Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, FASA ( https://www.purdue.edu/provost/health/adams.html ) is Presidential Fellow, Executive Director of Purdue's Health Equity Initiatives, and Distinguished Professor of Practice in the Departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health, at Purdue University. As the 20th U.S. Surgeon General and a prior member of the President’s Coronavirus task force, Dr. Adams has been at the forefront of America’s most pressing health challenges. A regular communicator via tv, radio, and in print, Dr. Adams is an expert not just in the science, but also in communicating the science to the lay public, and making it relevant to various audiences. Dr. Adams is a licensed anesthesiologist with a master’s degree in public health, and ran the Indiana State Department of Health prior to becoming Surgeon General. In the State Health Commissioner role he managed a $350 million dollar budget and over 1,000 employees, and led Indiana’s response to Ebola, Zika, and HIV crises. Notably, Dr. Adams helped convince the Governor and State Legislature to legalize syringe service programs in the state, and to prioritize $13 million in funding to combat infant mortality. As Surgeon General, Dr. Adams was the operational head of the 6,000 person Public Health Service Commissioned Corps ( https://www.usphs.gov/ ), and oversaw responses to 3 back to back category 5 hurricanes, and to a once in a century pandemic. In addition to his recent COVID19 work, Dr. Adams has partnered with and assisted organizations as they navigate the opioid epidemic, maternal health, rising rates of chronic disease, the impacts of rising suicide rates in our Nation, and how businesses can become better stewards and stakeholders in promoting community health. His new book, Crisis and Chaos: Lessons from the Front Lines of the War Against COVID-19, came out on October 24, 2023 ( https://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Chaos-Lessons-Against-COVID-19/dp/B0C28RRHFJ ) Support the show

Send us a textCOL Tina Schoenberger is Director of the U.S. Army Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Agency ( USANCA - https://www.usanca.army.mil/ ); a U.S. Army HQ field operating agency of both nuclear and CWMD military and civilian professionals, headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. USANCA is operationally and technically responsive to the Army’s Total Force and the Joint Force commander, and they are responsible for delivering key nuclear, CWMD, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) subject matter expertise to the generating and operating forces. Col Schoenberger has a Bachelors degree in Microbiology and a Master of Science in Molecular Biology, both from Southeastern Louisiana University, and served as a Fellow in the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity initiative (ELBI) Fellowship program, at the Center for Biosecurity of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Health Security. During her extensive career in the U.S. military, COL Schoenberger has previously served as: - an Army War College, Office of the Director of National Intelligence Fellow with duty at the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center; - a Plans, Integration and Assessments Division Chief for USSOCOM J10- Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Directorate; - a J5 Division Chief at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), J5 Branch Chief, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) liaison officer to JSOC; - a Military Assistant to the Deputy Director of DTRA, while serving at the U.S. Strategic Command’s Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (SCC-CWMD), where she was a key planner in the Regional Contingency Team that led planning efforts in support of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, Department of State, and the National Security Staff, for the Syria Chemical Weapons destruction and elimination mission; - a J3 Science Advisor and primary subject matter expert (SME) leading the fielding of the Weapons of Mass Destruction – Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) up-graded Analytical Laboratory System (ALS) at the National Guard Bureau (NGB) and operated and maintained the ALS as the Nuclear Medical Science Officer for the 62nd Weapons of Mass Destruction – Civil Support Team in Louisiana. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Jomana Musmar, MS, PhD, is the Designated Federal Officer and Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ( https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/paccarb/membership/designated-federal-officer-jomana-musmar/index.html ), and Senior Public Health Advisor within the Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS Policy ( https://www.hhs.gov/oidp/index.html ), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria ( PACCARB - https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/paccarb/index.html ) is a US federal advisory committee that provides advice, information, and recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS Secretary). The council supports and evaluates U.S. government activities focused on fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human health, animal health, and environmental health. Using this One Health approach, members of the PACCARB have expertise from a range of backgrounds, including academia, industry, public health, advocacy, veterinary, and agricultural production. Dr. Musmar has been managing the PACCARB since its establishment in 2015, during which time she has hosted 24 public meetings and overseen the development of seven reports providing recommendations on a range of issues related to antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) for both human and animal health. Dr. Musmar has over 10 years of Federal Advisory Committee experience, with a focus on the areas of public health, biodefense, and AMR. Her graduate degrees include a Master’s in Biomedical Science Policy from Georgetown University School of Medicine and a Doctorate in Biodefense and Homeland Security from George Mason University. PACCARB REPORT - Preparing for the Next Pandemic in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance - https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/paccarb-pandemic-preparedness-report.pdf Support the show

Send us a textA cognitive neuroscientist by training, Dr. Vijeth Iyengar ( https://www.aarpinternational.org/about-us/staff/vijeth-iyengar ) is Director of Global Aging at AARP where he leads cutting-edge research, drives thought leadership on global aging issues, and cultivates relationships and strategic alliances to promote the enterprises vision for the global 50+ population.Prior to joining AARP, Dr. Iyengar served in a variety of roles in the U.S. Federal Government including as Brain Health Lead and Technical Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, as a Policy Advisor to the 4th Chief Technology Officer at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as co-lead coordinator of the older adult working group for the Healthy People 2020/2030 initiative, and as lead author of the U.S. Country Report for the Fourth Review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing – a process overseen by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.Among other recognitions, Dr. Iyengar was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, a Presidential Management Fellow, selected as a Aspen Ideas Festival Health Fellow, and a Bronze Telly Award Winner for work on AARP's Aging Readiness & Competitiveness Initiative. He has contributed articles appearing in Devex, JAMA Health Forum, Scientific American, STAT News, National Academy of Medicine Perspectives, and WHO Bulletin.Dr. Iyengar serves as a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, an Advisor to Ashoka's New Longevity Initiative, Member of the SUNY-Albany Healthy Aging Initiative Community Advisory Committee, Regional Mentor for the Atlantic Fellows Equity in Brain Health Program, Mentor for the Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator, and Principal Member of the Meridian International Center Corporate Council.A native of Louisiana, he was a visiting undergraduate student at Cornell University, received his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and masters and doctoral degrees from Duke University.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Susanne Rafelski, Ph.D. is Deputy Director, Scientific Programs at the Allen Institute for Cell Science ( https://alleninstitute.org/division/cell-science/ ) and was named to this position in December, 2020. Dr. Rafelski began imaging live cells and visualizing intracellular dynamics in 3D when she was only 17 and hasn't been able to stop since. Her life-long scientific goal is to decipher the patterns and rules that transform the overwhelming complexity found inside cells into functioning units of life and believes that to do this we must understand the organization of the structures within the cell in space and time. Dr. Rafelski's team takes an interdisciplinary, quantitative approach to cell biology, combining live-cell image-based assays, molecular genetics, and computational methods. Prior to joining the Institute in 2016, Dr. Rafelski was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Center for Complex Biological Systems at UC Irvine. Dr. Rafelski obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology with an additional emphasis in Mathematics from the University of Arizona. She then completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Stanford University, followed by a postdoc at the Center for Cell Dynamics at the Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington, where she learned computational modeling approaches. Her research focused on integrating bacterial polarity with host-cell cytoskeletal dynamics to understand Listeria actin-based motility. She then initiated her current research program on mitochondrial structure-function as a postdoc at UCSF, where she developed 3D microscopy and image analysis methods to quantify mitochondrial morphology and applied these to investigate mitochondrial size control regulation. As a model system for intracellular organization her lab extended this work to studying the size, topology, and function of mitochondrial networks in budding yeast and mammalian cells. Support the show

Send us a textMajor General (ret) Dr. Aamer Ikram is currently the Director of the Pakistan Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP), as well as Chairperson of the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network ( TEPHINET - https://www.tephinet.org/aamer-ikram ) Advisory Board; a global network of Field Epidemiology Training Programs spanning more than 80 programs actively training field epidemiologists in more than 200 countries and territories. Dr. Ikram recently spent 7 years in leadership as Executive Director of the National Institute of Health Pakistan ( https://www.nih.org.pk/ ). Dr. Ikram is also a member Board Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; Executive Board International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI); Executive Committee Institute of Safety in Technology & Research, UK; Technical Advisory Group – Biosafety, WHO; adjunct faculty Emory University; Ex-Executive Council of International Society for Infectious Diseases; and Co-Chair Biological Sciences Committee, Higher Education Commission; and member multiple National Working Groups. Dr. Ikram has extensive experience working with International Health Regulations, Global Health Security Agenda, Integrated Disease Surveillance & Response, One-Heath, Biosafety & Biosecurity. Dr. Ikram graduated from Army Medical College with a Diploma in Pathology, qualified MCPS (Clinical Pathology) and Fellowship (Clinical Microbiology), and then did his Ph.D. in molecular biology. He is a Registered Biosafety Professional from the American Biological Safety Association, a Biosafety Professional from the Institute of Safety in Technology and Research (UK), and an International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) Certified Professional. Furthermore, he was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) by the Royal College of Edinburgh; FRCPath by the Royal College of Pathologists in London; and a Fellowship in Public Health from Royal Colleges UK. He was also recently elected as a Fellow in the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ikram has served as the President of the Pakistan Biological Safety Association (PBSA); Ex-President of the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society (MMIDSP); Higher Education Commission Focal Point of Expertise for Medical Research, and Convener of Microbiology Pakistan Health Research Council. Support the show

Send us a textProf. Tshilidzi Marwala is the Rector of the United Nations University ( https://unu.edu/about/staff/tshilidzi-marwala ) and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. The United Nations University (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare through collaborative research and education ( United Nations University - Strategic Plan 2020–2024 - https://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/attachment/100694/UNU-Strategic-Plan-2020-2024.pdf ). Prior to taking up the role of UNU Rector, Prof. Marwala served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) and had previously served as that university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalization and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. Prior to those roles Prof. Marwala progressively held the positions of Associate Professor and Full Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); as Executive Assistant to the Technical Director at South African Breweries; and as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Imperial College (then University of London). Prof. Marwala has been a visiting scholar/professor at universities in the USA, the UK, China, and South Africa and has extensive academic, policy, management, and international experience, and is a co-holder of multiple patents. His research has been multi-disciplinary, involving the theory and applications of artificial intelligence to engineering, social science, economics, politics, finance, and medicine. He has served on a variety of global and national policymaking bodies, and has worked with such United Nations entities as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and WIPO. Prof. Marwala holds a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge (UK) with a focus on AI and engineering, a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and a Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University (USA). He also completed management and leadership programs at the Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School. Prof. Marwala is, inter alia, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Academy of Science of South Africa, and the African Academy of Sciences. Prof. Marwala is the author of more than 20 books, including Leadership Lessons from Books I Have Read and Leading in the 21st Century: The Call for a New Type of African Leader; dozens of book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers; and more than 200 magazine articles and newspaper op-eds. Support the show

Send us a textAs Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development Company ( https://www.tavistock.com/ ), Gloria Caulfield oversees the health and medical partnerships, as well as business development, for Tavistock's visionary Lake Nona community ( https://www.lakenona.com/ ). In her role, Gloria is instrumental in managing corporate partnerships and identifying strategic intersections with stakeholders in the Lake Nona community. These efforts focus on advancing research, technology and innovative solutions that promote healthy lifestyles, extend health span and advance longevity medicine within the dynamic environment of Lake Nona’s living lab. Additionally, she serves as the chief architect and Executive Director of the Lake Nona Impact Forum ( https://lakenonaimpactforum.org/ ), a globally recognized health innovation gathering and a signature event of the Tavistock Group. Prior to joining Tavistock, Gloria worked as an executive for a national consulting group with the mission of identifying and quantifying new revenue streams for integrated healthcare systems across the country. She also had a distinguished career at Advent Health. Here, as the Sr. Executive Director for Community Development, she provided strategic leadership for corporate partnerships and business development, as well as spearheaded critical community benefit and community relations initiatives in the Central Florida region. Gloria serves on boards that reflect her passion for driving the future of human health and wellbeing including the StartUp Health Impact Board, focused on mobilizing entrepreneurs committed to solving the biggest health challenges of our time, and the ChopraX Advisory Board, a wellness-dedicated venture platform and accelerator that sits at the convergence of whole person health. Additionally, Gloria aligns her passion for great female founders focused on wellness-oriented companies by sitting on the LFE Capital Advisory Board. Gloria Caulfield is a proud alumna of the University of Arizona and brings her extensive experience and visionary leadership to every aspect of her role. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Jamie Justice, Ph.D. ( https://www.xprize.org/about/people/jamie-justice-ph-d ) is the Executive Vice President of the Health Domain at XPRIZE Foundation, where she leads international networks to drive innovative solutions to improve human health and aging that is affordable and accessible to all. She also serves as Adjunct Professor in Internal Medicine Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Sticht Center on Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM). Dr. Justice is dedicated to Geroscience research that advances the hypothesis that by targeting the basic biology of aging the incidence of multiple age-related diseases can be delayed or prevented and her training background at University of Colorado Boulder and WFUSM allowed her to lead translational research and clinical trials networks to test the Geroscience hypothesis in humans. At WFUSM, Dr. Justice was director of the Biogerontology Lab, and co-leader of the Integrative Biology Core (IBC) of the WF Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) and was a Principal Investigator of the National Institute of Aging-supported Geroscience Education and Training Network, an engaged member of the Translational Geroscience Network, Gerontological Society of America’s ESPO scientific section officer and executive committee member from 2018-2021. She is the recipient of the Jarrahi Research Scholars Fund in Geroscience Innovation, the 2022 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research, and the 2022 NIA Nathan W Shock Awardee. Dr. Justice received her Ph.D. and postdoc at University of Colorado Boulder and second postdoc at Wake Forest School of Medicine where she gained a translational research background (mice, human and nonhuman primate), studying interventions with potential to prevent, delay, or treat age-related functional decline and chronic diseases. XPRIZE Healthspan - https://www.xprize.org/prizes/healthspan XPRIZE Healthspan Preliminary Competition Guidelines - https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/5cb25086-82d2-4c89-94f0-8450813a0fd3/15509c25-6198-4104-b7e3-3f6528e7d43a/XPRIZE%20Healthspan%20Preliminary%20Competition%20Guidelines_V1.0.pdf Support the show

Send us a textDisclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of their employers. Irina Pelphrey is the Vice President of Health and Managed Care at Albertsons Companies, Inc. ( https://www.albertsons.com/ ), a national grocer, second-largest supermarket chain in North America, represented by store banners such as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Shaw’s, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Tom Thumb and more. Overall, Albertsons Cos. operates 2,270 stores—including 1,720 pharmacies—in 34 states and the District of Columbia. In this role, Irina is responsible for leading Sincerely Health, Albertsons Companies’ health and wellness engagement platform and oversees healthcare payer relationships across pharmacy and their food is medicine program. Irina’s career is centered on passion for healthcare at retail, solving complex customer problems and consistently delivering financial results and she is quite passionate about use of analytics and data to make right customer decisions and the role food, medication therapy and behavior change can play in prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Prior to joining Albertsons, Irina held a variety of leadership roles at Walmart’s Health & Wellness division. Irina holds a BA degree from American Public University and an MBA degree from the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University. Support the show