Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textMr. Lameen Abdul-Malik is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Coffeepreneur, Intellectual Philanthropist, and Executive Director of Honest Management LLC, UAE. (https://www.honestmanagement.org/) Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2005, for which he worked for over 14 years, Mr. Abdul-Malik has over twenty years’ experience in international development, primarily in Africa, where he was responsible for developing the IAEA regional strategy to help over 41 African countries use nuclear science and technology to address their primary development challenges in health, agriculture and radiation safety. Mr. Abdul-Malik started his career, working at the UK Department for International Development, where he worked on the international trade, debt relief and economic and social research. Mr. Abdul-Malik is also very passionate about coffee and has been writing about coffee for over 13 years on his blog (https://fromcoffeewithlove.com/), for which he was featured on CNN, and recently launched his own espresso brand coffee in collaboration with Sippy Beans of Dubai, UAE. In June 2019, Mr. Abdul-Malik was invited to participate at the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) and European Union (EU) Coffee Symposium on the UN Sustainable development goals (SDGS), where he interacted with global players such as Starbucks, Nestle, and Illy, as they discussed ways in which to improve the coffee value chain. Following his departure from the IAEA, Mr. Abdul-Malik worked as a director for The Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII Institute), a Riyadh, KSA based global foundation focusing on the world's brightest ideas in sustainability, healthcare, education, AI, and robotics, and helping them find their way to materialize, scale and create a positive sustainable impact on humanity. Now as Executive Director of Honest Management LLC, UAE, Mr. Abdul-Malik has set himself a goal of having a positive impact on at least one million people lives within the next 5 years, using his various skill sets in development, education and of course, in coffee. Mr. Abdul-Malik has a Master of Business Administration in International Management from University of Exeter Business School.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Antonio Giordano, MD, Ph.D., (https://www.drantoniogiordano.com/) is President and Founder of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (https://www.shro.org/), which conducts research to diagnose, treat and cure cancer, but also has diversified into research beyond oncology, into the areas of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Dr. Giordano is also a Professor of Molecular Biology at Temple University in Philadelphia, a 'Chiara fama' Professor in the Department of Pathology & Oncology at the University of Siena, Italy, and Director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, and the Center for Biotechnology, at Temple's College of Science & Technology. In his research throughout the years, Dr. Giordano has identified numerous tumor suppressor genes, including Rb2/p130, which has been found to be active in lung, endometrial, brain, breast, liver and ovarian cancers, as well as interesting synergistic effects of gamma radiation in combination with this gene, accelerating the death of tumor cells. Dr. Giordano went on to discover Cyclin A, Cdk9 (which is known to play critical roles in HIV transcriptions, inception of tumors, and cell differentiation), and Cdk10. Dr. Giordano also developed patented technologies for diagnosing cancer. Dr. Giordano has published over 400 papers on gene therapy, cell cycle, genetics of cancer, and epidemiology. In 2011, Dr. Giordano and his team uncovered anti-tumor agents that might be effective in the treatment of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by prolonged asbestos exposure, by inducing cell death without harming healthy cells. Dr. Giordano has been involved with many other fascinating programs, including digital health work to see if watching a computer animated avatar could assist women to lose weight, as well as analyzing the environmental relationship among toxic dumping and cancer growth, birth defects, and CNS disorders, due to the Camorra (the Neapolitan Mafia) illegally disposing of toxic waste.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Maria Elena Bottazzi  is Distinguished Professor of Biology, Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, and Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, and Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Bottazzi is also Co-Director, Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, and Editor-in-Chief, Current Tropical Medicine Reports. Dr. Botazzi has a degree in microbiology from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, a PhD from University Of Florida, did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at University Of Pennsylvania and at University Of Miami Hospital And Clinics, and a Fellowship at American Association for the Advancement of Science Leshner Leadership Institute. Dr. Botazzi is involved in a range of activities related to the development of novel vaccines and adjuvants for neglected tropical diseases (Chagas Disease, Leishmaniasis, Human Hookworm Vaccine, Schistosomiasis Vaccine), as well as extensive work on Covid vaccines.Support the show

Send us a textKhaliya (https://www.khaliya.net/) is a Columbia University-trained public health specialist and Harvard University-trained specialist in Global Mental Health and Refugee Trauma. She is also a Venture Partner for Gender Equity Diversity Investments (www.gedi.vc), a new female-led VC firm targeting high growth investments that deliver top-quartile returns and measurable impact towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals with a preliminary focus on health. Formerly an aid worker in over 32 countries and a former Peace Corps Volunteer for the US State Department, she has won numerous awards for her international service. Khaliya was the youngest member of the WEF's Futures Council on the Future of Health and Healthcare and her opinion pieces have run in the New York Times (International and Domestic Editions) as well as WiredUK. Currently at work on a book on the future of mental health, Khaliya continues to be a sought after public speaker, having spoken at the Obama White House organized United States of Women Summit, the World Economic Forum's Family Business Summit, the Vatican, Clinton Global Initiative, WiredHealth, WebSummit and at the United Nations General Assembly, among others. Khaliya is next scheduled to speak at the G20 Women’s Summit in Milan, Italy, and the Ethical Assembly Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, both taking place in October, 2021.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Jennifer Garrison, PhD (http://garrisonlab.com/) is Assistant Professor, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Founder & Faculty Director, Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity & Equality (https://www.buckinstitute.org/gcrle/), Assistant Professor in Residence, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Gerontology, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Dr. Garrison’s lab is interested in understanding how neuropeptides (a large class of signaling molecules which are secreted from neurons and transmit messages within the brain and across the nervous system) regulate changes in normal and aging animals as well in understanding how they control behavior at both the cell biological and neural circuit level. Dr. Garrison received her PhD from the University of California San Francisco in Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the laboratory of Dr. Jack Taunton, where she discovered the molecular target of a natural product and elucidated a novel mechanism by which small molecules can regulate protein biogenesis. As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Cori Bargmann’s lab at the Rockefeller University, she showed that the nematode C. elegans produces a neuropeptide that is an evolutionary precursor of the mammalian peptides vasopressin and oxytocin, and mapped a neural circuit by which this molecule, nematocin, modulates mating behavior. Dr. Garrison was named an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and received a Glenn Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging in 2014, and a Next Generation Leader at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in 2015. Her work is funded by the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation.Support the show

Send us a textGiovanni (Gio) Battistini, is Managing Director at the innovation venture company, Better Gambit LLC (https://www.bettergambit.com/). Gio is passionate about strategic and entrepreneurial innovation-driven business opportunities and has expertise in business development, strategic alliances, strategic investments, product development and commercialization, in both early stage startups and global corporations. Most recently, Gio served as Senior Vice President of the Ferrero company’s Open Innovation Science, a global organization with the mission of driving the discovery, evaluation and integration of external science, technology and entrepreneurial innovations relevant to Ferrero (the Italian manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world.) Prior to joining Ferrero, Gio was Global Vice President of Flavor Innovation Discovery at Firmenich, where he led the strategic discovery and commercialization of scientific innovations in the areas of taste modulation, health & nutrition, natural & sustainable, and breakthrough cost innovation. Prior to joining Firmenich, Gio was the co-founder and CEO of Zonebee, a spin-off from the University of Arizona, where he led a multi-disciplinary R&D team to create visionary technology to support informal learning and knowledge management. Gio has more than 25 years of experience in managing and taking to market innovative technology in several industries, both in Global 500 companies and early stage startups. Gio serves also as Strategic Advisor, Enzymit; Venture Advisor, Sofinnova Partners; and Alliance Partner, Green Swan Partners. Gio started his career at ABB Ltd, the Swedish–Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, operating mainly in robotics, power, heavy electrical equipment, and automation technology areas. Gio has a MS in Electronic Engineering from Università di Pavia.Support the show

Send us a textProfessor Johnjoe McFadden (https://johnjoemcfadden.co.uk/) is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom. With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Professor McFadden has spent many years doing in-depth research in the area of microbial genetics, including the study of the agents tuberculosis and meningitis and invented important diagnostic tests for such agents. Professor McFadden has published more than 100 scientific articles on a wide range of subjects including bacterial genetics, tuberculosis, idiopathic diseases and computer modelling of evolution, while along the way editing a book on the genetics of mycobacteria, "Systems Biology of Tuberculosis". Professor McFadden has been instrumental in creating new models of human consciousness, such as his Conscious Electromagnetic Information Field (or CEMI Theory), as well as pioneering in such cutting edge fields as Quantum Biology. Professor McFadden has lectured extensively in the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan and his work has been featured in numerous radio, television and national newspaper articles. Professor McFadden has also become a prolific author of books, including "Quantum Evolution, Life in the Multiverse" and "Life on the Edge: The Coming Age of Quantum Biology". Hi new book in entitled "Life Is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe".Support the show

Send us a text Mr. Craig Fugate is the former Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA - an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, whose primary purpose is to coordinate the response to disasters that have occurred in the United States and that overwhelm the resources of local and state authorities.) Mr. Fugate is currently the Chief Emergency Management Officer of One Concern, (a Resilience-as-a-Service solutions company that brings disaster science together with machine learning for better decision making). Mr. Fugate is also senior advisor at BlueDot Strategies, where he assists a range of clients with emergency management implementation strategies and crisis communications. Mr. Fugate serves on the Board of Directors of PG&E Corp., one of the largest electric and natural gas utilities in the U.S., and on the staff at Indian River State College, serving as a strategic consultant in emergency management. Mr. Fugate has decades of experience at the local, state, and federal levels in disaster preparedness and management. He has also overseen preparation and response efforts for disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes, health crises, and national security threats. As Florida Director for the Emergency Management Division, Mr. Fugate oversaw the "Big 4 of '2004" (Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne) and as the Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he organized recovery efforts for a record of eighty-seven disasters in 2011. Support the show

Send us a text Dr. Dina Radenkovic, MD, is an academic doctor and medical technology entrepreneur, working in the field of the computational biology of aging. Dr. Radenkovic is also a Partner at the SALT Bio-Fund, and a co-founder of Hooke, an elite longevity research clinic in London. Dr. Radenkovic has a dual degree in medicine and physiology from University College London Medical School, and did her residency at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. She later worked as Research Fellow at King's College London and at Harvard University. Dr. Radenkovic has led a variety of projects, including a digital therapeutics company for women and an algorithm for cardiac MRI based on fractal geometry, to major industry acquisitions. Dr. Radenkovic has over 30 academic papers, 7 grants, and over 40 scientific conference presentations. She is fluent in 5 languages and 3 programming languages. Support the show

Send us a textDr. Sonia Grego, Ph.D. is Associate Research Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at Duke University (https://ece.duke.edu/faculty/sonia-grego). Dr. Grego is also the Founding Director of the Duke Smart Toilet Lab (https://smarttoilet.pratt.duke.edu/), dedicated to the opportunities that data-rich human excreta offer to improve individual and public health. The objective of the organization is to empower individuals and groups in communal living with health information for early warning of disease, health and wellness, and management of chronic diseases through wastewater analysis, without any changes of daily habits. Dr. Grego is passionate about the opportunities that advanced sanitation technologies offer to improve global health and to provide a paradigm shift in health screening both for individuals and for communities. A major project of Dr. Grego’s research portfolio over the past 5 years, she has led the field testing of 10+ onsite sanitation technology prototypes from multiple organizations in international settings. She has managed year long deployments of sophisticated chemo-mechanical systems with electronic monitoring connected to wastewater pipes of buildings, ensuring no disruption of service to users while evaluating the treatment process performance. Dr. Grego has an M.S. from Università di Pisa (Italy) and a Ph.D. from University of Copenhagen (Denmark). Dr. Grego has also founded Coprata Inc. (https://coprata.com/) to commercialize technologies developed at Duke University, to detect or manage acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases, provide early warning of infectious disease and monitor personalized wellness.Support the show