Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Gregg Sylvester, MD is Chief Health Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs, at CSL Seqirus ( https://www.cslseqirus.us/our-company/leadership/gregg-sylvester ), one of the world’s largest influenza vaccine companies.Dr. Sylvester has led CSL Seqirus Medical Affairs since 2016, overseeing the global team that scientifically differentiates company’s vaccines by generating Real World Evidence and presenting CSL Seqirus research to national vaccine recommending organizations.  Dr. Sylvester has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, government and patient care. Prior to joining CSL Seqirus, Dr. Sylvester led Medical Affairs teams at Pfizer and Merck involved in the worldwide launches of vaccines including Gardasil (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine), Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine) and Trumenba (Meningococcal Group B Vaccine).  Dr. Sylvester obtained specialty boards in Pediatrics and General Preventive Medicine.  Augmenting his clinical expertise, he served in the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service and as a Public Policy Fellow in the U.S. Congress. During his distinguished career in state government, Dr. Sylvester was appointed to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services in Delaware, leading the state’s largest agency. Dr. Sylvester has a MD from Albany Medical College and an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.#GreggSylvester #CSLSeqirus #Influenza #Vaccine #FluShot   #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Sean Gibbons, Ph.D. is Associate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology ( ISB - https://isbscience.org/people/sean-gibbons-phd/?tab=biography ) where his lab investigates how the structure and composition of evolving ecological networks of microorganisms change across environmental gradients, with a specific focus on how ecological communities in the gut change and adapt to individual people over their lifespans (i.e. host genotype, host development and host behavior) and how these changes impact human health ( https://gibbons.isbscience.org/ ). His lab develops computational and experimental tools for investigating host-associated microbial communities to explore the interactions between ecology, evolution and ecosystem function, applying these insights to develop personalized interventions for improving human health and well-being.Dr. Gibbons received his PhD in biophysical sciences from the University of Chicago in 2015, dual-advised by Jack Gilbert and Maureen Coleman. His graduate work focused on using microbial communities as empirical models for testing ecological theory. Dr. Gibbons completed his postdoctoral training in Eric Alm’s laboratory in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT from 2015-2018. His postdoctoral work focused on developing techniques to quantify individual-specific eco-evolutionary dynamics within the human gut microbiome.Dr. Gibbons was awarded a Fulbright Graduate Fellowship to study microbiology and synthetic biology at Uppsala University in Sweden, where he earned a master’s degree in 2010. His PhD work was supported by an EPA STAR Graduate Fellowship. Upon joining the ISB faculty in 2018, his startup package was supported, in part, by a Washington Research Foundation Distinguished Investigator Award.Important Episode Link - Metagenomic estimation of dietary intake from human stool - Nature Metabolism - https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01220-1#SeanGibbons #InstituteForSystemsBiology #ISB #Microbiome #Microbes #Ecology #Medicine #Dysbioses #EcologicalTherapeutics #Virome #PrecisionNutrition #GutDigitalTwin #FecalMicrobiotaTransplantation #Longevity #Aging #Healthspan  #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textProf. Dr. Niels Riedemann, MD, Ph.D. is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of InflaRx ( https://www.inflarx.de/Home/About-Inflarx/Team~Niels-C.-Riedemann~.html ), a biopharmaceutical company focused on applying its proprietary anti-C5a and C5aR inhibitors to the treatment of life-threatening or debilitating inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical need. Prof. Dr. Riedemann has over 15 years of experience in the biotech industry and drug development, as well as over 20 years of experience in complement immunology research. He founded InflaRx in 2007 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since inception of the company. He has been instrumental in and led numerous private and public financing rounds of the company and has been the responsible lead for its Nasdaq IPO in 2017. He is named inventor on several internationally granted core patents of InflaRx. As physician, Prof. Dr. Riedemann was appointed Vice Director (“Leitender Oberarzt”) of Intensive Care Medicine, and led a 50-bed University ICU unit for over 6 years at Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany until 2015. Before that, he received his board certification as General Surgeon upon completion of his surgical fellowship at MHH (Hannover Medical School, Germany) in 2007 where he also received his habilitation (equivalent to Ph.D.) and where he still holds an Adjunct Professorship (APL Professor). He spent three years as postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, USA until 2003. He received his medical training at Albert Ludwig University (ALU), Freiburg, Germany, and Stanford University, USA and graduated as Dr. med. (equivalent to M.D.) from ALU in 1998. Prof. Dr. Riedemann’s research has been awarded with several national and international awards. He has received extensive extra-mural funding and published over 60 peer reviewed scientific publications in highly ranked journals. He has served as a member on a Board of Directors and a Scientific Advisory Board of two large scientific governmental funded programs. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Health Politics working group of Bio-Deutschland and he serves as member of the board of trustees for the German Sepsis Foundation.#NielsRiedemann #InflaRx #Inflammation #ComplementComponent5a  #Sepsis #AcuteRespiratoryDistressSyndrome #Covid #ARDS #GOHIBIC #Vilobelimab #PyodermaGangrenosum #ChronicSpontaneousUrticaria #HidradenitisSuppurativa #Preparedness #BARDA #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Billy W. Loo Jr., MD PhD ( https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/6839 ) is a Professor of Radiation Oncology, a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute, the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), and of Bio-X Interdisciplinary Biosciences Institute.  He is a physician-scientist Radiation Oncologist and Bioengineer who directs the Thoracic Radiation Oncology Program and is Principal Investigator of the FLASH Sciences Lab at Stanford ( https://med.stanford.edu/loo-lab.html ).Dr. Loo’s clinical specialty is precision targeted radiotherapy for lung/thoracic cancers, including stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). Dr. Loo is a recognized expert in thoracic cancers serving on multiple national committees (including as writing member or vice-chair) that publish clinical guidelines on the treatment of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, particularly the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).Dr. Loo’s clinical research is in clinical trials and implementation of new treatment techniques for lung cancer, and development of new medical imaging methods for measuring organ function and predicting response to cancer treatment. He also has developed novel applications of SABR including treatment of pulmonary emphysema and cardiac arrhythmias.The research focus of the FLASH Sciences Lab at Stanford, directed by Dr. Loo, is the development and study of extremely rapid FLASH therapy to optimize the biological therapeutic index of cancer radiotherapy, and the technological infrastructure for this basic research and its clinical translation. Dr. Loo is co-inventor of a fundamentally new approach to delivering ultra-rapid, ultra-precise cancer therapy, pluridirectional high-energy agile scanning electronic radiotherapy (PHASER), and co-leads a program to develop it into a transformative and clinically practical technology.Dr. Loo is also a co-founder of an early stage company, TibaRay ( https://www.tibaray.com/ ) developing next generation linear accelerator technology (derived from Stanford research) to bring these advances to patients.Dr. Loo received his MD from University of California, Davis and his PhD in Bioengineering from University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley. He completed his Radiation Oncology residency training at Stanford Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology in Radiation Oncology, and is a Fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and a Fellow of the American College of Radiology (ACR).#BillyLoo #Oncology #Cancer #RadiationOncology #FlashRadiotherapy #Stanford #Tibaray #Phaser #Bioengineering  #LinearAccelerator #Klystron #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textFleur Hassan-Nahoum ( https://www.fleurhassann.com/ ) is Israel’s Special Envoy for Trade & Innovation.  She was appointed to this position in 2023 by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, after coming off of six years of service as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem where she was in charge of foreign relations, international economic development, and tourism.Following the historic 2020 Abraham Accords, Fleur cofounded the UAE-Israel Business Council ( https://www.uaeisraelbusiness.com/ ), an association of Emirati and Israeli business and government leaders fostering bilateral trade, innovation, and cooperation, as well as the Gulf Israel Women’s Forum, the first association bringing together female leaders from across the Middle East with a strong network extending from Bahrain and Morocco. Fleur is very well known in political, policy, and media circles and following her tenure as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem remains involved in the advancement of women’s rights and marginalized populations in the city, through economic development and the fight for a pluralistic Jerusalem.Fleur studied law at Kings College, London and practiced in London, and before joining politics, Fleur worked in throughput the Jewish nonprofit world as well as led her own communications consulting business. Fleur is also the first woman to be appointed as Secretary General for Kol Israel ( https://kol-israel.org/ ), the ideological successor to the General Zionist Party in the World Zionist Congress. Fleur recently joined the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy ( https://www.misgavins.org/en/author/fleur_hassan_nahoum/ )  as a senior fellow and sits on the international advisory council of this think tank that advances pragmatic and realistic approaches in Israeli foreign and defense policy. Important Episode Link -  FemForward - Shaping a shared society where women lead the way in innovation, peacebuilding, and global connectivity - https://www.femforward.org/#Israel #FleurHassanNahoum #DeputyMayor #Jerusalem #StartupNation #EconomicDevelopment #AbrahamAccords #UAE #Bahrain #Morocco #CampusIsrael #FemForward #MisgavInstitute #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textKevin Caldwell is CEO, Co-Founder & President of Ossium Health ( https://ossiumhealth.com/ ), a commercial stage bioengineering company that leverages its proprietary organ donor bone marrow banking platform to develop stem cell therapies for patients with life-threatening hematologic conditions, organ transplant rejection, and musculoskeletal defects.  Mr. Caldwell built Ossium from a small startup into the clinical stage bioengineering company it is today, setting the company’s mission to improve human health through bioengineering and designed its platform-based model for cellular therapeutics development. He has led the company’s successful pursuit, negotiation, and execution of more than 50 business relationships, including 5 successful fundraisings and dozens of supply partnerships, clinical partnerships, and commercial contracts with biopharmaceutical companies. After seven years of strategic engagement and networking, Mr. Caldwell drove the team to successfully secure a transformative federal contract with BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) that validates Ossium’s innovative approach. This milestone represents the culmination of persistent relationship-building, targeted proposals, and  unwavering commitment to addressing national biomedical challenges through cutting-edge technology and collaborative partnerships.Prior to founding Ossium, Mr. Caldwell served as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey’s San Francisco office where he advised clients in the biotechnology and healthcare sectors. His projects ranged from due diligence of acquisition targets in the biotech startup ecosystem to restructuring distressed biopharma companies. Mr. Caldwell led more than 20 engagements with more than a dozen clients, leading teams that advised clients on revenue growth, go to market strategy, and organizational restructuring.Before McKinsey, Mr. Caldwell served as a Senior Investment Associate at Bridgewater Associates where he did quantitative research for the firm’s global macro investments. Mr. Caldwell studied Physics and Economics at MIT before receiving his JD from Harvard Law School. In addition, he is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and a Fellow of the Leaders in Tech Program.#KevinCaldwell #OssiumHealth #BoneMarrow #HematopoieticStemCellTransplantation #HSCT #MesenchymalStemCells #Leukemia #Lymphoma #Myeloma #SickleCellDisease #OrganTransplantRejection #GraftVersusHostDisease #GVHD #BARDA #ASPR #CBRN #NuclearEmergencyPreparedness #Longevity #Aging #Frailty #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Amir Baniassadi, Ph.D. is an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Assistant Scientist in Marcus Institute for Aging Research ( https://www.marcusinstituteforaging.org/who-we-are/profiles/amir-baniassadi-phd ) where he works on environmental impacts on health and well-being of older populations. Dr. Baniassadi works on the impacts of ambient air temperature and air quality (both indoors and outdoors) on outcomes related to the health and well-being of physiologically and socioeconomically vulnerable populations. His research applies novel environmental modeling and measurement techniques along with remote and long-term physiological and functional monitoring of individuals to establish relationships between exposure and outcome variables of interest outside clinical lab settings. The ultimate goal of his research is to develop environmental interventions that optimize the environment for health and longevity of older adults.Dr. Baniassadi has a Ph.D. in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering from Arizona State University and a B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tehran. His post-doctoral training includes a three-year T32 fellowship in Translational Research in Older adults, and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. #AmirBaniassadi #HarvardMedicalSchool #MarcusInstituteForAgingResearch #EnvironmentalGerontology #VulnerabilityScience #Exposome #Health #WellBeing #Wearables #SmartHome #AgingInPlace #Thermoregulation #HeatIslands #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Erica Goldman, Ph.D. is Director of Policy Entrepreneurship ( https://fas.org/expert/erica-goldman/ ) and the Day One Program (https://fas.org/day-one-project/ ), at the Federation of American Scientists ( FAS - https://fas.org/ )FAS is an organization formed at the end of World War II, made up of scientists across diverse disciplines, who joined together to advance science policy and counter scientific misinformation, and which currently works to minimize the risks of significant global threats, arising from nuclear weapons, biological and chemical agents, and climate change. The organization also works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table.Dr. Goldman has served in various roles spanning the boundaries between science and policy throughout her career. She has a diverse background that includes science writing, science policy, and academic research and her passions lie in making connections between these domains. Most recently, Dr. Goldman served as the Deputy Director of the Global Council for Science and the Environment, where she worked across a network of institutions and diverse groups of scientists to improve the scientific basis of environmental decision-making. Previously, she served as the Director of Policy Engagement for COMPASS, a nonprofit organization that helps environmental scientists effectively share their knowledge in the public discourse and decision-making. She also served a six-month term in the White House Council on Environmental Quality on the Land & Water Ecosystems Team during the Obama Administration. Dr. Goldman has worked as a science writer for the Maryland Sea Grant College Program; served as a Knauss marine policy fellow in the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives; and worked as a news intern at Science Magazine. Dr. Goldman received her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington and her Bachelor’s of Science degree from Yale University.#EricaGoldman #PolicyEntrepreneurship #DayOne #FederationOfAmericanScientists #Policymaking #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textYael Elish is CEO and Founder of StuffThatWorks ( https://www.stuffthatworks.health/ ), a company that offers an online platform where people suffering from chronic diseases can share information to learn which treatments work best for their specific condition, based on the experience of their peers combined with a smart, AI-based crowdsourcing system.A passionate entrepreneur with expertise in crowdsourcing and consumer-facing products, Yael was on the Waze founding team, where she drove the overall product strategy that led the company from User One to one of the world’s most notable crowdsourcing endeavours. She also co-founded eSnips and NetSnippet, and was part of the senior management team that took Commtouch to its successful NASDAQ IPO in 2000.Prior to Commtouch, Yael led the sales and marketing efforts for various start-ups in Israel. Yael holds a first degree in Foreign Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.#StuffThatWorks #YaelElish #Crowdsourcing #ChronicDiseases #RareDiseases #ArtificialIntelligence #Healthcare #Medicine #Repurposing #ClinicalTrials #RealWorldData #RealWorldEvidence #Waze #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show

Send us a textDr. Georges Benjamin, MD is Executive Director of the American Public Health Association ( APHA - https://apha.org/about-apha/executive-board-and-staff/apha-staff/georges-c-benjamin-md ), the professional membership and advocacy organization for public health professionals in the United States. APHA is the largest professional organization of public health professionals in the United States.Dr. Benjamin is known as one of the nation’s most influential physician leaders because he speaks passionately and eloquently about the health issues having the most impact on our nation today. From his firsthand experience as a physician, he knows what happens when preventive care is not available and when the healthy choice is not the easy choice. As executive director of APHA since 2002, he is leading the Association’s push to make America the healthiest nation.Dr. Benjamin came to APHA from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Benjamin became secretary of health in Maryland in April 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services. As secretary, Benjamin oversaw the expansion and improvement of the state’s Medicaid program. Dr. Benjamin is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine, is board-certified in internal medicine, a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.An established administrator, author and orator, Dr. Benjamin started his medical career as a military physician in 1978 when he trained in internal medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center. In 1981, he was assigned to the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he managed a 72,000-patient visit ambulatory care service as chief of the Acute Illness Clinic and was faculty and an attending physician within the Department of Emergency Medicine. A few years later, Dr. Benjamin was reassigned to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of emergency medicine. After leaving the Army, Dr. Benjamin chaired the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the District of Columbia General Hospital. He was promoted to acting commissioner for public health for the District of Columbia and later directed one of the busiest ambulance services in the nation as interim director of the Emergency Ambulance Bureau of the District of Columbia Fire Department.At APHA, Dr. Benjamin also serves as publisher of the nonprofit's monthly publication, The Nation's Health, the association's official newspaper, and the American Journal of Public Health, the profession’s premier scientific publication. He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters. His recent book Public Health Under Siege: Improving Policy in Turbulent Times explores the impact of policy on our nation's health and offers specific actions to improve health and extend life expectancy. He is also the author of The Quest for Health Reform: A Satirical History, an exposé of the 100-year quest to ensure quality affordable health coverage for all using political cartoons.#GeorgesBenjamin #PublicHealth #AmericanPublicHealthAssociation #APHA #DisasterMedicine #EnvironmentalHealth #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth #Aging #Healthspan #Injury #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show