdose mitigation efforts and prescription drug monitoring at the Rhode Island Department of Health. She also spent a large part of her public health tenure working with multi-omics data on respiratory diseases risk factors with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health.

Nancy received her Doctor of Science degree from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health concentrating in Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, with minors in Biostatistics and Exposure Assessment. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University in Biomedical Engineering.

Joseph Grzymski

Joseph  Grzymski is Chief Genomics Officer at Renown Health, founder of the Renown Institute for Health Innovation and an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health. He earned a dual B.A. in philosophy and biology from Bowdoin College, completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Norway, received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University and pursued postdoctoral work at Rockefeller University and the Desert Research Institute, where he later became senior director of the Applied Innovation Center.

Grzymski’s early research in environmental genomics led to landmark publications and nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers cited more than 4,000 times. He launched the Healthy Nevada Project (HNP) in 2016, which has now enrolled over 60,000 Nevadans, seeking to reach 100,000 participants. This population screening work has integrated clinical-grade exome sequencing into routine care through electronic health record (EHR) flags for cascade testing which includes risk-reducing interventions to support decision-making through dedicated genetic risk triage. The program focuses on improving uptake and actionability in clinical settings.

Under his leadership, the project has returned BRCA1/2 results to hundreds, built a "learning-health" data platform combining genetics, EHRs, environmental and social determinants, and filled critical gaps in cancer risk detection using natural-language processing. During COVID‑19, HNP pivoted to study vaccine hesitancy, infection patterns and environmental exposures, such as wildfire smoke. Supported by diverse funding sources, including Gilead-led research on liver disease, and as a founding partner in the Helix Research Network, Grzymski leads a multidisciplinary team translating genomic insights into preventive, community‑centered precision health.

Ernesto Molmenti, M.D., Ph.D., MBA

Dr. Ernesto P. Molmenti (EPM) graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston University, was a Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha member and completed his residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University. He did a fellowship in abdominal organ transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh and later worked at Baylor University and Children's Medical Center in Dallas. EPM joined Johns Hopkins University as Associate Professor of Surgery and Surgical Director of Kidney/Pancreas Transplantation, where he also earned an MBA. Before joining Hofstra-Northwell, he was Professor of Surgery and Director of Abdominal Transplantation at the University of Arizona.

At Northwell Health, EPM founded the adult (2007) and pediatric (2016) kidney transplant programs, achieving top rankings for transplant survival rates. In 2024, he became Chief of Transplantation at Renown Health and Executive Vice President and Director of the Nevada Transplant Institute, overseeing the state’s transplant programs.

Kelly Morgan

Morgan’s work focuses on the intersection of the traditional healthcare and public health system around substance use disorders. She aims to help create system-based changes that help address stigma around people who use drugs, as well as innovative integrations of evidence-based practices into the emergency department and EMS systems for this population. She teaches medical students, residents and colleagues about best practices for substance use disorders and is a advocate for breaking down barriers and the silos within healthcare.

Kristle Muessle

Kristle Muessle serves as the Public Information Officer for the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services and is responsible for communicating changes within the agency to the media and the public the agency serves. She is the Legislative Liaison for the division.