ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities

Dr. Joseph Dituri, Ph.D., DMT, CDR - US Navy (ret) is a retired Navy Diving Saturation Officer, who after 28 years of service to the U.S., went back to school to earn a PhD in Biomedical Engineering ( https://drdeepsea.com/ ) from the University of South Florida, with the goal of performing research in the field of hyperbaric medicine ( https://underseaoxygenclinic.com/ ), to address not just diving related maladies, but also for the development of breakthrough treatments in the areas of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), as well as the related symptoms of PTSD, depression, and long-term mental and physical impairments. Dr. Dituri is the author of numerous diver-training manuals, a co-author of the book “Tao of Survival Underwater”, a contributing author to Hyperbaric Medical Practice (4th edition) and the Navy Diving Manual. Dr. Dituri has been published in several journals including those by the American Society of Naval Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. As a Director of the International Board of Undersea Medicine, and in partnership with the Marine Resources Development Foundation Marine Lab, Dr. Dituri has just embarked on a fascinating 100-day adventure in the Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, FL. Called the Neptune 100 Day Undersea Mission, the work Dr. Dituri is undertaking will further medical research, ocean conservation, and technical development. Dr. Dituri also has a recently released novel entitled "Secrets in Depth".

Michelle Catts is the Senior Vice President of Nuclear Programs at GE-Hitachi ( GEH - https://nuclear.gepower.com/ ) located in Wilmington, NC. Ms. Catts has over 18 years of demonstrated managerial and technical expertise in nuclear Regulatory Affairs and currently is responsible for ensuring world-class Quality, Continuous Improvement, Regulatory Affairs, and oversight of Environment, Health & Safety programs. She manages a multimillion-dollar budget and over a 30-member organization. She provides licensing and quality leadership and guidance to support nuclear fuel facility licensing, current nuclear fleet fuel reload/outage licensing activities, new reactor and new fuel opportunities, Technical Regulations and Standards, and GE-Hitachis’s Vallecitos and Morris sites. Prior to joining GE-Hitachi, Ms. Catts worked for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) where she held positions of increasing responsibility including as a nuclear reactor inspector stationed onsite at nuclear power plants up to the Policy Advisor to the Presidential Appointed NRC Chairman. Ms. Catts holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina State University and is currently working on her MBA at UNCW. Ms. Catts is also on the board of Smart Start of New Hanover County, an organization that seeks to build bridges to develop, sustain and enhance health, family support and early education services for all children, ages birth to five.

Commander Dr. Jean-Paul Chretien, MD, Ph.D. ( https://www.darpa.mil/staff/cdr-jean-paul-chretien ) is a Program Manager in the Biological Technology Office at DARPA, where his research interests include disease and injury prevention, operational medicine, and biothreat countermeasures. He is also responsible for running the DARPA Triage Challenge ( https://triagechallenge.darpa.mil/ ). Prior to coming to DARPA, CDR Dr. Chretien led the Pandemic Warning Team at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Center for Medical Intelligence, and as a naval medical officer, his previous assignments include senior policy advisor for biodefense in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; team lead for Innovation & Evaluation at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch; and director of force health protection for U.S. and NATO forces in southwestern Afghanistan. A proud mentor to nine graduate students and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellows, CDR Dr. Chretien received the Rising Star Award from the American College of Preventive Medicine, Best Publication of the Year Award from the International Society for Disease Surveillance, and Skelton Award for Public Service from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and 10 book chapters. CDR Dr. Chretien earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the United States Naval Academy, Master of Health Science in biostatistics and Doctor of Philosophy in genetic epidemiology degrees from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general preventive medicine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and fellowship in health sciences informatics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations ( https://www.fao.org/about/leadership/elouafi ). The FAO is an organization that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Dr. Elouafi leads the scientific mission of the organization, advocating for diversifying into neglected and underutilized crops, promoting use of non-fresh water in agriculture, rethinking food systems as a whole, and empowerment of women in science ( https://www.fao.org/science-technology-and-innovation/en ). From 2012 until her appointment at FAO, Dr. Elouafi was Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture based in the United Arab Emirates. In this role, she spearheaded the development and implementation of the center’s long-term strategy and expanded its mandate to marginal environments, an agroecosystem concept which she helped to mainstream in the global research and development discourse. Dr. Elouafi had previously held senior scientific and leadership positions, including Senior Adviser to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch in Ottawa, Canada (2006-2007); the National Manager of Plant Research Section (2007-2010); and Director of Research Management and Partnerships Division at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2010-2012). Dr. Elouafi had also worked as a scientist with several international research organizations, including the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. Dr. Elouafi has been a member of various strategy expert panels and advisory groups, including with the Global Commission on Adaptation and HarvestPlus. Dr. Elouafi sits on the boards of the International Food Policy Research Institute, the USA; the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, the UK; and the Professional Development Institute, Canada. Dr. Elouafi is also a member of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) System Management Board. Dr. Elouafi's contributions to science and policy have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Reward Medal by His Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco (2014), and the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum (2014). Dr. Elouafi holds a B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences (1993) and an M.Sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding (1995) from the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Morocco, and a Ph.D. in Genetics (2001) from the University of Cordoba, Spain.

Dr. Moupali Das, MD, MPH, is Executive Director, HIV Clinical Research, in the Virology Therapeutic Area, at Gilead Sciences ( https://www.gilead.com/ ) , where she leads the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinical drug development program, including evaluating the safety and efficacy of a long-acting, twice yearly, subcutaneous injection being studied for HIV prevention. Her responsibilities also include expanding the populations who may benefit from PrEP. Dr. Das has led high-performing teams in academic medicine, public health, implementation science, and cross-functionally in drug development. She has successfully helped develop, implement, and evaluate how to better test, link to care, increase virologic suppression, and improve quality of life for people with HIV, and to prevent HIV in those who may benefit from PrEP. During the COVID19 pandemic, Dr. Das assisted her colleagues in the COVID-19 treatment program, leading the evaluation of a COVID-19 treatment for use in pregnant women and children from the compassionate use program. After completing her undergraduate degree in Biochemical Sciences at Harvard College, medical school and internal medicine residency training at Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Das came to University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for fellowship training in Infectious Diseases and to University of California, Berkeley for her MPH in Epidemiology. She cared for HIV patients at San Francisco General’s storied Ward 86 clinic and attended on the inpatient ID Consult Service. She is recognized internally and externally for her expertise in epidemiology, public health, advocacy, and community engagement. Prior to joining Gilead, Dr. Das developed a novel population-based indicator, community viral load (CVL), to evaluate the impact of treatment as prevention. Her CVL research was the basis for using viral suppression to evaluate the effectiveness of President Barack Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy. She also served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on Data Systems for Monitoring HIV/AIDS care. Dr. Das has authored over 60 manuscripts, presented at scientific conferences, policy forums, and for community and advocacy organizations. Her publications have been highly cited and garnered significant press coverage including in The New York Times and Nature. Dr. Das appears in her personal capacity and any views expressed are her own.

Dr. Felicia Goodrum, Ph.D. ( https://profiles.arizona.edu/person/fgoodrum ) is Interim Associate Department Head and Professor of Immunobiology, as well as Professor, BIO5 Institute, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Cancer Biology And Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, at the University of Arizona. Dr. Goodrum earned her Ph.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine studying cell cycle restrictions to adenovirus replication and then trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas Shenk studying human cytomegalovirus latency. Dr. Goodrum joined the faculty at the University of Arizona in 2006, and her long-standing research focus is to understand the molecular virus-host interactions important to human cytomegalovirus (CMV) latency and persistence in the host. She has focused on identifying viral and host determinants mediating the switch between latent and replicative states. The goal of her research program is to define the mechanistic underpinnings of HCMV latency and reactivation to lay the foundation for clinical interventions to control CMV disease in all settings. Dr. Goodrum is the recipient of the Howard Temin Award from the National Cancer Institute, the Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences Award, and the Presidential Award for Early Career Scientists and Engineers.

Diogo Rau is Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer of Eli Lilly and Company ( https://www.lilly.com/leadership/executive-committee/diogo-rau ) where he leads Lilly’s information technology, cybersecurity, digital health, and advanced analytics and data science functions. Mr. Rau also serves as Chair of PrescriberPoint ( https://prescriberpoint.com/ ), a digital marketplace, which Lilly was a seed investor in, where healthcare providers can find all of the resources and support they need in one place to get their patients on therapy, for any medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or approved for over-the-counter use. Mr. Rau joined Lilly in May 2021. Prior to joining Lilly, he led information technology for retail and online stores at Apple, Inc. During his 10 years at Apple, he led the development and implementation of the technology supporting the Apple Online Store and Apple retail stores, including the e-commerce platform, mobile point of sale, the Apple Store App and systems used by store team members. Prior to joining Apple, Mr. Rau was a partner with McKinsey & Company, where he led the North America IT organization and governance practice. Mr. Rau began his career as a consultant at A.T. Kearney and later founded GiftGateway, a software company that brought rewards and recognition online. Mr. Rau graduated from Stanford University with a bachelors degree in computer science and a masters degree in industrial engineering and engineering management.

Dr. Jiangying Zhou, Ph.D. currently serves as Associate Director, Raytheon BBN ( https://www.raytheonintelligenceandspace.com/what-we-do/bbn ), an advanced technology research and development organization, part of the Raytheon Intelligence and Space division of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate. Raytheon BBN has been on the forefront of innovation for more than 70 years, involved in the early days of ARPANET, the first email, and the first metro network protected by quantum cryptography, and have been active in solving critical problems from undersea to deep space. Prior to her current role, Dr. Zhou was a DARPA program manager in the Defense Sciences Office where her areas of research included machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) exploitation technologies. Prior to joining DARPA, Dr. Zhou was a senior engineering manager in the Information Sciences Division at Teledyne Scientific and Imaging, LLC. During her more than ten-year tenure at Teledyne, Dr. Zhou worked on many contract R&D programs from U.S. government funding agencies as well as commercial customers in the areas of sensor exploitation, signal and image processing, and pattern recognition. Dr. Zhou also served as director of R&D of Summus Inc., a small start-up company specializing in contract engineering projects for U.S. Department of Defense and commercial customers in the areas of video and image compression, pattern recognition, and computer vision. Dr. Zhou began her career as a scientist at Panasonic Technologies, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, where she conducted research in the areas of document analysis, handwriting recognition, image analysis, and information retrieval. Dr. Zhou received a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science, both in computer science, from Fudan University. She received a doctorate in electrical engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Zhou is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Society and also a member of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon international honor society for the computing and information disciplines.

Michael D. Poisel, MS, MBA is Executive Director of PCI Ventures ( https://pci.upenn.edu/entrepreneurs/pci-ventures/ ), a division of the Penn Center for Innovation, specifically focused on creating early-stage businesses founded on University of Pennsylvania technologies. He is responsible for managing PCI Ventures, including transitioning technologies into start-up companies, assisting the principal investigators with funding strategies including grant applications, as well as mentoring the developing companies. Prior to UPenn, Mr. Poisel made investments in enterprise software and business services for NewSpring Capital, Apax Partners and GE Capital spanning more than ten years in private equity. He began his career in manufacturing operations for General Electric/Lockheed Martin and participated in the successful completion of several commercial and government satellite programs. Mr. Poisel graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, holds an M.S. in Systems Engineering from The Moore School of Engineering of the University of Pennsylvania, and has an M.B.A. in finance and entrepreneurial management from The Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Poisel also serves as the CEO of PCI Ventures spin-out PhylloPharma ( https://www.phyllopharmallc.com/ ), a company developing a novel plant-based technology platform for cost-effective and shelf-stable therapeutic protein delivery. Dr. Andreea-Madalina Serban, MD, Ph.D. ( https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=X8ruFBsAAAAJ&hl=en ) is the Chief Operating Officer of PhylloPharma. Dr. Serban is Medical Doctor specialized in Paediatric Surgery, with a medical degree and Ph.D. from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest Romania. Dr. Serban also has a Master's degree in Business Administration - Behavioral Economics from University of Bucharest, a Master of Science - MS, Genetics, from Université Paris Cité, and did Masters Research, Surgical Sciences- Regeneration, Replacement and Tissue Repair, from Paris-Sud University (Paris XI).

Dr. Abdelali Haoudi, Ph.D. ( https://kaimrc-biotech.org.sa/dr-abdelali-haoudi/ ) currently leads Strategy and Business Development functions, and is also Managing Director of the Biotechnology Park, at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs. He is also Distinguished Scholar at Harvard University-Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Haoudi is an international Research & Development and Innovation Executive with over 25 years experience, having held several senior positions in Research and Development and Innovation. He has vast experience in science and technology policy development, strategy and business development, corporate development and international partnerships development. Dr. Haoudi has held several senior and prestigious positions in the academia, government and private sectors globally, including North America, North Africa, Europe and Middle East. Some of the key positions include Founding Vice President for Research, Executive Director for Biomedical Research Institute, and Chairman, at the National Research Fund at Qatar Foundation. Dr. Haoudi was also Research Professor of cancer and infectious diseases at the University of Virginia and Eastern Virginia Medical School and a fellow of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has held several other positions in elite research and education institutions including Visiting Professor at Harvard Medical School (USA) and a fellow at Institute Pasteur (France). Dr. Haoudi is an elected member of Hassan II Academy for Science and Technology since 2006. He graduated from University Paris XI and Paris VI, France in 1996 with a doctoral degree in cellular and molecular genetics. Dr. Haoudi received executive education from Harvard Business School in Corporate Management and Strategy and received multiple awards including Fogarty International Award. He has published numerous peer-reviewed international research publications and served as Founding Editor-In-Chief for the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.

Dr. Sandeep Patel, Ph.D. is Director of the Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures ( DRIVe - https://drive.hhs.gov/ ) at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ( https://aspr.hhs.gov/AboutASPR/ProgramOffices/BARDA/Pages/default.aspx ), a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) office responsible for the procurement and development of medical countermeasures, principally against bioterrorism, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, as well as pandemic influenza and emerging diseases. Dr. Patel is committed to advancing high-impact science, building new products, and launching collaborative programs and initiatives with public and private organizations to advance human health and wellness. As the DRIVe Director, Dr. Patel leads a dynamic team built to tackle complex national health security threats by rapidly developing and deploying innovative technologies and approaches that draw from a broad range of disciplines. Dr. Patel brings extensive experience in public-private partnerships to DRIVe. Prior to joining the DRIVe team, he served as the HHS Open Innovation Manager. In that role, he focused on advancing innovative policy and funding solutions to complex, long-standing problems in healthcare. During his tenure, he successfully built KidneyX, a public-private partnership to spur development of an artificial kidney, helped design and execute the Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative, designed to catalyze innovation, double the number of organs available for transplant, and shift the paradigm of kidney care to be patient-centric and preventative, and included a Presidential Executive Order signed in July 2019. He also created the largest public-facing open innovation program in the U.S. government with more than 190 competitions and $45 million in awards since 2011. Prior to his tenure at HHS, Dr. Patel co-founded Omusono Labs, a 3-D printing and prototyping services company based in Kampala, Uganda; served as a scientific analyst with Discovery Logic, (a Thomson Reuters company) a provider of systems, data, and analytics for real-time portfolio management; and was a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He also served as a scientist at a nanotechnology startup, Kava Technology. Dr. Patel holds a US patent issued in 2005 and has authored over a dozen peer-reviewed articles in areas such as nanotechnology, chemistry, innovation policy, and kidney health. Dr. Patel earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, Ph.D. is the inaugural director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health ( ARPA-H - https://arpa-h.gov/ ), an agency that supports the development of high-impact research to drive biomedical and health breakthroughs to deliver transformative, sustainable, and equitable health solutions for everyone. ARPA-H’s mission focuses on leveraging research advances for real world impact. Previously, Dr. Wegrzyn served as a vice president of business development at Ginkgo Bioworks and head of Innovation at Concentric by Ginkgo, where she focused on applying synthetic biology to outpace infectious diseases—including Covid-19—through biomanufacturing, vaccine innovation and biosurveillance of pathogens at scale. Prior to Ginkgo, Dr. Wegrzyn was program manager in the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA, where she leveraged the tools of synthetic biology and gene editing to enhance biosecurity, promote public health and support the domestic bioeconomy. Her DARPA portfolio included the Living Foundries: 1000 Molecules, Safe Genes, Preemptive Expression of Protective Alleles and Response Elements and the Detect it with Gene Editing Technologies programs. Dr. Wegrzyn received the Superior Public Service Medal for her work and contributions at DARPA. Prior to joining DARPA, she led technical teams in private industry in the areas of biosecurity, gene therapies, emerging infectious disease, neuromodulation, synthetic biology, as well as research and development teams commercializing multiplex immunoassays and peptide-based disease diagnostics. Dr. Wegrzyn holds doctorate and bachelor’s degrees in applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She was a fellow in the Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative and completed postdoctoral training as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow in Heidelberg, Germany.

Dr. Nir Barzilai, MD ( https://www.einsteinmed.edu/faculty/484/nir-barzilai/ ) is the Director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research and of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. He is the Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair of Aging Research, professor in the Departments of Medicine and Genetics, and member of the Diabetes Research Center and of the Divisions of Endocrinology & Diabetes and Geriatrics. Dr. Barzilai’s research interests are in the biology and genetics of aging, with one focus of his team on the genetics of exceptional longevity, where they hypothesize and demonstrate that centenarians (those aged 100 and above) may have novel protective genes, which allow the delay of aging or for the protection against age-related diseases. The second focus of his work, for which Dr. Barzilai holds an NIH Merit award, is on the metabolic decline that occurs during aging, and his team hypothesizes that the brain leads this decline with some very interesting neuro-endocrine connections. Dr. Barzilai is currently leading an international effort to approve drugs that can target aging (Gerotherapeutics). Targeting Aging with METformin (TAME) is a specific study designed to prove the concept that a basket of diseases (multi-morbidities) of aging can be delayed simultaneously, in this protocol by the drug metformin, working with the FDA to approve this approach which will serve as a template for future efforts to delay aging and its diseases in humans. Dr. Barzilai has received numerous grants, among them ones from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), American Federation for Aging Research, the Ellison Medical Foundation and The Glenn Medical foundation. He has published over 280 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and textbook chapters. He is an advisor to the NIH on several projects and serves on several editorial boards and is a reviewer for numerous other journals. Dr. Barzilai is on the board of the American Federation for Aging Research, is it's co-scientific director, and has served on several NIA study sections. He is also a founder of CohBar Inc., a biotech company that develops mitochondrial derived peptides as therapy for aging and it's diseases, and a medical Advisor to Life Biosciences. Dr. Barzilai has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Beeson Fellow for Aging Research, the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar in Aging Award, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation Award, the NIA Nathan Shock Award, the 2010 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction in Aging Research and the IPSEN Longevity Prize (2016). Born in Israel, Dr. Barzilai served as chief medic and physician in the Israel Defense Forces. He graduated from The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and completed his residency in internal medicine at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. He served in a refugee camp during the war in Cambodia (1979-1980) and built a nutritional village in the homeland of the Zulu (1983 – Kwazulu). He has completed 2 fellowships at Yale (Metabolism) and Cornell (Endocrinoology and Molecular Medicine). He was an invited speaker to the 4th Israeli President Conference (2012) and a Vatican conference on efforts to enhance cures (2013, 2016). He has also taken part in Global initiatives and spoke at The Milken Global Institute, Asian Megatrends and is an advisor for the Prime Minister of Singapore on Aging. Dr. Barzilai has been on the ‘Forward 50, top 50 influence Jews" in the US (2011). His work has been profiled by major outlets, including the New York Times, the BBC and PBS' NOVA science now, TEDMED and several TEDx talks, and is the leading feature on the Ron Howard/Jonathan Silberberg/National Geographic film about the Age of Aging. He also authored the book Age Later (2019).

Monica P. Medina ( https://www.state.gov/biographies/monica-p-medina/ ) is Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She was also recently appointed as United States Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources. Previously, Secretary Medina was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She was also a Senior Associate on the Stephenson Ocean Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Co-Founder and Publisher of Our Daily Planet, an e-newsletter on conservation and the environment. A former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Secretary Medina served as General Counsel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. Earlier in her career, Secretary Medina served as the Senior Counsel to former Senator Max Baucus on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, as the Senior Director for Ocean Policy at the National Geographic Society, as the ocean lead at the Walton Family Foundation, and in senior roles in other environmental organizations. Secretary Medina attended college on an Army R.O.T.C. scholarship and began her career on active duty in the Army General Counsel’s Office. She received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Army Meritorious Service Medal. She has a Bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Savva Kerdemelidis is Founder & CEO of Crowd Funded Cures ( https://crowdfundedcures.org/ ), an organization with a mission to incentivize clinical trials for off-patent therapies that are otherwise ignored because a monopoly price cannot be enforced with patents. Savva is a Commercial/IP Consultant Legal Counsel and Patent Attorney with 18+ years experience advising in relation to IP, commercial law and crypto. Savva graduated with a LLM (1:1, Hons) and BSc (2:1, Hons) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and lawyer in the Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia. He also is a New Zealand and Australian Patent and Trade Mark Attorney. Savva conducted his LLM thesis in 2014 on alternatives to the patent system for developing medicines in a thesis entitled: Deadly gaps in the patent system : an analysis of current and alternative mechanisms for incentivizing development of medical therapies ( https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/9826 ). Savva founded Crowd Funded Cures as a NZ charity in 2013 to implement the idea of using pay-for-success contracts as an incentive to find new uses for off-patent drugs and other un-monopolizable therapies.

Dr. Robert M. Toguchi ( http://www.roberttoguchi.com/ ) is currently serving as the Chief, Concepts Division, Force Modernization Directorate, in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina ( https://www.soc.mil/ ). Dr. Toguchi has spent over 30 years on active military duty while serving as a Functional Area 59 strategist for the U.S. Army. Dr. Toguchi’s past assignments included a tour as the Director, Strategic Plans and Chief, ARCIC (Army Capabilities Integration Center) Initiatives Group, TRADOC (U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command). In the Pacific region, he spent a tour with the U.S. Pacific Command while serving as the Deputy Director, J8; and the Chief, Strategic Plans, J5 Directorate, USPACOM (United States Indo-Pacific Command). Dr. Toguchi was also assigned to Africa in 2005 while serving as the senior U.S. military observer to the U.N. Mission in Liberia. Previously, Dr. Toguchi served on the faculty and taught military strategy at the U.S. National War College, National Defense University. Additionally, in the Washington D.C. area, Dr. Toguchi gained valuable experiences within the halls of the Pentagon while serving as a strategist in the DAMO-SSP (Strategy, Doctrine and Concepts Division), Strategy and Policy Division, Army; and as a war planner in DAMO-SSW, War Plans Division, Army. Dr. Toguchi received a B.S. degree concentrating in Engineering, from the U.S. Military Academy, and received a Ph.D. in History from Duke University in 1994. Dr. Toguchi has published several books including: The Competitive Advantage Special Operations Forces in Large-Scale Combat Operations, Land Warfare In The Information Age, The Enduring Relevance Of Landpower: Flexibility And Adaptability For Joint Campaigns, and The Winning Habits of Steve Jobs.

Dr. Stanley Plotkin, MD ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Plotkin ), is an American physician, scientist, and scholar, who in the 1960s, while working at Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, played a pivotal role in discovery of a vaccine against rubella virus (which is now used worldwide as a key component of the MMR vaccine), and has worked extensively on the development and application of a wide range of other vaccines including those for polio, rabies, varicella, rotavirus and cytomegalovirus ( https://www.epiv.eu/ ). Dr. Plotkin graduated from New York University in 1952 and obtained a medical degree at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. He was a resident in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and at the Hospital for Sick Children in London. In 1957, Dr. Plotkin served in the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of the U.S. Public Health Service for three years and then served as a member of Wistar’s active research faculty from 1960 to 1991. Today, in addition to his emeritus appointment at Wistar, Dr. Plotkin is emeritus professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania ( https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g275/p1554 ), and works as a consultant advising vaccine manufacturers, biotechnology firms, non-profits and governments. Dr. Plotkin's book, Vaccines, remains the standard reference on the subject. He is also an editor with Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, which is published by the American Society for Microbiology in Washington, D.C.

Bonnie Brennan is President of Christie's Americas, part of the Christie's global art and luxury business and auction house network ( https://www.christies.com/ ). Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business, renowned and trusted for its expert live and online auctions, as well as it's bespoke private sales. Christie’s offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It also is the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai). Ms. Brennan previously served as the Chairman of business development, as well as Senior Vice President and Senior Director, head of trusts, estates and wealth management services, in the Chairman’s office. Before joining Christie’s in 2012, Ms. Brennan had over 15 years in the auction business in a variety of marketing and leadership roles. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ms. Brennan holds a B.A. in art history and communications. In addition to her leadership role at Christie’s, Ms. Brennan also sits on a number of boards including the board of trustees for the Cristo Rey New York High School, as well as the Advisory Council for Calvary Hospital and the Planned Giving Advisory Council for the New York Historical Society.

Dr. Eric Bapteste, Ph.D. ( http://www.evol-net.fr/index.php?option=com_tlpteam&view=team&id=2&Itemid=559 ) is a Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the French state research organization and the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. Dr. Bapteste has both a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Pierre and Marie Curie University and a Ph.D. in the philosophy of biology from Pantheon-Sorbonne University. Dr. Bapteste is the Co-Director of the Adaptation, Intégration, Réticulation, Evolution (AIRE) team, which develops new methods and new concepts, in particular related to biological networks, in order to study evolution and aging. Specifically, the AIRE team works to enhance the evolutionary theory i) by expanding its scope by targeting additional objects of studies (such as novel units of selection and novel still unknown taxonomical groups from the microbial dark matter, and mobile elements) and ii) by expanding evolutionary studies towards more general models, able to in particular account for chimerism and interactions between biological elements, from molecules to ecosystems. Dr. Bapteste is the author of 95 scientific articles and 4 books of popular sciences: "Les gènes voyageurs: l'odyssée de l'évolution", "Conflits intérieurs: fable scientifique", "Tous entrelacés! Des gènes aux super-organismes, les réseaux de l'évolution", and "Tout se transforme! Comment marche l'évolution".

Dr. Nadine Lamberski, D.V.M., Dipl. ACZM, Dipl. ECZM (ZHM), is Chief Conservation and Wildlife Health Officer, at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance ( https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/about-us/key-leaders/nadine-lamberski ). Dr. Lamberski leads a unified team of conservation scientists, researchers, wildlife nutritionists, and wildlife veterinarians, cultivating a strategic approach to conservation efforts. She is aligning San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance with other global conservation organizations and developing strategies that safeguard biodiversity so all life can thrive. Dr. Lamberski joined the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in 2001 as senior veterinarian, following seven years as the senior veterinarian at Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. She completed an internship at the University of Tennessee and Zoo Knoxville, followed by a zoological medicine residency at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Lamberski has focused her career on the health and welfare of zoological species, as well as on the conservation impacts of disease on small or fragmented wildlife populations. She has participated in several field projects, most notably studying black-footed cats in southern Africa, thick-billed parrots in northern Mexico, desert tortoises in the Southwestern United States, and working with partners at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in northern Kenya. She is inspired by the next generation of wildlife veterinarians and conservationists and has a special interest in organizational leadership. Dr. Lamberski is a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) and European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM) in zoo health management (ZHM). She received her undergraduate degree in zoology and DVM from the University of Georgia. Dr. Lamberski is a member and past president of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American College of Zoological Medicine, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, European College of Zoological Medicine, Wildlife Disease Association, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She is San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's key contact for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is a member of IUCN Wildlife Health Specialist Group. Dr. Lamberski is an adjunct professor at the University of California Davis One Health Institute and the Wildlife Health Center. She has received numerous awards and research grants, has contributed over 100 scientific publications and presentations, and is currently a co-editor for Fowler’s Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine textbook.

Dr. Jeffrey B. Bacon, Ph.D., LTC (USA), is Co-Program Manager for B24IC, a Biointelligence and Biosecurity program for the U.S. Intelligence Community, at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity ( IARPA - https://www.iarpa.gov/ ), which seeks to develop new capabilities, matching the wider synthetic biology and biotechnology fields, ensuring the Intelligence Community’s (IC’s) capability to meet the biointelligence and biosecurity threats of the 21st century. Dr. Bacon has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology / Environmental Science, from Norwich University; a Masters of Science in Engineering Management, from Missouri University of Science and Technology; a Master of Science (MS) in Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction – Biodefense, from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology; and a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, in International Relations and National Security Studies, from The Fletcher School at Tufts. Previously Dr. Bacon also spent over 25 years at United States Department of the Army as a Nuclear Strategy and Counterproliferation Officer, US Army Corps of Engineers Regiment, as well as serving time as Branch Chief, US Army Nuclear CWMD Agency. Dr. Bacon also served as Department Chair, Counterproliferation & Information and Influence Intelligence, at National Intelligence University; as Interagency Chair/Army Senior Service Advisor, National Intelligence University while at the Defense Intelligence Agency; as Team Lead, Data Analytics and Predictive Modeling, on the DoD Coronavirus-2019 Task Force; and as Executive Officer/Program Manager, Research and Development Directorate, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Relevant Information Links - https://www.iarpa.gov/who-we-are/about-us https://ni-u.edu/wp/ https://app.brazenconnect.com/events/dbrZJ?utm_medium=website&utm_source=orisecalendar&utm_campaign=vcf012523

Joelle Elbez-Uzan, is the Head, Nuclear Safety Office, overseeing the development of the DEMO Fusion Reactor ( https://euro-fusion.org/programme/demo/ ), at EUROfusion. DEMO (DEMOnstration Power Plant) refers to a proposed class of nuclear fusion experimental reactors that are intended to demonstrate the net production of electric power from nuclear fusion. EUROfusion is a consortium of national fusion research institutes located in the European Union, the UK, Switzerland and Ukraine. It was established in 2014 to succeed the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) as the umbrella organization of Europe's fusion research laboratories. Prior to this role, Ms. Elbez-Uzan spent over a decade at the ITER Organization as Head of the Division of Nuclear Safety. ITER (the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is being built in southern France where upon completion of construction of the main reactor and first plasma, planned for late 2028, it will be the world's largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment and the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. Prior to this role, Ms. Elbez-Uzan spent several years as Deputy Head of the Nuclear Safety Department, at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas: defense and security, low carbon energies (nuclear and renewable energies), technological research for industry, and fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.​ Ms. Elbez-Uzan studied engineering in Lille where she specialized in instrumentation and measurement, doing comparative studies between all forms of energy, resulted in her career path into nuclear energy.

Tom & Jen Satterly, are the Co-Founder’s, and CEO and COO, of the All Secure Foundation ( https://allsecurefoundation.org/ ), an organization that assists special operations active duty and combat veterans, and their families, in recovery of post-traumatic stress through education, awareness, and resources for healing, workshop retreats, and PTS resilience training. Their organization has been recognized as a top rated non profit by Great Nonprofit s and has grown to serve thousands of combat families. Tom is a highly decorated combat veteran ( https://www.tomsatterly.com/ ), having served in the U.S. Army 25 years, the last 20 in the U.S. Military’s most elite Tier One unit, Delta Force. He has been involved in, and led, some of our nation’s most important military campaigns. Tom fought in and was portrayed in the Oscar Winning 2001 film: Black Hawk Down (Operation Gothic Serpent) which was the longest sustained firefight since Vietnam. As a member of Delta Force, he has been deployed countless times and led hundreds of missions including the capture of Saddam Hussein. He is the recipient of numerous medals including 5 Bronze Stars, 2 for Valorous acts, and he was the first American to attend German Ranger School after competing against hundreds of soldiers to win the singular honor. Tom’s best-selling book, “All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier’s Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront”, was released on 2019 is available at all major booksellers ( https://www.amazon.com/All-Secure-Operators-Battlefield-Homefront/dp/1546076573/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=all+secure&qid=1573674379&sr=8-4 ). Jen spent 15 years as an award-winning filmmaker and photographer, spending the last three years as Director of Film and Photography of an elite Special Operations training company fully embedded with Navy SEALS, Green Berets, and Army Rangers in large-scale realistic training missions. During her time embedding with Special Operations warriors, Jen began to see a pattern with the soldiers, sailors, and airmen she worked alongside, some of the very same issues Tom began facing related to complex Post-Traumatic Stress. She began searching for answers to help them find a way to constructively deal with PTS and its symptoms which included isolation, anxiety, severe depression, anger issues and a long list of medical challenges. Jen made it her mission to not only help the service member but also the families who often suffer from secondary PTS and are innocent causalities of the longest war. Additionally, Jen is the founder of Virago, a platform for educating and empowering women who are facing the challenges of PTS on the home front. Jen’s book, "Arsenal of Hope: Tactics for Taking on PTSD, Together" was released in 2021 and is available at all major booksellers ( https://www.amazon.com/Arsenal-Hope-Tactics-Taking-Together/dp/1642936790/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TWPRY17781OK&keywords=jennifer+satterly&qid=1674497626&sprefix=jeniffe+satterly%2Caps%2C293&sr=8-1 ).

Michael (Mike) D. Lahiff serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ZeroEyes ( https://zeroeyes.com/ ), an intelligent video analytics company that uses artificial intelligence with existing security cameras to detect weapons and send alerts to local staff and first responders. ZeroEyes delivers a proactive, human-verified A.I. gun detection solution that integrates into existing security cameras to stop mass shootings and gun-related violence; by reducing response times, providing actionable intelligence, and delivering clarity – ultimately saving lives. The company is the only AI-based gun detection video analytics platform with US Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation. Prior to founding ZeroEyes, Mr. Lahiff served as Director of Digital Programs at Comcast NBC Universal where he oversaw the coordination between project management teams and software development teams in order to deliver multiple digital products. Prior to joining Comcast, Mr. Lahiff was the managing member of Horsemen Partners, a private fund focused on acquisitions of small and medium sized businesses. Mr. Lahiff also spent ten years in the United States Navy, six of which were as a Navy SEAL. During service, he received 18 medals including the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, NATO Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Mr. Lahiff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from Columbia College and a Master of Business Administration in Private Equity & Venture Capital from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Haileyesus Getahun, MD, MPH, Ph.D. is Director of AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) Global Coordination at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Quadripartite (FAO/UNEP/WHO/WOAH) Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance. ( https://www.who.int/about/people/biography/dr-haileyesus-getahun) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. Over 1.27 million deaths worldwide were attributed to AMR infections in 2019. Antimicrobials - includingantibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”. Dr. Getahun coordinates the global One Health multi-sectoral response to AMR across the human, animal, plant, food, feed and environment sectors; directs the Secretariat of the Global Leaders Group on AMR ( https://www.amrleaders.org ) currently co-chaired by Their Excellencies Prime Minister of Barbados and Bangladesh; facilitates the research and development agenda through priority setting and gap analysis, and provides policy and programmatic guidance to nurture and scale up evidence-based interventions to enhance antimicrobial stewardship activities, awareness and behavioral change across all sectors. Dr. Getahun was formerly the Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (IACG) which was established by the UN Secretary General and released the 2019 ground-breaking report on how to respond to the global AMR crisis. Before that he worked in the Global TB Program of WHO leading its work on TB/HIV and community care. Dr. Getahun has a medical degree from Addis Ababa University Medical Faculty, a Master of Public Health from the School of Public Health, Free University of Brussels (ULB), and a PhD, Public Health and Epidemiology, from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp and Ghent University.