Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textMr. Eric Fournier is the Director General Innovation for the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Program (https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/ideas-2019-2020-annual-report/introduction.html), which over the past year, has been able to invest more than $100M in organizations across Canada (now over 270 and counting) that are using their innovative thinking and solutions in support of the women and men that are part of Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). IDEaS aims to be Canada’s science, technology, and innovation leader, trusted advisor, collaborative partner, and knowledge integrator for defence and security. Mr. Fournier began his career with Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC) as a Defence Scientist in the Flight Mechanics Group of the Precision Weapons Section at the Valcartier laboratory in August 1992. He spent most of his scientific career in that establishment, where he held a number of positions in the Weapons field of study. He also spent one year at the United Kingdom DERA Fort Halstead laboratory as an exchange scientist in the late ninety’s. In May 2006, Mr. Fournier was appointed Director, Science & Technology Air, in Ottawa, where he managed the Air Force S&T Program portfolio. As part of his duties, he also served as National Representative on the Aerospace Systems group (AER) in The Technical Cooperation Program. From September 2008 to July 2009, he moved to the Canadian Forces College in Toronto where he completed the National Security Program 1 (NSP-1). Upon his return to Ottawa, Mr. Fournier was appointed Director of Defence Research and Development Canada’s Centre for Operational Research and Analysis (CORA), and was responsible for the delivery of a Science and Technology program in the areas of operational research, strategic analysis, and scientific and technical intelligence. In 2014, Mr. Fournier took up the position of Defence R&D Counsellor at CDLS (London) where he was responsible for liaison in defence Science and Technology between Canada and the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Upon returning to Canada in July 2017, he was appointed DG for Strategic Decision Support, and also selected to develop and lead the implementation of the IDEaS initiative.Support the show

Send us a textSenator Joe Lieberman, is senior counsel at the law firm of Kasowitz Benson Torres (https://www.kasowitz.com/people/joseph-i-lieberman) where he currently advises clients on a wide range of issues, including homeland and national security, defense, health, energy, environmental policy, intellectual property matters, as well as international expansion initiatives and business plans. Prior to joining Kasowitz, Senator Lieberman, the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee in 2000, served 24 years in the United States Senate where he helped shape legislation in virtually every major area of public policy, including national and homeland security, foreign policy, fiscal policy, environmental protection, human rights, health care, trade, energy, cyber security and taxes, as well as serving in many leadership roles including as chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Prior to being elected to the Senate, Senator Lieberman served as the Attorney General of the State of Connecticut for six years. He also served 10 years in the Connecticut State Senate, including three terms as majority leader. In addition to practicing law, Senator Lieberman is honorary national founding chair of No Labels (https://www.nolabels.org/), an American political organization composed of Republicans, Democrats and Independents whose mission is to “usher in a new era of focused problem solving in American politics.” Since 2014, Senator Lieberman, and former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, have Co-Chaired the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (https://biodefensecommission.org/), which has provided recommendations to improve the United States' efforts in the biodefense arena, particularly as it relates to biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. Senator Lieberman is also on the Board of Trustees for The McCain Institute for International Leadership, the Board of Trustees for the Institute for the Study of War, and the Board of Directors of the Center for a New American Security. Senator Lieberman is also an accomplished author with his most recent book, The Centrist Solution: How We Made Government Work and Can Make It Work Again (https://www.amazon.com/Centrist-Solution-Made-Government-Again/dp/1635769043), recently released in Oct 2021.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Chris Zaino (https://www.drzaino.com/) is a world-renowned speaker, author, entrepreneur, Former Mr America, Mr. Universe and IFBB Pro bodybuilder. After defying a deadly terminal disease in his late 20's, and studying Exercise Physiology & Wellness at University of Central Florida, Dr. Zaino leveraged his experience to get his doctorate and developing one of the largest wellness clinics in the world (Abundant Life Chiropractic - http://www.abundantlifechiro.com/drzaino), seeing thousands of patients weekly. He has also served as an official doctor of the World USA Olympic Judo, Wrestling, and Weightlifting Teams, as well as other sports teams. Dr. Zaino created the “I Am Hero Project”, to resurrect Heroes from the complacency of their secret identities, so they may live heroic lives once again, by expressing and experiencing true love, now, and in every area of their lives, through his 4 Step methodology “Hero Rises”. Recently, Dr. Zaino has become a top thought leader internationally in the area of applications of Regenerative Medicine, with a focus on enhancing Male Vitality (https://www.regeneragemedical.com/).Support the show

Send us a textDr. Tristin Brisbois, Ph.D., (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristin-brisbois-6b352b56/) is Director, Advanced Personalization Ideation Center, Life Sciences, Global R&D, at PepsiCo (https://www.gssiweb.org/en/about/pepsico-life-sciences), where she is involved in delivering actionable personalized nutrition solutions to promote the health and wellness of their consumers (https://pepsicohealthandnutritionsciences.com/). She also recently held the role of Director, Platform & Academic Partnerships, where she was involved in translating strategic intent and science-based analyses into actionable work plans and optimal project portfolio to meet PepsiCo’s short and long-term needs. This included developing internal capabilities, such as personalized nutrition, as well as identifying and forming key partnerships with leading academic institutions and external vendors. Dr. Brisbois previously served as a Senior Principal Scientist for Global R&D Nutrition Sciences, where she was involved in advancing the translation of nutrition science in key areas, directing and guiding regional product innovation and brand communications for PepsiCo North American beverages. She also provided expert input and support on external stakeholder issues and oversaw PepsiCo North American nutrition communication outreach program and strategy. Prior to working for PepsiCo, Dr. Brisbois was the Manager of Nutrition and Scientific Affairs at the Canadian Sugar Institute, where she led the Institute's nutrition communications program. Dr. Brisbois completed her PhD and BSc (in Nutrition and Food Science) at the University Alberta. Her PhD investigated food intake behavior in cancer with a focus on appetite stimulation and improvement of taste and smell perception using marijuana therapy. She studied appetite and reward related pathways in healthy and disease populations, and explored mechanisms which may cause a surfeit (obesity) or deficit (cancer) of calories. Dr. Brisbois also has a Masters of Business and Science (MBS), in Global Food Technology and Innovation, from Rutgers University.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Thomas V. Johnson III, M.D., Ph.D. (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/thomas-johnson) is a glaucoma specialist and the Allan and Shelley Holt Rising Professor in Ophthalmology at Wilmer Eye Institute, at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a member of the Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) Repopulation, Stem cell Transplantation, and Optic nerve Regeneration (RReSTORe) consortium (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/research/storm/rrestore/index.html), an initiative focused on advancing translational development of vision restoration therapies for glaucoma and other primary optic neuropathies by assembling an international group of more than 100 leading and emerging investigators from related fields. Dr. Johnson received his BA (summa cum laude) in Biological Sciences from Northwestern University in 2005. As a Gates-Cambridge Scholar and an NIH-OxCam Scholar, he earned his PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge (UK) in 2010. He completed his medical training (AOA) at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2014 and served as an intern on the Johns Hopkins Osler Medical Service prior to completing his ophthalmology residency and glaucoma fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Dr. Johnson’s research interests are focused on understanding the pathophysiology of retinal and optic nerve neurodegenerative disorders, and on the development of neuroprotective and neuroregenerative therapies for these conditions. His doctoral thesis work evaluated intraocular stem and progenitor cell transplantation as a possible neuroprotective therapy for glaucoma. His research contributions have been recognized with a World Glaucoma Association Award nomination, the National Eye Institute’s Scientific Director’s Award, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s Merck Innovative Ophthalmology Research Award. He also founded and served as director of the Student Sight Savers Program, a program that provides vision screening services to low-income residents of Baltimore, and helps them obtain access to clinical ophthalmological care. Presently, Dr. Johnson is interested in the neurobiological processes that lead to retinal ganglion cell death and dysfunction in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. In particular, he seeks to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying axonal degeneration, dendrite retraction and afferent synapse loss, and cell body death in glaucoma. His goal is to utilize knowledge of these processes to develop targeted neuroprotective strategies to slow or halt RGC death and preserve vision for patients with glaucoma. He is also leading new investigations into the use of stem cell transplantation to achieve retinal ganglion cell placement, as a potential regenerative treatment for optic nerve disease, with a focus on anatomic incorporation of cell grafts, neurite growth and synapse formation, and electrophysiological retinal circuit integration.Support the show

Send us a textProf. Dr. Christine Stabell Benn, MD, PhD, DMSc, (https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/persons/cbenn), is a physician, a professor of global health at the University of Southern Denmark, and a vaccine researcher with almost thirty years of experience in the field, where the focus of her research is "non-specific vaccine effects", defined as all those other effects, both positive and negative, that vaccines have on our immune systems and overall health, beyond their very specific ability to protect against a specific infectious disease. Prof. Dr. Stabell Benn has her medical degree, PhD, and Doctor of Medical Science from University of Copenhagen and has been responsible for planning, executing and publishing epidemiological and immunological studies of health interventions internationally, as well as supervising a number of pre- and postgraduate/PhD students. Prof. Dr. Stabell Benn started working as a medical student in 1993 at the Bandim Health Project (https://www.bandim.org/), a population based health research project in one of the world's poorest countries, Guinea-Bissau, developing a health and demographic surveillance system of over 100,000 people. She spent postdoc time at the Danish National Hospital, Department for Infectious Diseases and at Stanford University. In 2012, Dr. Benn was selected by the Danish National Research Foundation to establish and lead a Center of Excellence, the “Research Center for Vitamins and Vaccines” (CVIVA - www.cviva.dk).Support the show

Send us a textDr. Jessica Whited, Ph.D. (https://hscrb.harvard.edu/labs/whited-lab/) is an Assistant Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University where her lab focuses on limb regeneration in axolotl salamanders and where they develop tools to manipulate gene expression during limb regeneration, and explore signaling events following wound healing that initiate the regenerative process. Dr. Whited earned a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri, and obtained her Ph.D. in Biology from MIT, where she studied in Dr. Paul Garrity’s laboratory. Dr. Whited's thesis focused on molecular mechanisms controlling the development and maintenance of cellular architectures in the Drosophila nervous system. During this work, Dr. Whited became interested in processes that may be required long after initial developmental events to ensure cells do not revert to immature behaviors, as well as processes that provoke such events in response to injury. She worked in the laboratory of Dr. Cliff Tabin (Harvard Medical School Department of Genetics) as a postdoc studying total limb regeneration in axolotl salamanders. During this time, Whited developed several molecular tools that can be used to interrogate regenerating axolotl limbs, which is one of the core focuses of her lab today. Dr. Whited is also Co-Founder of Matice Biosciences, a company leveraging regenerative biology for the next generation of skincare and consumer scar products.Support the show

Send us a textAndrea De Souza, is Associate Vice President, Research Data Sciences and Engineering, at Eli Lilly & Company (https://www.lilly.com/) where over the past three years her work has focused around empowering the Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL) organization with greater computational, analytics-intense experimentation to raise the innovation of their scientists. A former neuroscience researcher, Andrea’s portfolio career has included leadership assignments at the intersection of science, technology and business development. She has built and led informatics and scientific teams across the entire pharmaceutical value chain. Most recently, Andrea focused on building the Pharma Artificial Intelligence market at NVIDIA. Through this experience she has traveled the world advising bio-pharmaceutical clients, academics, research institutes, and startups in the potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence across every discipline of the industry. Prior to her role at NVIDIA, Andrea held leadership positions at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Amgen, and Roche. In her current role as Associate Vice President at Lilly, Andrea leads four organizations: the High-Performance Computing Team, the Data Engineering team, the AI/ML team and the Translational Informatics team for LRL. Additionally, Andrea serves as a strategic advisor for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for The Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HubMap) Advisory Team. Andrea has a B.S. in Animal Physiology from UC Davis, a Master’s in Health Administration from University of San Francisco, and an MBA from MIT Sloan. Through her broad research efforts, Andrea has publications in journals as diverse as the Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design, Bio-organic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, and Neuropharmacology. Her leadership has gained her international recognition as a leader in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences.Support the show

Send us a textAmbassador Dr. Román Macaya Hayes, Ph.D. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rom%C3%A1n_Macaya) is a Costa Rican scientist, entrepreneur, diplomat, and public servant, who most recently served as the Chairman of the Board of the Costa Rican Social Security, Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), the institution that finances and provides universal coverage of public health care services in Costa Rica and manages the largest pension fund of the country. In this role he led the health care delivery response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as spearheaded key priority programs, such as deploying the largest investment in physical and technological infrastructure in the history of the CCSS, promoting innovation throughout the institution, implementing the most ambitious digital transformation agenda, and revamping both the health care delivery and pension system to respond to a rapidly aging population. Prior to leading the CCSS, Ambassador Dr. Macaya Hayes served as Costa Rica's Ambassador to the United States, a post he held from 2014 through 2018. As ambassador, Dr. Macaya Hayes promoted science diplomacy between both countries in biomedical research, space, water, biodiversity, and technology. He also strengthened cooperation in security, migratory matters, environmental conservation, and the arts, in addition to supporting the attraction of foreign direct investment. He also worked with the White House, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and Congress to strengthen Costa Rica´s capabilities in drug interdiction, resulting in the largest multi-year appropriations for Costa Rica in over 30 years. Ambassador Dr. Macaya Hayes has held leadership positions in the fields of health care and agriculture. In the healthcare field, in addition to leading Costa Rica´s single payer/single provider of public health care services, he has served as a biomedical scientist in the biotechnology industry, and as a businessman/entrepreneur in clinical research, private equity, and health care consulting. In the field of agriculture he led the growth and development of a major crop protection company, served on the Board of Directors of Costa Rica's National Chamber of Agriculture and Agro-Industry, and founded and presided over the National (Costa Rican), Latin American, and Global industry associations that engaged with governments and multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization (Geneva), World Health Organization (Geneva), and Food and Agriculture Organization (Rome) on regulatory matters. Ambassador Dr. Macaya Hayes holds an MBA in Health Care Management from the Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UCLA and a B.A. in Chemistry from Middlebury College.Support the show

Send us a textGina Tokar is the Vice President of Business Operations at Panasonic Connect North America (https://na.panasonic.com/us/panasonic-connect), where she is focused on growth and change leadership, business transformation and cost control in the supply chain. She leads a multi-year, company-wide transformation project with the goal of shifting Panasonic’s product focus into a strategic, consultative solutions focus. She prides herself in launching new business units from concept to commercialization, breaking down barriers to innovation and value creation, and reliably driving growth and expansion regardless of the internal or market challenge. Panasonic Connect North America, is a business unit of the Panasonic Corporation, the Japanese multinational conglomerate which is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2018, Panasonic has expanded globally and now operates 495 subsidiaries and 91 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of $61 billion and employing over 250,000. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. In addition to her work at Panasonic for the past seventeen years, Gina has served as the Chairman of the Newark, NJ Downtown District Board of Trustees, and President of the RISE women’s ESG group within Panasonic’s Business Impact Group. Prior to Panasonic, Gina served in multiple roles in logistics at GAF, a leader in the building materials industry. Gina has her MBA in Management from Fairleigh Dickinson, and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Minor in Biology, from Bucknell University.Support the show