Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Maria Van Kerkhove, Ph.D., (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.vankerkhove) is an infectious disease epidemiologist who serves as the technical lead for the COVID-19 response at the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/en/), where she develops guidance, training programs, and information products for the continuously evolving state of the pandemic, as well serving as the Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit Head. Dr. Van Kerkhove began her journey in global health given her interest in viruses and how they infect and impact both humans and animals. She received her undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Cornell University, her master’s degree in epidemiology from Stanford University, and a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology from the London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine where she authored her PhD on pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Cambodia. Following her PhD, Dr. Van Kerkhove was a postdoctoral researcher with the WHO and acted as a liaison for the Imperial College London’s Medical Research Council Centre for Outbreak Analysis. Dr. Van Kerkhove continued working with the WHO and prior to COVID-19, was serving as the MERS-CoV Technical Lead in addition to being the Unit Head for the Emerging Disease and Zoonoses Unit. Her focus in these areas includes developing prevention and control programs around high threat respiratory pathogens.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Elizabeth Fowler, Ph.D., J.D., (https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/leadership/center-medicare-medicaid-innovation) is the Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and health insurance portability standards. Dr. Fowler has over 25 years of experience in both health policy and health services research. She previously served as Executive Vice President of programs at The Commonwealth Fund and Vice President for Global Health Policy at Johnson & Johnson, where she focused on health care delivery system and payment reform in the U.S. and health care systems and reform in emerging markets. She was also special assistant to President Obama on health care and economic policy at the National Economic Council. In 2008-2010, Dr. Fowler was Chief Health Counsel to Senate Finance Committee Chair, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), where she played a critical role developing the Senate version of the Affordable Care Act. She also played a key role drafting the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA). She also served as Vice President of Public Policy and External Affairs for WellPoint, Inc. (now Anthem), as an attorney with the Washington law firm Hogan & Hartson, and five years as a health services researcher with Park Nicollet Foundation in Minnesota. Dr. Fowler earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where her research focused on risk adjustment, and a law degree (J.D.) from the University of Minnesota. She is admitted to the bar in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Fowler is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Aspen Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Holly Ganz, Ph.D. is Chief Science Officer And Co-Founder of AnimalBiome (https://animalbiome.com/home), a company with a goal of helping cats and dogs lead longer, happier lives by using science to unlock the mysteries of the pet gut microbiome, providing access to genetic data on the health of the gut microbiome, better ways to log health and diet records, and offering remedies to treat chronic digestive disorders. Dr. Ganz received her PhD from UC Davis Entomology and Evolutionary Ecology, an MS from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in Marine Biology, UC San Diego and a BS in Biology from George Washington University and has studied the interaction between microbes and their hosts for over 20 years. After receiving her doctorate, she was awarded an international postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation to study how genetics affects the spread of fungal infections in animal populations in Switzerland. Subsequently she was a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley studying how bacterial pathogens survive in soil to infect African wildlife. Dr. Ganz has published more than 20 papers in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.Support the show

Send us a textKathryn Coulter Mitchell (https://www.dhs.gov/person/kathryn-coulter-mitchell), is Acting Under Secretary for Science and Technology (S&T), at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where as the science advisor to the Homeland Security Secretary, she heads the research, development, innovation and testing and evaluation activities in support of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) operational Components and first responders across the nation. The Science and Technology Directorate is responsible for identifying operational gaps, conceptualizing art-of-the-possible solutions, and delivering operational results that improve the security and resilience of the nation. In her former role as the Chief of Staff, Ms. Coulter Mitchell oversaw the operational and organizational needs of the $1 billion, 500-career-employee Directorate. A member of the Senior Executive Service, she was responsible for strategy, policy, organizational development, communications, and planning and she guided the creation of a DHS strategic vision and roadmap for research and development (R&D), the reestablishment of Integrated Product Teams to prioritize and manage DHS R&D investments, and the crafting of strategies for organizational effectiveness. Ms. Mitchell previously served S&T as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Communications Advisor for the Under Secretary and Deputy Under Secretary. Ms. Coulter Mitchell came to DHS after a 15-year career in the private sector and on Capitol Hill. In industry, she provided organizational strategy and communications support to the S&T directorate and the Federal Emergency Management Agency where she authored the communications strategy for the multi-million dollar, multi-agency rollout of Presidential Policy Directive 8 (This directive is aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through systematic preparation for the threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation, including acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, pandemics, and catastrophic natural disasters.) Prior to supporting the government, Ms. Coulter Mitchell was a senior-level public affairs specialist at a top Washington, D.C. public relations firm. She also served as the Director of Policy for an association of over 350 federal contracting companies. Before joining industry, Ms. Coulter Mitchell spent five years on Capitol Hill leading legislative efforts in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Ms. Coulter Mitchell holds a Master of Arts in Communications from Johns Hopkins University, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a professional certification in Executive Coaching from the University of Cambridge, U.K.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Jerome H. Kim, M.D., is the Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI - https://www.ivi.int/), a nonprofit International Organization established in 1997 as an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global public health. IVI is headquartered in Seoul and hosted by the Republic of Korea with 36 member countries and the WHO on its treaty. Dr. Kim served as the Principal Deputy and Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Pathogenesis at Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), in addition to being the Project Manager for the HIV Vaccines and Advanced Concepts Evaluation Project Management Offices, U.S. Army Medical Material Development Activity. Dr. Kim was also a Professor within the Division of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. From 2004 – 2009 he led the Army’s Phase III HIV vaccine trial (RV144), the first demonstration that an HIV vaccine could protect against infection, as well as subsequent studies that identified laboratory correlates of protection and sequence changes in breakthrough HIV infections after vaccination. Dr. Kim graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine in 1984 and completed his training in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Duke University Medical Center. In 2013 he received the John Maher Award for Research Excellence from the Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout his career to date, Dr. Kim has authored over 200 publications.Support the show

Send us a textRaza Khan is an Engineer and Senior Market Manager for Wireless Products in Semtech’s Signal Integrity Products Group (https://www.semtech.com/products/signal-integrity), and has over 15 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. In his current role, he oversees the strategy, product line development and market development for integrated circuit (IC) solutions for optical transport needs within the wireless market. This includes the Tri-Edge™ 50G PAM4 product portfolio and ClearEdge® 25G product portfolio for the emerging 5G wireless market, as well as the FiberEdge™ 10G product portfolio for the 4G wireless market. Mr. Khan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Western University and a double major Masters of Business Administration in Strategic Marketing and Management of Innovation and Technology (MINT) from McMaster University. Semtech Corporation (https://www.semtech.com/) is a leading global supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for infrastructure, high-end consumer and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The Company is dedicated to reducing the impact it, and its products, have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology and designing for resource reduction.Support the show

Send us a textColonel Victor Suarez, currently serves as Commander (Chief Executive) of the 6th Medical Logistics Management Center (https://6mlmc.amedd.army.mil/), in Fort Detrick, Maryland (the U.S. Defense Department's only Medical Logistics Management Center ready to deploy in support of global and domestic operations) responsible for leading, organizing, equipping, training, maintaining, and sustaining unit subject matter expertise in medical materiel, medical maintenance and satellite communications support to the operational forces. Prior to this role, Colonel Suarez played an instrumental role as the Program Manager for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine at Operation Warp Speed (OWS) - a whole of government public/private partnership to rapidly deliver a safe and effective SARS-COV2 vaccine for the USA. Colonel Suarez has also served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics for the US Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic managing the healthcare, PPE, lab diagnostics and medical maintenance supply chain for 14 direct reporting medical treatment facilities (medical centers, hospitals, clinics), was the Chief of Staff of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), U.S. DOD’s largest biomedical research laboratory, and was the Joint Product Manager of the Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program (JVAP), a biodefense advanced development vaccine program. Colonel Suarez graduated from UCLA with a BS in Anthropology, holds a Master of Science in Health Services Administration from Central Michigan University, Senior Service College Fellow Graduation Certificate from The George Washington University - Milken Institute School of Public Health, and is Defense Acquisition Level III certified in Science and Technology Management, Program Management and Life Cycle Logistics Defense Acquisition University. He’s also a graduate of the Tufts CSDD (Center for the Study of Drug Development) Postgraduate Course in Clinical Pharmacology, Drug Development and Regulation and the Cornell University Pharmaceutical Management Program. Colonel Suarez has served the U.S. in active military service, including a broad span of assignments from Airborne Infantry, Special Operations, Mechanized Infantry and Headquarters Department of the Army, including two combat tours as a Forward Support Medical Company Commander and Battalion Level Commander.Support the show

Send us a textOlivia Zetter is Head of Government Affairs and AI Strategy at National Resilience, Inc. (https://resilience.com/) a first-of-its-kind manufacturing and technology company dedicated to broadening access to complex medicines and protecting bio-pharmaceutical supply chains against disruption. Founded in 2020, National Resilience, Inc. is building a sustainable network of high-tech, end-to-end manufacturing solutions to ensure the medicines of today, and tomorrow, can be made quickly, safely, and at scale. Olivia brings extensive experience in national security spanning diplomacy, defense, and development, along with emerging technology issues. Olivia has held multiple positions in government, most recently as a Director of Research and Analysis at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, an independent federal commission established by Congress to examine the impact of artificial intelligence on national security and defense. Olivia previously served at the Department of State as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, where her work spanned a diverse range of cyber policy areas. She also served as the Special Advisor on Trans-Regional Issues to the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, where she coordinated efforts to counter the terrorist organization’s financing, foreign terrorist fighter flows, and external operations. At the Pentagon, Olivia served as a Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as part of the Chairman’s Action Group. Prior to her time in government, she worked in Washington and on-site abroad to manage stabilization and conflict management programs in the Middle East and South Asia with a U.S. government implementing partner. Olivia entered government as a Presidential Management Fellow and is the recipient of the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award. She is a Truman National Security Project Fellow. Olivia holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where she was a Belfer Student Fellow, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from American University.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Stephen Johnston, Ph.D. (https://biodesign.asu.edu/stephen-johnston) is the Director for the Center for Innovations in Medicine, a Professor in the School of Life Sciences, and Director of the Biological Design Graduate Program at The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. Dr Johnston is also Founding CEO and Chairman of the Board Of Directors of Calviri (https://calviri.com/). The Center for Innovations in Medicine and Dr. Johnston's current work focuses on innovative solutions to fundamental problems in bio-medicine, and their organization brings together a unique group of interdisciplinary scientists to identify, analyze, and come up with inventive solutions for significant un-met medical needs. Current major translational sciences and technology development projects of Dr. Johnston include 1) Cancer Eradication: with a focus on developing a universal, preventative cancer vaccine, and 2) Health Futures: with an aim of producing a diagnostic system that allows continuous monitoring of the health status of healthy people - helping in the revolution to pre-symptomatic medicine. Dr. Johnston has broad experience in basic science, including cloning the Gal4 gene, showing that proteins have separable functional domains, and discovering the ATPases Associated proteins and their role in transcription. He was also co-inventor/innovator of pathogen derived resistance, organelle transformation, the gene gun, genetic immunization, Tobacco Etch Virus protease system, expression library immunization, linear expression elements, synbodies and immunosignaturing. Dr. Johnston is author of over 150 journal articles, has over 20 patents, and has garnered approximately $85M in grant support including large programs from DARPA, NIAID and NHLBI. Dr. Johnston has a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Genetics/Plant Breeding, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and did Postdoctoral work in Biochemistry at Penn State University Medical Center.Support the show

Send us a textTeresa Bonner is the Executive Director of the E.A. Michelson Philanthropy (https://eamichelsonphilanthropy.org/), an organization with a mission of championing programs that break barriers, build community and spark creativity, through funding and advocacy. E.A. Michelson Philanthropy has made grants totaling more than US$47 Million since 2006, actively supporting nonprofit organizations across the United States through direct financial support, advocacy, partnerships, informal alliances, convenings, trainings and more. A cornerstone of the E.A. Michelson Philanthropy initiatives is their Vitality Arts programs, which through partnerships with arts and cultural institutions, offer older adults the chance to learn new art forms while developing new friendships, exploring creativity and new accomplishments, connecting with others, building community, and demonstrating relevance, all while addressing equity, diversity, inclusion and access. Teresa has her BA in Journalism from University of North Dakota and a JD from University of Minnesota Law School and has been involved in the foundation, family foundation and charitable giving space for the last couple of decades.Support the show