Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us Fan MailDr. Jasneet Bhullar, MD, MS, is a colorectal surgeon and member of the general surgery team, Ascension Providence Hospital, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine ( https://healthcare.ascension.org/find-care/provider/1316177876/jasneet-bhullar ), where he provides both surgical and non-surgical treatments for a range of conditions including pelvic floor disorders, fecal incontinence, colon and rectal cancer, hemorrhoids, and other complex issues of the colon and rectal system.Dr. Bhullar is also a practitioner with the Cornerstone Medical Group ( https://www.cornerstonemedgroup.com/physicians-staff/jasneet-bhullar-md/ ), a multi-specialty group consisting of primary care and specialty physicians in the metro Detroit area, where he was responsible for earning recognition as an Medtronic InterStim™ Center of Excellence for his work with their MRI-compatible implantable neuromodulation technology for Fecal incontinence (FI).Dr. Bhullar earned his medical degree at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College in India and completed residencies in general surgery through Government Medical College, India and Providence Hospital and Medical Centers — Michigan State University, and did a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the University of Minnesota.  He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS).Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Valerie Sarisky-Reed, Ph.D. ( https://www.energy.gov/eere/person/valerie-sarisky-reed ) is the Director of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE). In this role, she manages efforts to improve performance, lower costs, and accelerate market entry of bioenergy technologies. She assists in overseeing strategic planning to meet aggressive goals covered by the BETO research and development budget of approximately $250M annually, working with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) national laboratories, academia, and industry. The Bioenergy Technologies Office current focus areas include scaling up renewable hydrocarbon fuel technologies with an emphasis on sustainable aviation fuels as well as on the recycle and upcycle of plastics through DOE’s Plastics Innovation Challenge which aims to reduce ocean-bound plastic waste.Dr. Sarisky-Reed has more than 30 years of experience in addressing energy and environmental issues faced by the United States and globally. In addition to her programmatic activities, she is a founding member of the Metabolic Engineering Working Group, chartered by the Biotechnology Research Subcommittee, an inter-agency coordinating committee under the Office of Science and Technology Policy.Dr. Sarisky-Reed also spent two years serving the chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, helping to build bridges between DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in support of the bioeconomy.  She also served as acting director for EERE's Wind Energy Technologies Office where she enabled the development of the most recent Multi-Year Program Plan with a heavy focus on bringing offshore wind to the United States.Dr. Sarisky-Reed holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Senior Executive Service Career Development Program.Important Link - Bioenergy Technologies Office 2023 Multi-Year Program Plan - https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/beto-mypp-fy23.pdfSupport the show

Send us Fan MailProf. Noga Kronfeld-Schor, Ph.D. is Principal Investigator and Chair, Department of Zoology at Tel Aviv University ( https://en-lifesci.tau.ac.il/profile/nogaks ) where her research centers on environmental physiology with a focus on biological rhythms of diverse vertebrate species.  Her research asks questions regarding the consequences and adaptive significance of these rhythms, as well as the interaction between physiological and endocronological processes and the evolutionary ecology of organisms and communities.  She also is involved in studying the impact of events like global warming and light pollution on biodiversity, as well as on human and environmental health. Prof. Kronfeld-Schor also serves as Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection ( https://www.gov.il/en/departments/units/chief_scientist_office ), where she provides strategic, scientific, and technological consultations that are aimed at promoting the environmental field in Israel in accordance with advancements being made in leading developed countries and OECD member countries. Prof. Kronfeld-Schor has a BSc in Biology, an MSc in Zoology, magna cum laude and Ph.D. in Zoology, all from Tel Aviv University, and was a post-doctoral fellow at Boston University, in Zoology & Neuroendocrinology.In addition to the roles mentioned above, Prof. Kronfeld-Schor has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Society for the Protection of Nature, was a member of the plenum and was head of the Scientific and Professional Committee of the Nature and Parks Authority, and has managed numerous national and international projects, and advised various government bodies and international organizations.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. David Boucher, Ph.D. is Director, Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( https://aspr.hhs.gov/Pages/Home.aspx ).The HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) leads the nation's medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and other public health emergencies.ASPR collaborates with hospitals, healthcare coalitions, biotech firms, community members, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and other partners across the country to improve readiness and response capabilities.Dr. Boucher previously held several other critical roles in the organization, including as Chief of the Antivirals & Antitoxins branch at BARDA’s Anthrax, Botulinum, Ebola and Smallpox therapeutics program office, Acting Director for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response's Office of Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBM/SC) and serving as HHS’s lead negotiator for product development/procurement agreements for COVID-19 medical countermeasures.Dr. Boucher has a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Genetics, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University of California, Davis.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Eliah Overbey, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Bioastronautics at The University of Austin ( UATX - https://www.uaustin.org/people/eliah-overbey ) where she is involved in pioneering research in the field of astronaut health, specializing in spaceflight-induced genomic changes. Her work focuses on mapping changes in the human body during spaceflight and developing Earth-independent laboratories to make humans a multi-planetary species ( https://www.eliahoverbey.com/ ). Dr. Overbey comes to UATX from her previous position as a Research Associate at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Overbey's most recent projects have analyzed genomic changes in astronauts from the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, and she is currently working on data analysis and sample collection for the Axiom-2 and Polaris Dawn missions. Dr. Overbey’s work launched the Space Omics and Medical Atlas ( SOMA - https://soma.weill.cornell.edu/#main ), an online portal with the largest compendium of molecular measurements from astronauts. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Cornell Aerospace Medicine Biobank ( CAMbank - https://cambank.weill.cornell.edu/#main ), which is the first biorepository of samples from commercial astronauts. Dr. Overbey is also Chief Scientific Officer at BioAstra ( https://www.bioastra.org/ ), a non-profit developing healthcare systems for astronauts. Dr. Overbey received a B.S. in Computer Science from UC San Diego, a Ph.D. in Genome Sciences from the University of Washington, and was a Postdoctoral Associate in Computational Biomedicine in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Mason. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Xiaorong He, Ph.D., MBA is Senior Vice President, Head of Global Development Sciences and U.S. Site Head of Non-Clinical Development at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us ), where with over two decades of experience, her leadership focus lies in advancing transformative medicinal product development and fostering a culture of scientific excellence and engagement across her teams.Prior to this role, Dr. He was VP and Head of the Material & Analytical Sciences Department at Boehringer Ingelheim, leading a large team of multidisciplinary scientists to develop and apply scientific methods and tools to support new drug development of chemical and biological entities. Dr. He has previously worked for several large pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, GSK, Pharmacia & Upjohn before joining Boehringer Ingelheim. She received her Pharmacy B.S. degree from Beijing Medical University, M.S. degree in Pharmaceutics from University of Minnesota, Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutics from Purdue University and M.B.A. degree from Western Michigan University.Dr. He has also taught several short courses, given numerous podium presentations at national and international conferences, published many peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and held several patents. She has been a member of scientific and editorial advisory boards for the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences since 2013.Dr. He has also been volunteering with organizations such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) since 2005, first with the Excipient Monograph Expert Committee (2005-2010), then with the General Chapter-Physical Analysis Expert Committee (2010-2015). She has served as the Chair of the General Chapters–Physical Analysis Expert Committee during the 2015–2020 cycle.Boehringer Ingelheim Open Innovation Portal - https://www.opnme.com/Support the show

Send us Fan MailMaj. Gen. Dr. Paul Friedrichs, MD is the Inaugural Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, at the White House ( OPPR - https://www.whitehouse.gov/oppr/ ), a permanent executive office aimed at leading, coordinating, and implementing actions to prepare for and respond to pathogens that could lead to a pandemic or significant public health-related disruptions in the U.S., and principal advisor on pandemic preparedness and response, appointed by President Biden. Dr. Friedrichs was previously the Joint Staff Surgeon at the Pentagon where he provided medical advice to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Staff and the Combatant Commanders, coordinating all issues related to health services, including operational medicine, force health protection and readiness among the combatant commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the services. He also led the development and publication of the initial Joint Medical Estimate and served as medical advisor to the Department of Defense COVID-19 Task Force. Dr. Friedrichs received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps and his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the Uniformed Services University. He has commanded at the squadron and group level, served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery and led joint and interagency teams which earned numerous awards, including “Best Air Force Hospital.” As Chair of the Military Health System’s Joint Task Force on High Reliability Organizations, he oversaw developing a roadmap to continuously improve military health care. As the Command Surgeon for Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Transportation Command and Air Combat Command, the general and his teams identified gaps, developed mitigation plans and enhanced readiness for future conflicts and contingencies. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Priya Basu ( https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/people/p/priya-basu ) is the Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund ( https://www.thepandemicfund.org/ ) at the World Bank ( https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/financial-intermediary-fund-for-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response-ppr-fif ), which has a focus of financing critical investments to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities at national, regional, and global levels, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. During the pandemic, Dr. Basu she led the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 to address key bottlenecks in vaccine access and delivery, as well as the Bank’s engagement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response with the G20 and G7 - coordinating across finance and health. She also led the development of the Pandemic Fund, working with a large group of donors and development partners, the WHO, and other stakeholders, including international agencies, philanthropies, private sector, and civil society, mobilizing political and financial support to establish the fund in record time with initial seed capital of $2 billion. In previous roles at the World Bank, Dr. Basu led the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a multi-donor partnership focused on women's economic empowerment. Prior to that, she managed the World Bank’s $21 billion portfolio of multilateral financing mechanisms and trust funds to address global challenges, such as epidemics and pandemics, climate change, and refugee crises. She also previously served as the Bank's lead financial economist for India, where she led the Bank’s engagement to promote resilient and inclusive financial systems and enabling reforms for private sector-led growth. Dr. Basu grew the Bank’s India finance and private sector lending/advisory portfolio from $500 million to over $5.5 billion and oversaw the portfolio. Prior to the World Bank, she worked as an economist at the IMF in Washington DC, the Asian Development Bank in Manila and UNCTAD and ILO in Geneva. Before that, she worked in investment banking in London. In a career spanning three decades, Dr. Basu has successfully managed complex engagements across regions to solve country-level development challenges as well as developed and managed high-level strategic international partnerships with donors, client governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to address global development challenges, particularly at the intersection of global health and international finance and mobilized resources to back these initiatives. Dr. Basu brings thought leadership on a variety of international development issues and a deep understanding of development cooperation. She is the author of three books, including Creating Resilient Financial Regimes in Asia: Challenges and Policy Options (Oxford University Press), India’s Financial Sector: Recent Reforms, Future Challenges (Macmillan), and Improving Access to Finance for India's Rural Poor (World Bank). She holds a first class B.A (Hons.) degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, a B.A (Hons.)/M.A in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and postgraduate degrees in development economics from Merton College, Oxford University, U.K. Support the show

Send us Fan MailTiara Green is President of Accessia Health ( https://accessiahealth.org/ ), a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) patient assistance organization that supports individuals living with rare or chronic health conditions. Ms. Green leads the organization through strategic organizational growth that expands the nonprofit’s programs and services to meet the healthcare needs of underserved communities. Ms. Green has been with Accessia Health for over a decade and has 20 years of expertise in the public health and nonprofit sectors to her position. Throughout her tenure with the organization, she has served in various capacities, most recently as SVP of programs and policy leading strategic development and health equity initiatives and streamlining operational processes. Currently, Ms. Green is leading an initiative to refocus and strengthen the nonprofit’s impact model, disease funds, and programs. This work will more holistically address the unique needs of the communities it serves. Ms. Green also the co-founder of Liberated Arts Foundation ( https://www.liberatedfoundation.org/ ), a nonprofit initiative that uses art to give back to the local community. Ms. Green earned her B.S. from Virginia Commonwealth University, in Exercise Science with a concentration in Community Health Education, and her MS.Ed. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, with a focus on community health and health promotion. She has also recently been named a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Jack Hoppin, Ph.D. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ratio Therapeutics ( https://ratiotx.com/ ), a discovery through early clinical phase pharmaceutical company, employing a suite of innovative technologies to develop best-in-class targeted radiotherapeutics for the treatment of cancers. Dr. Hoppin holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Arizona and worked as an Alexander von Humboldt post-doctoral fellow at the Research Center Jülich, Germany. Previously, Dr. Hoppin was the President of Konica Minolta Precision Medicine, Co-Founder and CEO of Invicro, VP of Imaging Systems at Bioscan, Inc. and has a couple decades of experience in imaging research. As an active member of the imaging community, Dr. Hoppin is a member of the World Molecular Imaging Society Board of Trustees. Dr. John Babich, Ph.D. is Director, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Ratio Therapeutics and has been an active researcher in the field of molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy for the past three decades. He previously worked at Weill Cornell Medical College for several years as a Chief of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences in Radiology, was President & Chief Scientific Officer, Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative radiopharmaceuticals in the emerging field of molecular medicine, and Assistant Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, and Principal Nuclear Pharmacist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Babich has a Ph.D. with a focus in Biophysics, Medical Physics and Radiation Biology from University of London, an M.Sc., Radiopharmacy, University of Southern California and a B.Sc., Pharmaceutical Sciences from St. John's University. Support the show