Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us Fan MailDr. Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. (https://peterhotez.org/), is Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also Chief of the Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine and the Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics . Dr. Hotez is also Rice University’s Baker Institute fellow in disease and poverty and Co-Director of Parasites Without Borders (https://parasiteswithoutborders.com/), a global nonprofit organization with a focus on those suffering from parasitic diseases in subtropical environments. Dr. Hotez is an internationally recognized physician-scientist with expertise in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development. He leads the only product development partnership for developing new vaccines for hookworm, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease, and is just coming off a major win for emergency use approval of his team’s Corbevax protein sub-unit COVID-19 vaccine, of which he, and previous guest to the show, Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, were recently nominated for a Nobel Prize. Dr. Hotez is the author of more than 400 original papers, as well as the books Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases - The Neglected Tropical Diseases and Their Impact on Global Health and Development, Blue Marble Health - An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor amid Wealth, Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad, and Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science. Dr. Hotez previously served as president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and as founding editor-in-chief of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2011, he was awarded the Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health by the Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization. In 2015, the White House and U.S. State Department selected Dr. Hotez as a United States science envoy. Dr. Hotez obtained his undergraduate degree in molecular biophysics from Yale University (Phi Beta Kappa), followed by a Ph.D. in biochemical parasitology from Rockefeller University, and an M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Andrew Adams, Ph.D. is Vice President of Neurodegeneration Research at Eli Lilly (https://www.lilly.com/) and Co-Director of their new Lilly Institute for Genetic Medicine, a $700 million initiative to establish an institute for researching and developing genetic medicines, specifically acting at the nucleic acid level, to advance an entirely new drug class that target the root cause of diseases, an approach that is fundamentally different than medicines available today. In this role, Dr. Adams will be responsible for leading the discovery of various new types of therapies, via both internal research, and robust collaborations with external partners. These novel approaches will also allow Lilly access to previously "undruggable" targets across the breath of therapeutic areas at Lilly, as well as potentially opening up novel avenues of clinical investigation. In addition to these major roles, Dr. Adams over the recent years also took on scientific leadership of Lilly’s COVID-19 neutralizing antibody projects, as well as serving as Vice President for Lilly Genetic Medicine, and during his time at Lilly has served in roles across early discovery, external innovation, and as a leader of Lilly’s early trailblazer teams, championing new ways to bring Lilly science to patients with speed. Dr Adams holds a degree in biology and a doctorate in zoology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Prior to joining Lilly in 2011, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School studying the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. David Su, Ph.D. (https://atmosic.com/company/leadership/) is CEO and Co-Founder of Atmosic, a fascinating company that is “re-architecting” wireless connectivity solutions from the ground up to radically reduce Internet of Things (IoT) device dependence on batteries, aiming to make batteries last forever and the Internet of Things battery free – thus breaking the power barrier to widespread IoT adoption. Dr. Su brings to Atmosic over 30 years of engineering expertise with an extensive wireless background, as his past teams’ radio designs have brought billions of successful devices to market. He was on the early engineering team at Atheros, as VP Analog/RF Engineering, and VP Engineering with Qualcomm following the 2011 acquisition of Atheros. He was also at HP for several years. Dr. Su earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electrical Engineering, from University of Tennessee, a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and has been a Consulting Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford. He is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Fellow.Support the show

Send us Fan MailLonger term correctional facilities, of which we have around 2,000 in the U.S., are not geared to accommodate the needs of a growing aging population. Within this aging population, we see the natural slowdown of physical mobility and cognitive processes, aging prisoners are prone to predation and humiliation, and major CNS degenerative disorders, such as early onset dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease, is difficult to detect in this population, which is often accompanied with other mental illnesses and maladaptive social behaviors. The Gold Coat program (https://thegoldcoats.com/), based at the California Men’s Colony State Prison in San Luis Obispo, consists of healthy inmates specially trained to care for those with dementia and other cognitive impairments, and the experiences of these Gold Coat workers (designated for the gold smocks they wear) reveal not just a fascinating model of care and working rehabilitative program, but also a true model of reform that can provide skills for meaningful employment while caring for those who cannot help themselves. Aileen Hongo is a geriatric social worker and received her masters degrees in Gerontology and Social Work from the University of Southern California. She came across the Gold Coats program through her studies. Aileen continues to research the plight of the escalating aging prison population in correctional facilities unsuitable to accommodate the natural decline of physical mobility and cognitive processes of older adults. She currently works as a life skills instructor in the county jails. Barry Hughes is originally from Los Angeles, CA. Barry served as a Gold Coat for 5 years and hospice caregiver from 2004 to until released from prison in 2012. He is currently working as a Peer Specialist in Grief Support for the Department of Mental Health at the Veterans Administration. Aileen and Barry are both authors of a book: The Gold Coats - An Exceptional Standard of Care: A Collaborative Guide to Caring for the Cognitively Impaired Behind Bars (https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Coats-Exceptional-Collaborative-Cognitively/dp/1530609011).Support the show

Send us Fan MailMs. Victoria Laskina-Ustimenko (https://www.instagram.com/laskinavika_2/?hl=en) is a multi-industry entrepreneur with specialization in biotechnology, cryptocurrency, fashion and capital markets, where she collaborates with a wide variety of companies across the world, providing public relations & business development services. As a distinguished young thinker from Ukraine, she graduated from Donetsk State University in Marketing, where she studied public relations. In addition to her own PR business (https://www.instagram.com/pretobusiness/?hl=en) Victoria currently serves as Chief Business Development Officer at the think tank Transdisciplinary Agora for Future Discussions (https://gen4ir.org/). She has also served as Chief Public Relations Officer and Managing Partner at USP Capital Ltd., at the Waves Platform and AdHive.TV as a PR specialist, at CryptoMatic ATM as the Global Business Development Manager, and also currently operates a fashion agency in Moscow, Russia. Victoria's futurist and multidisciplinary vision of a better world has led to her focus as a progressive-thinker for exponential organizations in Russia & Ukraine, representing a technologically diverse clientele, ranging from autonomous VTOL vehicles, to novel IT, to bio-remediation firms, several who have joined us previously on the show over the past years. Victoria is passionate about generating close relationship with some of the most impressive scientists, philosophers, artists, and entrepreneurs worldwide.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Philip Nitschke, MD, Ph.D. is a medical doctor, humanist and founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International (https://www.exitinternational.net/), a leading end-of-life rights advocacy and information non-profit. Dr. Nitschke has written extensively in the area of voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide, including three books, including: Killing Me Softly: Voluntary Euthanasia and the Road to the Peaceful Pill, The Peaceful Pill eHandbook, and Damned if I Do. Dr. Nitschke holds a Ph.D. in applied physics from Flinders University and is a graduate of Sydney Medical School. He is a seven-time nominee for Australian of the Year and is the recipient of many awards including the Rainer Humanitarian Award and Australian Humanist of the Year. Dr. Nitschke successfully campaigned to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory and assisted four people in ending their lives before the law (Rights of the Terminally Ill Act) was overturned by the federal government. He was the first doctor in the world to administer a legal, voluntary, lethal injection. Dr. Nitschke remains a strong advocate of dying with dignity, spending time lecturing on the topic, and developing innovative technology concepts, including several end-of-life machines, including the Deliverance Machine, CoGen and Destiny devices, and his most recent, the SARCO capsule (https://www.exitinternational.net/sarco/).Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Kara Spiller, PhD (https://drexel.edu/biomed/faculty/core/SpillerKara/) is Associate Professor in the Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at Drexel University, in Philadelphia. Dr. Spiller received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from Drexel University where she conducted her doctoral research in the design of semi-degradable hydrogels for the repair of articular cartilage in the Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Laboratory at Drexel, and in the Shanghai Key Tissue Engineering Laboratory of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After completing her PhD, when she received the award for Most Outstanding Doctoral Graduate: Most Promise to Enhance Drexel's Reputation, she conducted research in the design of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering as a Fulbright Fellow, in the Biomaterials, Biodegradables, and Biomimetics (the 3Bs) Research Group at the University of Minho in Guimaraes, Portugal. She also worked as a Postdoctoral Scientist at Columbia University Dr. Spiller is currently conducting research in the design of immuno-modulatory biomaterials, particularly for bone tissue engineering. Her research interests include cell-biomaterial interactions, biomaterial design, and international engineering education.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Douglas E. Willard, PhD, (https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/game_changing_development/about/program-leadership/doug-willard/) is Program Element Manager, Game Changing Development Program, Space Technology Mission Directorate, at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Game Changing Development (GCD) Program advances space technologies that may lead to entirely new approaches for the Agency’s future space missions and provide solutions to significant national needs. GCD collaborates with research and development teams to progress the most promising ideas through analytical modeling, ground-based testing and spaceflight demonstration of payloads and experiments and their efforts are focused on the mid Technology Readiness Level (TRL) range , generally taking technologies from initial lab concepts to a complete engineering development prototype. The Program employs a balanced approach of guided technology development efforts and competitively selected efforts from across academia, industry, NASA, and other government agencies. GCD strives to develop the best ideas and capabilities irrespective of their source. The Program’s investment in innovative space technologies directly supports NASA’s mission to “Drive advances in science, technology, and exploration to enhance knowledge, education, innovation, economic vitality, and stewardship of Earth”. GCD’s focus on transformative space and science technologies will enable science missions and NASA’s Artemis Program. Additionally, GCD’s technology developments serve as a stimulus to the U.S. economy while providing inspiration and opportunity to our nation’s youth. Previously, Dr. Willard was the Deputy Division Chief of the Laboratories, Development and Testing Division at the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. He served in many leadership roles at Kennedy, including Chief Engineer for Research & Technology Development and Branch Chief of the Engineering Analysis Branch within the Engineering Directorate. He also served for many years as a research physicist in Kennedy’s Applied Physics Lab. Support the show

Send us Fan MailSøren Smed Østergaard is Vice President of Digital Health globally for Novo Nordisk (https://www.novonordisk.com/), where he leads the company’s initiatives in Digital Health as well as leading the Digital Health solutions in development. Furthermore, Søren is responsible the commercial development all digital health injection & other devices in development, as well as Novo’s partner strategy, data integration and commercial development strategies with their partners. Søren is a thought leader within the field. During his more than 16 years in Novo Nordisk, Søren has been able to unite and excite people towards how Digital Health can add value to pharma, the health care system and people's lives, and is passionate about the interplay between pharmaceuticals and technology and how this can be used to improve people's lives. Before this current role, Søren was the Executive Advisor to the EVP of Commercial Strategy & Corporate Affairs and ran the EVP Office for more than 2½ years. Prior to that he worked in various positions, mostly within Global Marketing centered around product management of medical devices and needles, as well as portfolio management. Søren also managed and developed two iterations of the Novo Nordisk launch framework, has led global launch preparations for 20+ launches, has done portfolio analysis and valuation for development assets, and has sat on global project teams leading the commercial development work for drug and device assets. Søren has a Master of Science, in Management of Innovation and Business Development, and a Bachelor of Science, in Computer Science and Business Administration, from Copenhagen Business School. Support the show

Send us Fan MailKatie Baca-Motes, MBA, (https://www.scripps.edu/science-and-medicine/translational-institute/about/people/katie-baca-motes/) is Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, and Co-Founder of the Scripps Research Digital Trials Center (https://digitaltrials.scripps.edu/). Katie leads various initiatives, including launching their new Digital Trials Center, focusing on expanding the institute's portfolio of decentralized clinical trial initiatives including: DETECT, a COVID-19 research initiative, PowerMom, a maternal health research program and PROGRESS, an upcoming T2 Diabetes/Precision Nutrition program, as well as overseeing the institute’s role in the NIH "All of Us" Research Program as a Participant Center. The Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI), was founded in 2007 with the aim of individualizing healthcare by leveraging the remarkable progress being made in human genomics and combining it with the power of wireless digital technologies. The Scripps Research Digital Trials Center, a part of SRTI, leads groundbreaking studies that address the world’s most pressing health concerns, by pioneering “site-less” clinical trials, leveraging rapidly evolving digital health technologies to re-engineer the clinical trial experience around the participant, rather than the research site. Katie’s past experience includes managing behavioral research projects with SRTI, Walt Disney Company, Aetna, Janssen, and others, and her research projects over the years have leveraged insights from behavioral economics and other social sciences in areas like improving clinical trial enrollment, increasing the return on incentive schemes, understanding the psychology behind consumer decisions, identifying effective donor communication, increasing the effectiveness of corporate wellness programs and improving patient outcomes. Katie has a BS in Biology and Chemistry from The University of New Mexico, and an MBA from University of California, San Diego - Rady School of Management.Support the show