Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Egbert Edelbroek, Ph.D. is the CEO & Founder of SpaceBorn United ( https://spacebornunited.com/ ), a research and mission design company focused on researching optimal conditions for human reproduction in space, with a focus on novel assisted reproductive technologies. Dr. Edelbroek is passionate about accelerating space life science research, helping humanity to become a multi-planetary species. His interest in space exploration accelerated shortly after he became a sperm donor in 2010 and when learned all about assisted reproductive technologies. This inspired him to explore options to re-engineer existing IVF technology for application in space. Dr. Edelbroek earned his Ph.D. studying courage development in organizations from Radboud University, a Master's degreein neuro-linguistic programming & coaching from IEP Nijmegen, and a Master's degree in organizational sciences from Tilburg University. Dr. Edelbroek enjoys innovating and exploring boundaries by connecting domains and experts that usually remain separated in order to expand the human comfort zone.Support the show

Send us a textDr. David A. Markowitz, Ph.D. ( https://www.markowitz.bio/ ) is a Program Manager at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity ( IARPA - https://www.iarpa.gov/ ) which is an organization that invests in high-risk, high-payoff research programs to tackle some of the most difficult challenges of the agencies and disciplines in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). IARPA’s mission is to push the boundaries of science to develop solutions that empower the U.S. IC to do its work better and more efficiently for national security. IARPA does not have an operational mission and does not deploy technologies directly to the field, but instead, they facilitate the transition of research results to IC customers for operational application. Currently, Dr. Markowitz leads three research programs at the intersection between biology, engineering, and computing. These programs are: FELIX, which is revolutionizing the field of bio-surveillance with new experimental and computational tools for detecting genetic engineering in complex biological samples; MIST, which is developing compact and inexpensive DNA data storage devices to address rapidly growing enterprise storage needs; and MICrONS, which is guiding the development of next-generation machine learning algorithms by reverse-engineering the computations performed by mammalian neocortex. Previously, as a researcher in neuroscience, Dr. Markowitz published first-author papers on neural computation, the neural circuit basis of cognition in primates, and neural decoding strategies for brain-machine interfaces. Dr. Markowitz received his Ph.D. in molecular biology and neuroscience from Princeton University and his Bachelor’s degree in management science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was a DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellow and a Swartz Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Neuroscience. Dr. Markowitz is a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Sharon K. Inouye is the Director of the Aging Brain Center at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, Massachusetts ( https://www.marcusinstituteforaging.org/scientists/team-profiles-and-bios/sharon-k-inouye-md-mph ). Dr. Inouye has an M.D., from University of California San Francisco and M.P.H. from Yale and currently holds the Milton and Shirley F. Levy Family Chair and is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center). Her research focuses on delirium and functional decline in hospitalized older patients, resulting in more than 300 peer-reviewed original articles to date. Dr. Inouye is the principal investigator of the Successful Aging after Elective Surgery (SAGES) study, an $11 million Program Project on delirium funded by the National Institute on Aging whose purpose is to examine the interface of delirium and dementia, whether delirium alters the course of dementia, and whether delirium leads to longstanding cognitive impairment and pathologic changes in the brain. Dr. Inouye developed and validated the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), the most widely-used instrument for the identification of delirium. She conceptualized the multi-factorial model for delirium, which focuses on identification of predisposing and precipitating factors for delirium and her work involves translating theories of clinical investigation into practical applications that directly improve the quality of life for older adults. Dr. Inouye has also developed the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a multi-component intervention strategy designed to prevent delirium by targeting six delirium risk factors. HELP was successful in reducing delirium by 40 percent and was published in a landmark study in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study was the first to show that a substantial proportion of delirium is preventable. Additionally, HELP has been shown to reduce falls, functional decline, and hospital costs, and to improve patient, family, and nursing satisfaction. The HELP program has been adopted by hundreds of hospitals worldwide. Dr. Inouye has been awarded many of the highest accolades in her field, including being elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Margaret "Peggy" Hamburg, MD is an internationally recognized leader in public health and medicine, who currently serves as chair of the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s (NTI) bio Advisory Group ( https://www.nti.org/about/people/margaret-hamburg-md/ ), where she has also served as founding vice president and senior scientist. She also currently holds a role as Commissioner on the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense ( https://biodefensecommission.org/teams/margaret-a-hamburg/ ). Dr. Hamburg previously served as foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine and is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), having served for almost six years where she was well known for advancing regulatory science, modernizing regulatory pathways, and globalizing the agency. Previous government positions include Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Commissioner for New York City, and Assistant Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. In her role, as Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Dr. Hamburg served as senior advisor on international matters and was the liaison with other Academies of Medicine around the world. She is an elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Hamburg currently sits on the boards of the Commonwealth Fund, the Simons Foundation, the Urban Institute, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the American Museum of Natural History. She is chair of the Joint Coordinating Group for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation, and a member of the Harvard University Global Advisory Council, the Global Health Scientific Advisory Committee for the Gates Foundation, the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows, and the World Dementia Council. Dr. Hamburg earned her B.A. from Harvard College, her M.D. from Harvard Medical School and completed her medical residency at Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is the recipient of multiple honorary degrees and numerous awards.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Renée Deehan, Ph.D. is the VP of Science & Artificial Intelligence at InsideTracker ( https://www.insidetracker.com/ ), and leads a science team that builds and mines the world's largest data set of blood, DNA, fitness tracking and phenotypic data from healthy people, creating evidence-based solutions that are simple, clear, and actionable. Dr. Deehan has spent her career working in the precision medicine and personalized nutrition domains, previously serving as the VP of Computational Biology & Translational Informatics at QuartzBio and as the VP of Biology and Bioinformatics at PatientsLikeMe, the world’s largest integrated community, health management, and real-world data platform. At PatientsLikeMe, Dr. Deehan was responsible for data and knowledge engineering, AI/machine-learning, and translational biology functions that drove infrastructure and consumer & business product development. She was also the Principal Investigator for the DigitalMe Ignite program, which collected longitudinal blood and patient-generated health data from over 5,000 at-home site visits from over 2,000 participants and was able to generate over 2 Million data points from the DigitalMe program. Dr. Deehan also designed and cross-functionally implemented the first generation of an “advanced research platform”, capable of integrating survey and omics data for biomarker analysis, including ensemble-based machine-learning pipelines. Additionally, they developed an outsourced pipeline to support their wet-lab omics needs (DNA/RNAseq, proteomics, immune sequencing/antibody repertoire analysis, metabolomics, methylomics). Dr. Deehan has a Ph.D in Molecular and Cell Biology from University of California, Berkeley and a BSE in Bioengineering from University of Pennsylvania.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Michael Hufford, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of LyGenesis ( https://www.lygenesis.com/ ), a clinical-stage cell therapy company that transforms patient’s lymph nodes into bioreactors capable of growing functioning ectopic organs. He also serves as the Interim CEO of Morphoceuticals ( https://www.morphoceuticals.com/ ) a company focused on modifying electric potentials in cells and tissues for a variety of applications in regenerative medicine, from improving amputation stump health and limb regeneration, to organogenesis, to creating a bioelectric atlas where numerous disease indications may be corrected. Dr. Hufford also serves as a scientific advisor to Juvenescence ( https://juvlabs.com/ ) a biotech holding company that develops therapies and products to modify aging and help people live longer. An entrepreneur and drug developer, Dr. Hufford has over 20 years of experience in the development and FDA regulatory approval of small molecules (Cypress Bioscience), biologics (Amylin Pharmaceuticals), as well as drug delivery technologies (e-Nicotine Technology). He has designed and executed clinical trials and drug development programs across a wide variety of therapeutic areas, from orphan metabolic diseases to psychiatric and oncology indications. His experience in- and out-licensing pre-clinical and clinical stage assets, executing corporate partnering deals, and in investor relations, has helped him to raise public, private, and angel-back financing for his companies. His philanthropic work includes co-founding and serving as the CEO of Harm Reduction Therapeutics, Inc. ( https://www.harmreductiontherapeutics.org/ ), a nonprofit pharmaceutical company developing low-cost over-the-counter intra-nasal naloxone in the US to help prevent opioid overdose deaths. Dr. Hufford earned his undergraduate degree with distinction from Purdue University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, before completing a Research and Clinical Fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is an award-winning lecturer, and the author of more than 100 scientific publications, presentations, and OpEds, with multiple issued and pending patents.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Brett Kagan, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientific Officer at Cortical Labs ( https://corticallabs.com/ ), a biological computing startup putting live neurons into chips to revolutionize computing and help usher in the post-silicon age. Potential applications for the unique organic-digital convergence tools that Cortical Labs is working on are quite broad including: novel ex-vivo models for drug screening in CNS conditions such as epilepsy and dementia; a deeper understanding about how our brains organize activity and learn; inspiration for new machine learning methods; and ultimately tapping the inherent intelligence of living neurons, for their superior computing power and low energy consumption, for the creation of true neuromorphic computing. Dr. Kagan obtained a Bachelors of Psychology from Bond University, a Masters of Neuroscience from the The University of Queensland, and a Ph.D., focused on Cell Therapy for Neonatal Brain, from the University of Melbourne.Support the show

Send us a textDee Siren ( https://mrssiren.com/ ) is a veteran adult entertainment professional who wears many titles within the industry including as a director, producer, sex educator, performer, content creator, and CEO of SirenXXXStudios ( https://sirenxxxstudios.com/ ) . Dee attended the University of Texas in San Antonio, earning a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a certification in Education and began a career in teaching before segueing into the adult entertainment industry. Dee is also a certified sex educator by the American College of Sexologists and currently offers life coaching and career consultation through Intimate Purpose LLC ( MyKarmaSutra.com ), where she uses her knowledge to assist others in finding their new path to happier, healthier, and productive relationships. Dee is also a brand ambassador for the ePlay streaming service and as a core team member / production partner at Vicewrld DAO ( https://vicewrld.com/ ) which will focus on producing video and image-based content and, in the future, full immersion Metaverse AR / VR-based content. Support the show

Send us a textJohn Sherman is the Chief Information Officer (DoD CIO) at the U.S. Department of Defense ( https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/2881098/john-sherman/ ), a role he was sworn in on December 17, 2021. In this role he is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for Information Management / Information Technology (IT) and Information Assurance, as well as non-intelligence space systems; critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs; spectrum; and telecommunications matters. ( https://dodcio.defense.gov/about-dod-cio/ ) Prior to assuming his duties, Mr. Sherman served as the Acting DoD CIO and Principal Deputy, DoD CIO from June 2020 to September 2021. Before joining the Department, Mr. Sherman served as the Intelligence Community (IC) CIO from 2017-2020. In this position he was involved in driving and coordinating IT modernization among 17 agencies, leading major advancements to the IC’s cloud computing, cybersecurity, and interoperability capabilities. He built long-term commitment to these priorities among stakeholders, both in government and industry, and ensured that the IC would remain a leader in each of these areas. Prior to his tour as the IC CIO, Mr. Sherman served from 2014-2017 as the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA’s) Open Source Enterprise (OSE), where he helped transform Open Source Intelligence, leveraging new technologies and interagency partnerships to enhance the growing OSE mission. He previously served for seven years in several senior executive positions at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), where he led organizations involved in analysis, collection, homeland security, organizational strategy, and international affairs. Earlier, he served as the Principal Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Military Issues on the National Intelligence Council, and as a White House Situation Room duty officer. Mr. Sherman began his IC career in 1997 as an imagery analyst. Mr. Sherman is a 1992 Distinguished Military Graduate of Texas A&M University where he commanded the Corps of Cadets and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He also earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Houston. Following graduation from Texas A&M, he served as an Air Defense Officer in the 24th Infantry Division. He is a graduate of the DoD CAPSTONE course, the “Leading the IC” course, and the CIA Director’s Seminar. Mr. Sherman's awards include the Distinguished and Meritorious Presidential Rank, the DIA Director’s Award, the CIA Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, the NGA Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, and the Canadian Chief of Defense Intelligence Medallion.Support the show

Send us a textBeth Bell ( https://bethbell.me/ ) is an author, advisor and an entrepreneur who has been on a fascinating journey of spiritual awakening. Beth started out as a rising sales star turned marketing executive, spending more than 16 years at Bayer Pharmaceuticals leading strategic brand planning and other functions in the female health and contraception space. However, somewhere between C-level meetings and marketplace assessments, Beth began listening more closely to the world around — and within — her. What she heard led her eventually to ditch her corporate life to pursue her life’s purpose of “pollinating the planet with love”. As her inward journey deepened, Beth became known as the “Flower Whisperer” and forged new paths — first as an entrepreneur designing silver jewelry in Bali, then as a radio/TV show host and author. Additionally, Beth serves as a "multi-dimensional advisor" for CEOs and psychedelic pharmaceutical companies through her organization Psychedelic Sages. Beth is an accomplished author with her book titles including: "The Awakening and Healing Handbook", "Five Pearls of Wisdom Workbook", "Savvy Insiders Guide to Ubud", "Flower Power 4 Pure Love: Pollinating the Planet with Love" and "Angels, Herpes and Psychedelics Unraveling the Mind to Unveil Illusions". Support the show