Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us Fan MailProf. Tshilidzi Marwala is the Rector of the United Nations University ( https://unu.edu/about/staff/tshilidzi-marwala ) and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. The United Nations University (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare through collaborative research and education ( United Nations University - Strategic Plan 2020–2024 - https://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/attachment/100694/UNU-Strategic-Plan-2020-2024.pdf ). Prior to taking up the role of UNU Rector, Prof. Marwala served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) and had previously served as that university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalization and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. Prior to those roles Prof. Marwala progressively held the positions of Associate Professor and Full Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); as Executive Assistant to the Technical Director at South African Breweries; and as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Imperial College (then University of London). Prof. Marwala has been a visiting scholar/professor at universities in the USA, the UK, China, and South Africa and has extensive academic, policy, management, and international experience, and is a co-holder of multiple patents. His research has been multi-disciplinary, involving the theory and applications of artificial intelligence to engineering, social science, economics, politics, finance, and medicine. He has served on a variety of global and national policymaking bodies, and has worked with such United Nations entities as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and WIPO. Prof. Marwala holds a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge (UK) with a focus on AI and engineering, a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and a Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University (USA). He also completed management and leadership programs at the Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School. Prof. Marwala is, inter alia, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Academy of Science of South Africa, and the African Academy of Sciences. Prof. Marwala is the author of more than 20 books, including Leadership Lessons from Books I Have Read and Leading in the 21st Century: The Call for a New Type of African Leader; dozens of book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers; and more than 200 magazine articles and newspaper op-eds. Support the show

Send us Fan MailAs Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock Development Company ( https://www.tavistock.com/ ), Gloria Caulfield oversees the health and medical partnerships, as well as business development, for Tavistock's visionary Lake Nona community ( https://www.lakenona.com/ ). In her role, Gloria is instrumental in managing corporate partnerships and identifying strategic intersections with stakeholders in the Lake Nona community. These efforts focus on advancing research, technology and innovative solutions that promote healthy lifestyles, extend health span and advance longevity medicine within the dynamic environment of Lake Nona’s living lab. Additionally, she serves as the chief architect and Executive Director of the Lake Nona Impact Forum ( https://lakenonaimpactforum.org/ ), a globally recognized health innovation gathering and a signature event of the Tavistock Group. Prior to joining Tavistock, Gloria worked as an executive for a national consulting group with the mission of identifying and quantifying new revenue streams for integrated healthcare systems across the country. She also had a distinguished career at Advent Health. Here, as the Sr. Executive Director for Community Development, she provided strategic leadership for corporate partnerships and business development, as well as spearheaded critical community benefit and community relations initiatives in the Central Florida region. Gloria serves on boards that reflect her passion for driving the future of human health and wellbeing including the StartUp Health Impact Board, focused on mobilizing entrepreneurs committed to solving the biggest health challenges of our time, and the ChopraX Advisory Board, a wellness-dedicated venture platform and accelerator that sits at the convergence of whole person health. Additionally, Gloria aligns her passion for great female founders focused on wellness-oriented companies by sitting on the LFE Capital Advisory Board. Gloria Caulfield is a proud alumna of the University of Arizona and brings her extensive experience and visionary leadership to every aspect of her role. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Jamie Justice, Ph.D. ( https://www.xprize.org/about/people/jamie-justice-ph-d ) is the Executive Vice President of the Health Domain at XPRIZE Foundation, where she leads international networks to drive innovative solutions to improve human health and aging that is affordable and accessible to all. She also serves as Adjunct Professor in Internal Medicine Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Sticht Center on Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM). Dr. Justice is dedicated to Geroscience research that advances the hypothesis that by targeting the basic biology of aging the incidence of multiple age-related diseases can be delayed or prevented and her training background at University of Colorado Boulder and WFUSM allowed her to lead translational research and clinical trials networks to test the Geroscience hypothesis in humans. At WFUSM, Dr. Justice was director of the Biogerontology Lab, and co-leader of the Integrative Biology Core (IBC) of the WF Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) and was a Principal Investigator of the National Institute of Aging-supported Geroscience Education and Training Network, an engaged member of the Translational Geroscience Network, Gerontological Society of America’s ESPO scientific section officer and executive committee member from 2018-2021. She is the recipient of the Jarrahi Research Scholars Fund in Geroscience Innovation, the 2022 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research, and the 2022 NIA Nathan W Shock Awardee. Dr. Justice received her Ph.D. and postdoc at University of Colorado Boulder and second postdoc at Wake Forest School of Medicine where she gained a translational research background (mice, human and nonhuman primate), studying interventions with potential to prevent, delay, or treat age-related functional decline and chronic diseases. XPRIZE Healthspan - https://www.xprize.org/prizes/healthspan XPRIZE Healthspan Preliminary Competition Guidelines - https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/5cb25086-82d2-4c89-94f0-8450813a0fd3/15509c25-6198-4104-b7e3-3f6528e7d43a/XPRIZE%20Healthspan%20Preliminary%20Competition%20Guidelines_V1.0.pdf Support the show

Send us Fan MailDisclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of their employers. Irina Pelphrey is the Vice President of Health and Managed Care at Albertsons Companies, Inc. ( https://www.albertsons.com/ ), a national grocer, second-largest supermarket chain in North America, represented by store banners such as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Shaw’s, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Tom Thumb and more. Overall, Albertsons Cos. operates 2,270 stores—including 1,720 pharmacies—in 34 states and the District of Columbia. In this role, Irina is responsible for leading Sincerely Health, Albertsons Companies’ health and wellness engagement platform and oversees healthcare payer relationships across pharmacy and their food is medicine program. Irina’s career is centered on passion for healthcare at retail, solving complex customer problems and consistently delivering financial results and she is quite passionate about use of analytics and data to make right customer decisions and the role food, medication therapy and behavior change can play in prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Prior to joining Albertsons, Irina held a variety of leadership roles at Walmart’s Health & Wellness division. Irina holds a BA degree from American Public University and an MBA degree from the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP is the Senior Director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals ( https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/institute-for-disease-and-disaster-management/the-team/ ). Her work focuses on the preparedness for, response to and recovery from infectious disease outbreaks with an emphasis on healthcare and public health biopreparedness. Dr. Madad built NYC Health + Hospitals special pathogens program from the ground up, maintaining readiness for the nation’s largest municipal healthcare delivery system for all infectious disease threats through ongoing training, education, drills, developing protocols, and processes and more. She’s responded to multiple infectious disease outbreaks as an infectious disease epidemiologist including Ebola, Measles and Zika. In addition, Dr. Madad is a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs ( https://www.belfercenter.org/person/syra-madad ) where she regularly publishes on the latest public health guidance, epidemiological concepts and scientific literature to help the public understand complex topics using infographics and simplified science communication. She was prominently featured in the Netflix docuseries, Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak ( https://www.netflix.com/title/81026143 ), and the Discovery Channel documentary, The Vaccine: Conquering COVID ( https://go.discovery.com/tv-shows/the-vaccine-conquering-covid/full-episodes/the-vaccine-conquering-covid ). Dr. Madad received a B.S. in Psychology and a master's degree in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense and Biosecurity, from the University of Maryland, College Park and then received an DHSc degree in health science with a concentration in Global Health from Nova Southeastern University. She holds numerous professional certifications, licenses and training certificates including Master Continuity Practitioner Certification (FEMA), Advanced Emergency Planning Certification, All Hazard Response (CBRNE) Training for Laboratory Personnel, Infection Control and Prevention Certification, Biosafety Level III Training, and Identification of the Primary Select Agents of Bioterrorism Training. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Mohammed Alhamali, is Chairman of the National Innovation & Regulatory Sandbox Committee, And Chief Innovation Officer & Regulatory Sandbox, SEHA Virtual Hospital & Enablement Centre, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia (https://www.moh.gov.sa/). Dr. Alhamali is also Cofounder / General Manager of the Society of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and has served as a Strategy Consultant for Health Sector Transformation Program (HSTP) and Director of Research & Development at the Model of Care Vision Realization Office 2030. Dr. Alhamali has a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - (MBBS, Dentistry), from King Saud University, and a Master of Science - (MS, Oral Biology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology) from UCLA. Support the show

Send us Fan MailKaren Zaderej is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Axogen Corporation ( https://www.axogeninc.com/ ), a leading company focused specifically on the science, development and commercialization of technologies for peripheral nerve regeneration and repair, with a primary goal of restoring peripheral nerve function and quality of life to patients with physical damage or discontinuity, providing innovative, clinically proven and economically effective repair solutions for surgeons and health care providers. Karen joined the company in May 2006 and has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors since September 2011 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors in May 2018, and has previously held positions as Chief Operating Officer and as Vice President of Marketing and Sales. Previous to joining the company, Karen founded Zaderej Medical Consulting, which assisted medical device companies build and execute successful commercialization plans. From 1987 to 2004, Karen worked at Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, where she held senior positions in marketing, business development, research & development, and manufacturing. Karen is a member of the University of Tampa Board of Trustees and sits on the Board of Directors for EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Karen has an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. Support the show

Send us Fan MailEric Olson is Founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Chairman, of Babson Diagnostics ( https://www.babsondx.com/ ), a company bringing medically-accurate blood testing to the retail pharmacy setting, and empowering people to take charge of their health, by reimagining the entire blood testing process from ordering, collection, handling, analyzing, and reporting of results, making it less invasive and more convenient, accessible, and patient-centered. Eric is a 20-year veteran of the diagnostics industry. Prior to incubating Babson Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers, Eric was Siemens’ VP, Portfolio & Product Management, responsible for its $3 billion global product portfolio of central laboratory technologies. He was also responsible for the company’s web properties and $1 billion in e-commerce operations as the global head of Siemens’ clinical laboratory automation and IT business, which advanced from #2 to #1 in market share during his tenure. Eric earned his BS in Biology from MIT and his MS in Technology Management from the University of Pennsylvania. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Steven H. Landers, MD, MPH is President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife ( https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/services/profiles/steven-h-landers-md-mph ), a nonprofit Harvard Medical School affiliate offering senior living communities and senior health care services for older adults in the Boston metropolitan area. They also conduct aging research that is improving the way we grow older, and education for the next generation of health care providers and caregivers. Dr. Landers is a practicing physician, certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine. Dr. Landers is also a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, and holds an appointment as clinical associate professor of medicine and community health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to joining Hebrew SeniorLife, Dr. Landers served for 11 years as president and CEO of Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group, Inc., a multistate home health, hospice, and community health organization. He previously served as the director of the Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation and director of post-acute operations for the Cleveland Clinic. In 2014, Dr. Landers received the NJBiz 40 Under 40 Award, a recognition of New Jersey’s most accomplished young business leaders. Dr. Landers is a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (MD) and the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health (MPH). He has authored several articles in national publications on the role of home care, including in the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medicine. He was also a regular blogger for the Huffington Post, focusing on health policy, family caregivers, and nurses and finding ways to improve quality and value in American health care. Dr. Landers is a recognized leader and innovator in home health, primary care, and aging services and is an outspoken advocate for nursing, the front-line workforce, and improving care for older Americans. Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Mitchell Lee, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of Ora Biomedical ( https://orabiomedical.com/ ), a biotech company developing small molecule therapeutics that extend lifespan and delay chronic illness by targeting the underlying molecular mechanisms of aging. Dr. Lee’s research interests are focused on identifying healthy aging therapeutics, understanding the connections between aging and age-related disease, and investigating how natural genetic variation modifies disease and therapeutics efficacy. He has earned awards for science communication, multiple NIH training grants, and in 2015 was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study. Dr. Lee has centered his career around leading and managing scientists. During graduate and postdoctoral studies, he mentored over 45 trainee researchers ranging from high schoolers, community college and university undergraduates, to post-baccalaureates and grad students. In recognition of his research mentorship, Dr. Lee was awarded a UW Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in 2018. Dr. Lee was the founding Chair of the American Aging Association (AGE) Trainee Chapter and served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for AGE. During this time, Dr. Lee established standing leadership committees, founded and managed the GeroScience Peer Review Training Program, and organized multiple research conferences. Dr. Lee received a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Philosophy from Western Washington University in 2010. He remained at WWU and completed an M.S. in Biology in 2012. He received his PhD in Experimental Pathology from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2018. Most recently, Dr. Lee completed a certificate in Biotechnology Project Management from UW/UCSD in 2022. Support the show