Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Mariângela Simão, MD, MPH is the Director-President of the All For Health Institute ( Instituto Todos pela Saúde - https://www.itps.org.br/ ), a non-profit organization based in São Paulo that focuses on outbreaks, epidemic and pandemic preparedness, in support of the Brazilian health system. Dr. Simão is also a Member of the Supervisory Board of the Access to Medicine Foundation ( https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org/our-team/mariangela-simao ), an organization working to stimulate and guide the pharmaceutical industry to do more for people living in low- and middle-income countries, and recently became a member of the Science & Technology Expert Group (STEG) of the G7 International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat ( https://ippsecretariat.org/about-us/ ). Dr. Simão attended medical school in Brazil, with degrees in Pediatrics and Public Health, and received a MSc in Mother and Child Health at the University of London, United Kingdom, and she has worked in Brazil’s public health system since 1982, from the primary health care level to a series of managerial positions throughout the years. As a public health professional, at municipal, state and national levels, Dr. Simão played an active role in the decentralization of the national health system, acquiring an extensive experience in health system strengthening. She has also served on the boards of a number of organizations and government committees related to public health and HIV. Between 2006 and 2010, Dr. Simão worked for the Ministry of Health in Brazil as the Director of the Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS. She also worked in the UN Program for HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) as Director for Prevention, Gender, Community Mobilization and Human Rights for 7 years. Most recently, Dr. Simão was Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products at the WHO from 2017 to 2022. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Phyllis Ferrell, DrPH, MBA, is Chief Impact Officer for StartUp Health’s Alzheimer’s Moonshot ( https://www.startuphealth.com/alzheimers ), a new global initiative created to develop a collaborative innovation community alongside leading companies, research teams, and stakeholders, with a mission to accelerate progress in prevention, diagnosis, and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. With support from the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Gates Ventures, StartUp Health is looking to break down silos and foster meaningful collaboration between mission-aligned founders, funders, and partners. Dr. Ferrell also serves as Strategic Advisor, Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative ( https://www.davosalzheimerscollaborative.org/ ) which is building a global clinical trial network and technology platform that will link trial sites around the world. Prior to these roles, Dr. Ferrell served almost three decades at multiple roles at Eli Lilly including as Global Head External Engagement, Alzheimer's and Neurodegeneration, Chief Commercial Services Officer, and Vice President, Global Alzheimer’s Disease Platform Team Leader in Lilly BioMedicines, where her team were responsible for the late-stage development, global registration and launch of 4 late-stage assets including Solanezumab, Amyvid and AZD3293. Dr. Ferrell received a DrPH, Public Health from Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, an MBA in General Management and a certificate in Public Management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and management from DePauw University. Dr. Ferrell was recognized with the Rising Star Award from the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and the Indianapolis Star Top 40 Under 40. She serves as a member of the World Dementia Council, a steering committee member of the Milken Institute Center for Aging Alliance for Dementia Care and National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) Alzheimer’s Disease Index working groups, and a strategic reviewer for the Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Foundation Diagnostics Accelerator. She is also a member of the Indiana Chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association; on the Boards of Directors for Alzheimer’s Research UK EDoN, Gates Ventures Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative, the Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Stanford Associate Board of Governors, Indianapolis 500 Festival, and the Lebanon Area Boys & Girls Club. She is a founding member of Women Against Alzheimer’s and Women of Impact Boone County; co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Council; the alumna sponsor of the Women in Economics and Business Program at DePauw University; a member of the Washington C. DePauw Society; a Tocqueville donor to United Way; an active supporter of Boone County Special Olympics and the Boone County Community Foundation. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Doron Behar, MD, PhD is Founder & CEO of an end-to-end genetic platform company, Igentify ( https://www.igentify.com/ ), that provides a suite of digital tools designed to scale the provision of genomic medical services to more people worldwide, making it more accessible and actionable for clinicians, laboratories, and patients. Dr. Behar received his degrees from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. As an MD, he has dual specialization in Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine from Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. Dr. Behar's research areas of interest are across the broad range of evolutionary genomics, ancestry, phylogenetics, and translational genomics. He has been the leading author and co-author of numerous research papers in these areas. Dr. Behar is the former Chief Scientific Officer of Gene-by-Gene Ltd., a commercial genetic testing company. His expertise covers various aspects of mass genotyping, including regulation, privacy, genetic analysis, quality assurance, and more. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Ira Spector, PhD is CEO and a Co-Founder of SFA Therapeutics ( https://sfatherapeutics.com/ ), a microbiome-derived biopharma company focused on new advancements in the treatment inflammatory diseases. Dr. Spector is an experienced drug developer, with over 30 years of experience. He has helped develop 34 approved drugs, including Enbrel, Effexor, Protonix, Prevenar-13, Mylotarg at Wyeth/Pfizer, where he was Vice President of Clinical Operations and Vice-Chief of Development. At Allergan, Dr. Spector helped develop Ozurdex for Diabetic Macular Edema and Retinal Venous Occlusion, Botox for Overactive Bladder, Botox for Chronic Migraine, Juvederm XL and Botox for Cerebral Palsy. Prior to Wyeth, he was Vice President and Partner at the PA Consulting Group. Before founding SFA Therapeutics, Dr. Spector was Executive Vice President of Analytics & Consulting at ICON. Dr. Spector holds BS degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from Washington University, where he was a Langsdorf Fellow, an MBA from Drexel University, and a PhD in Health Sciences from UMDNJ. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Ariel Dowling is a Senior Director and Head of the Sensing and Measurement group within the Data Sciences Institute at Takeda Pharmaceuticals ( https://www.takeda.com/our-impact/our-stories/integrating-data-sciences-into-clinical-development/ ). In this role, her group oversees the assessment, validation, and deployment of digital devices and endpoints across the organization. Dr. Dowling was previously a Senior Clinical Data Scientist at Biogen Inc. where she managed the wearable sensors deployed in clinical trials for Parkinson’s Disease. She was also the algorithm team lead at MC10 Inc., a company developing thin, conformal electronics systems that flex, stretch, and bend seamlessly with the natural world, and worked at BioSensics LLC., a company developing of wearable sensors and digital platforms for clinical trials, patient monitoring and health assessment. Dr. Dowling holds an MS and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, an AB and BE in Mechanical Engineering from Dartmouth College, and did post-doctoral work in robotics at Technion in Israel. She currently serves on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Digital Medicine (DiMe) Society. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Darshak Sanghavi, MD ( https://arpa-h.gov/about/people/darshak-sanghavi ) is Program Manager, Resilient Systems Mission Office, at ARPA-H where he heads up the HEalthcare Rewards to Achieve Improved OutcomES ( HEROES - https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/heroes ) program which aims to trial and validate radically different approaches to creating preventative care incentives in the health market, one example being offering direct payments to individual “health accelerators” – such as non-profits or care consortiums – that successfully implement preventative care campaigns that improve the rates for specific health harms in an entire geographic population. Dr. Sanghavi joined ARPA-H in May 2023 from Babylon – a digital-first, end-to-end health care provider serving more than 24 million people across the globe. As chief medical officer, he was responsible for overseeing the company’s international operations as well as leading its wider mission to help bring affordable and accessible health care to everyone worldwide. Previously, Dr. Sanghavi worked as national chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare and OptumLabs, as a group director at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center during the Obama Administration, as managing director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institute, and as a pediatrician for the U.S. Indian Health Service. Dr. Sanghavi has a doctorate in medicine from Johns Hopkins University and specializes in pediatric cardiology after training at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Sanghavi is also a best-selling author, with his book "A Map of the Child: A Pediatrician's Tour of the Body", available at all major book sellers, and a regular contributor to the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post. Support the show

Send us a textDr. William Karesh, DVM ( https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/personnel/dr-william-karesh ) is an internationally recognized expert on infectious diseases, wildlife conservation, and the environment. He is the Executive Vice President for Health and Policy for EcoHealth Alliance. Dr. Karesh also serves as the Co-Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Wildlife Health Specialist Group, Chair of the World Animal Health Organization’s Working Group on Wildlife, and on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations Roster of Experts focused on the human-animal interface and wildlife health. In 2016, Dr. Karesh was appointed as an ex-officio member of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense ( https://biodefensecommission.org/teams/william-b-karesh-dvm/ ) and became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He works with government agencies around the world and is an invited expert for intergovernmental and development organizations including United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), FAO, WHO, and the World Bank. Dr. Karesh has pioneered initiatives focusing attention and resources on solving challenges created by the interactions among wildlife, people, and their animals, developing and leading projects in over 50 LMIC countries. In 2003, he coined the term “One Health” to describe the interdependence of healthy ecosystems, animals and people. Dr. Karesh received a BS, Biology from Clemson University, and a Doctorate, in Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Support the show

Send us a textGladys H. Morales is Senior Officer, Global Head of Innovation in the International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD - https://www.ifad.org/en/w/gladys-morales ), where she leads the design and implementation of innovation initiatives and partnerships aiming to support testing, learning and scaling up of innovative solutions that impact poor rural people directly. She is also currently the Regional Ambassador in Italy of the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). Prior to joining IFAD, Ms. Morales led the digital transformation of a range of Multilateral Development Banks and United Nations agencies’ projects in Latin America, Asia, and Europe; and worked for the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC) where she led the design of digital platforms and established partnerships and knowledge networks for the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth (GPIG) Portal. She is also familiar with the startup eco-system having been part of the management team for a digital advertising startup in Indonesia and founding her own startup in Italy. Ms. Morales is a graduate from the Executive Program on Digital Business Leadership at Columbia Business School, Columbia University in New York. She also has a Master’s in Development Economics and International Cooperation, Food Security and Rural Development from University of Rome, a certificate on Leadership and Innovation from MIT, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and International Economics from Georgetown University. She also has a series of certificates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, United States, in Artificial Intelligence and Leadership and Innovation. IFAD is an international financial institution and specialized United Nations agency based in Rome, the UN’s food and agriculture hub and since 1978, and has provided US$23.2 billion in grants and low-interest loans, investing in rural people, empowering them to increase their food security, improve the nutrition of their families and increase their incomes, ultimately helping them build resilience, expand their businesses and take charge of their own development. Support the show

Send us a textDr. James Murphy, PhD is Director, Research and Science, at British American Tobacco ( BAT - https://www.bat.com/DOCNLKSF.html ) where he plays a central role in leading the organization’s extensive research and development programs, which supports the company’s commitment to reducing the health impact of its business by offering consumers a range of alternative tobacco and nicotine products with a reduced risk profile. In this role, Dr Murphy leads the global Research and Science team, ensuring world-class science and best practice are applied to all aspects of BAT’s work and helps to deliver further scientific evidence that supports BAT’s New Categories products. Dr. Murphy has played a significant role in the development of BAT’s New Categories having been Product Development Lead for BAT’s first vapour launches and as Head of Reduced Risk Substantiation, he created and published the Group’s nine-step scientific assessment framework to assess BAT’s New Category products. Dr. Murphy brings two decades of experience and has held a number of senior roles in R&D, Operations and Marketing at BAT. He was most recently Executive Vice President, U.S. Scientific Research & Development, based at the headquarters of BAT’s U.S. business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Murphy has a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from the Queen’s University of Belfast, a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, and did his Postdoctoral Studies in Sugar Based Synthetic Organic Chemistry Polymer Chemistry, at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan. Disclaimer: Reduced-risk product statements in this podcast are based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk-free and are addictive. BAT's products as sold in the U.S., including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without FDA clearance. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Omid Veiseh, Ph.D. ( https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/omid-veiseh ) is Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research and Director of the Biotech Launch Pad at Rice University ( https://biotechlaunchpad.rice.edu/ ), where he leads a research program aimed at engineering next-generation treatments for a wide range of human diseases by leveraging the latest techniques in synthetic biology, immuno-engineering, and materials science to develop innovative cell-based platforms for real-time production of biologics. He is also a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded Sigilon Therapeutics (Nasdaq:SGTX), Avenge Bio, Sentinel Bio, and Curada Bio. These companies collectively have attracted ~ US$500M in private and public investment capital. Dr. Veiseh received a dual Ph. D. in Materials Science & Engineering and Nanotechnology from the University of Washington. He completed his postdoctoral research with Prof. Robert Langer and Daniel G. Anderson at MIT and Harvard Medical School. Throughout his career, he has authored or co-authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications, including those in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Medicine, and Natural Biomedical Engineering. He is an inventor of more than 40 pending or awarded patents. Dr. Paul Wotton, Ph.D. ( https://biotechlaunchpad.rice.edu/paul-w ) is Rice Biotech Launchpad, Executive Director. Dr. Wotton received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Nottingham and is an experienced CEO, Board Member, named inventor and entrepreneur. He has extensive experience in strategic growth management, business transactions and product development. Dr. Wotton serves on the Board of Directors of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ: VCEL), Cynata Therapeutics (ASX: CYP), Kytopen (Chairman), Combined Therapeutics and is a Co-Founder and Director of Avenge Bio., a clinical stage biotechnology company. Dr. Wotton was President and CEO of Ocata Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OCAT) until its acquisition by Astellas Pharma in 2016. Paul was named as a “Top 100 Innovation CEO” by World Biz Magazine and won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Regional (NJ) Life Sciences award in 2014. Support the show