Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us Fan MailDr. Björn Lárus Örvar, Ph.D. is Chief Scientific Officer, Executive VP of Business Development, and a Co-Founder of ORF Genetics (https://www.orfgenetics.com/), an innovative plant biotechnology company and a pioneer in developing and manufacturing high-quality recombinant proteins, such as growth factors, derived from barley plants. ORF Genetics was established in 2001 to develop innovative, economically viable and enabling solutions to produce recombinant proteins, using barley grain as a vehicle for their production, providing a more efficient and safer method than other protein expression systems provide. Dr. Örvar served as the CEO of the company from 2006 to 2013, and the Executive V.P. and Chief Scientific Officer of ORF Genetics since 2013, and was the Member of the Board of ORF Genetics from 2001 to 2006. Dr. Örvar received his Ph.D. in plant molecular genetics in 1997 from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and was a post-doctoral fellow at McGill University, Montréal for three years, focusing on plant cell stress signalling. Dr. Örvar is responsible for research and innovation within the company as well as being the international spokesperson for ORFs skincare brand, BIOEFFECT.Support the show

Send us Fan MailCurrently the global beauty industry represents a US$500 billion market, and makeup represents about US$100 billion of that total. Millions of women rely on beauty tutorials for makeup ideas and beauty tips, but find it challenging to recreate professional makeup looks, as they are following makeup application instructions for faces that do not look like their own. As a result, they are not getting their best makeup look, and they are being forced to compare themselves to other women, impacting their confidence. Jennifer Christenson, is the Founder & CEO of FaceTrace Inc. (https://www.facetracebeauty.com/), an innovative company with a novel mobile app that uses proprietary technologies, including augmented reality, to guide women and beauty lovers in properly applying cosmetics without having to visit an in-store beauty counter, hire a professional makeup artist, or attempt to follow online makeup tutorials. Jennifer is also Co-Founder and CEO of JMP Global, which works in the areas of digital media, social networking, and event creation and management. Jennifer has her undergraduate degree from University of Michigan in Psychology / PreMed, has been a producer / host of several Chicago area television shows, was a Miss Illinois USA 2012 First Runner Up & Humanitarian Award Recipient, and is an accomplished author of the book Real by Jennifer Christenson.Support the show

Send us Fan MailMr. Temitayo (Tayo) Erogbogbo, is Global Advocacy Director of MSD for Mothers (https://www.msdformothers.com/), at Merck Sharp & Dohme. Tayo has two decades of combined private sector and international development experience, 13 years of which was spent in the pharmaceutical industry in multiple roles across community relations, government affairs, marketing and sales. As the Global Advocacy Director of MSD for Mothers, Tayo is responsible for global and national strategic partnerships and programs to bring about policies and practice changes to improve maternal health care, and strengthen health systems, particularly where private sector approaches can be leveraged for greater impact. Prior to MSD for Mothers, Tayo led the establishment of an adolescents and youth constituency at The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), a multi-constituency partnership hosted by the World Health Organization, to advocate for better sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health policies and services at global, regional, and national levels. Additionally, he contributed to the development of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health 2016-2030. Previously, in collaboration with multi-sectoral partners in Nigeria, he contributed to the passage of the National Health Bill, the development of the National Gender Policy Guidelines and the passage of Violence Against Person's Prohibition in support of gender equality. Tayo also spearheaded Abbott's HIV patient relations function within Europe, developing services to support people living with HIV by partnering with community organizations. He advocated for anti-retroviral drug access across Africa and developed a health care professional (HCP) train-the-trainer program that has educated over 3,000 HCPs. Tayo earned a BSc in Management Sciences from Loughborough University, and a MSc in Information Technology for Management from Coventry University. Tayo is also an elite athlete in the Triple Jump with a Bronze medal at the European U23 Championships.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Patrick van der Smagt is Director of ArtificiaI Intelligence Research, Volkswagen AG, and Head of Argmax.AI (https://argmax.ai/), the Volkswagen Group Machine Learning Research Lab, in Munich, focusing on a range of research domains, including probabilistic deep learning for time series modelling, optimal control, reinforcement learning robotics, and quantum machine learning. Dr. van der Smagt is also a research professor in the Computer Science faculty at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Dr. van der Smagt previously directed a lab as professor for machine learning and biomimetic robotics at the Technical University of Munich while leading the machine learning group at the research institute fortiss, and before that, founded and headed the Assistive Robotics and Bionics Lab at DLR, the German Aerospace Center. Besides publishing numerous papers and patents on machine learning, robotics, and motor control, Dr. van der Smagt has won a number of awards, including the 2013 Helmholtz-Association Erwin Schrödinger Award, the 2014 King-Sun Fu Memorial Award, the 2013 Harvard Medical School/MGH Martin Research Prize, the 2018 Webit Best Implementation of AI Award, and best-paper awards at various machine learning and robotics conferences and journals. Dr. van der Smagt also serves as a scientific reviewer for governmental funding organizations and served on various conference and journal boards. Dr. van der Smagt is founding chairman of a non-for-profit organization for Assistive Robotics for tetraplegics, and co-founder of various tech companies. In 2018, he started a for-good initiative called 10-to-GO (https://10togo.eu/), by supporting teams using machine learning for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Also then, he initiated etami (https://www.etami.eu/en.html), an initiative on Ethical and Trustworthy Artificial and Machine Intelligence, creating an organization with almost 20 multinationals and universities. Dr. van der Smagt has his Master of Science (M.Sc.), Computer Science from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Computer and Information Sciences, from University of Amsterdam.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Najat Mokhtar Ph.D. is Deputy Director General, and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA - https://www.iaea.org/), an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Mokhtar was Director of the Division for Asia and the Pacific in the Department of Technical Cooperation of IAEA, and from 2012 to 2014, Dr. Mokhtar was the Section Head of Nutrition and Health related Environmental Studies, Human Health Division, at IAEA. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Mokhtar was the Director of Science and Technology at the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology in Morocco, where she coordinated the national strategy on Education and Research. She worked as University Professor and Research Director at the University Ibn Tufail in Morocco for more than 20 years. Dr. Mokhtar was also a Technical Officer at the IAEA from 2001 to 2007. Throughout her professional career, Dr. Mokhtar has contributed to the publication of several books (including the forward to the recent “Ionising Radiation and Mankind”), numerous peer reviewed publications, and she worked as a consultant for various organizations and national and international institutions (including Morocco's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, the World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, USAID, WHO, and UNICEF). She was mandated by the Moroccan government as national coordinator to develop a "National Nutrition Strategy in Morocco 2011-2019", including training, education and research. In March 2011, she was elected President of the Moroccan Society of Nutrition. Dr. Mokhtar holds a PhD in Nutrition and Endocrinology from Laval University in Canada and has a doctorate in food sciences from the University of Dijon in France. She has done her postdoctoral training as a Fulbright fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the United States of America.Support the show

Send us Fan MailBen Novak is Lead Scientist, at Revive & Restore (https://reviverestore.org/), a California-based non-profit that works to bring biotechnology to conservation biology with the mission to enhance biodiversity through the genetic rescue of endangered and extinct animals . Ben collaboratively pioneers new tools for genetic rescue and de-extinction, helps shape the genetic rescue efforts of Revive & Restore, and leads its flagship project, The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback, working with collaborators and partners to restore the ecology of the Passenger Pigeon to the eastern North American forests. Ben uses his training in ecology and ancient-DNA lab work to contribute, hands-on, to the sequencing of the extinct Passenger Pigeon genome and to study important aspects of its natural history .  Ben’s mission in leading the Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback is to set the standard for de-extinction protocols and considerations in the lab and field. His 2018 review article, “De-extinction,” in the journal Genes, helped to define this new term. More recently, his treatment, "Building Ethical De-Extinction Programs—Considerations of Animal Welfare in Genetic Rescue" was published in December 2019 in The Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics: 1st Edition. Ben’s work at Revive & Restore also includes extensive education and outreach, the co-convening of seminal workshops, and helping to develop the Avian and Black-footed Ferret Genetic Rescue programs included in the Revive & Restore Catalyst Science Fund. Ben graduated from Montana State University studying Ecology and Evolution. He later trained in Paleogenomics at the McMaster University Ancient DNA Centre in Ontario. This is where he began his study of passenger pigeon DNA, which then contributed to his Master’s thesis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Santa Cruz. This work also formed the foundational science for de-extinction. Ben also worked at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory–CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) to advance genetic engineering protocols for the pigeon.Support the show

Send us Fan Mail H.E. Dr. Sara Al Madani (https://www.sara-almadani.com/), is a well-known entrepreneur, advocate for women, fashion designer, brand ambassador, social media personality, and has served as a board member of the UAE Ministry of Economy's SME Projects and Enterprise Council, Board Member of the Sharjah Economic Excellence Network, and board member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (selected by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE) making her the youngest member of their board. Sara’s parents inspired her to start her own business at a young age. She set up her own fashion brand at 15 with the aim of changing how Arab women dress, and her unique, modern take on the abaya has attracted fans across the Middle East and Africa. Following her success as a young entrepreneur and business woman, Sara was selected to participate on the aforementioned government boards, to inspire more women in the UAE to become entrepreneurs, and has become a sought after and honored speaker in many universities, colleges and institutes. Sara's business portfolio has included, but is not limited to: Founder & Owner of Rouge Couture (now known as Sara Al Madani Fashion Design); Owner / Partner in Shabarbush restaurant; Owner of Social Fish innovative idea consultancy; Co-Founder and CEO, HalaHi, the region's first celebrity shout-out platform; and Co-Founder, Proposal Cupids. Sara is also Middle East Brand Ambassador for many companies, including Nivea, Natura Bisse, and Mercedes. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Ms. Bayan Abusalameh is a 2020/2021 Chevening Scholar in Advanced Mechanical Engineering, at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), who just finished off her Master’s Dissertation entitled “An Innovative Structural Design For a 1U CubeSat” (The Palestine-1) Ms. Abusalameh is also a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) team of QMUL. Ms. Abusalameh has her Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birzeit University and her MSC in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from Queen Mary University of London. Support the show

Send us Fan MailMati Gill is the Chief Executive Officer, of AION Labs (https://aionlabs.com/), a company recently launched and backed by a coalition of pharma and tech leaders, including AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, Teva, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and the Israel Biotech Fund (IBF) and Israel Innovation Authority, to improve the whole drug discovery & drug development process with AI and computational biology. Mati has an MBA (Healthcare & Innovation) and BS degree in law from Reichman University / IDC Herzliya, and has over a decade of experience in leadership roles in the biopharma industry, including most recently as Head of Government Affairs, Corporate & International Markets, at Teva Pharmaceuticals. Mati also spent 4 years as Member Of The Board Of Advisors and Directors, at Sanara Ventures, a healthcare investment platform backed by Philips & Teva, providing Pre-seed, Seed and A round financing to young companies. Prior to Teva, Mati was Chief of Staff to Israel's Minister of Public Security.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Ann Marie Kimball  is a physician, epidemiologist and currently holds the roles of Associate Fellow at the international affairs think tank Chatham House, and Vice Chair, COVID 19 task force, at The Rotary Foundation / Rotary International. Previously, Dr. Kimball served as a strategic advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation, supporting the strengthening and development of strategies for Ebola, post-Ebola, and health crisis response, including planning and guiding the formation of a regional disease surveillance network in collaboration with Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS). Before joining the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Kimball served as technical and strategic lead for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation surveillance strategy formation. Prior to Gates, Dr. Kimball served as Professor of Epidemiology for the University of Washington (UW), School of Public Health, with adjunct appointments in Medicine (Bioinformatics and Infectious Diseases) and the Jackson School of Foreign Affairs. During her tenure at UW, Dr. Kimball founded and directed the APEC Emerging Infections Network, and led research and training programs in Surveillance and Informatics in Peru and Thailand. Dr. Kimball’s research focus on global trade and emerging infections earned her a Fulbright New Century Scholars award and a Guggenheim Scholars award. Dr. Kimball is also the author of Risky Trade: Infectious Diseases in an Era of Global Trade, which was highly reviewed by NEJM, Emerging Infections and Lancet. She has authored numerous scientific publications, and served on numerous Institute of Medicine panels. She is also a fellow in the American College of Preventive Medicine and member of the National Biosurveillance Advisory group (NBAS) from the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Kimball is a former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and has worked and lived in the Yemen Arab Republic, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. She served as Director of National Program Support for Pan American Health Organization, directing the elaboration and implementation of medium term AIDS plans in member countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. She also served as Director of HIV/AIDS for Washington State, and the founding Chair of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) in the United States. She attended on staff at Harborview Medical Center first on HIV/AIDS (10 years), then the International Clinic (7 years) and finally UW/Seattle King County at Harborview Medical Center as an attending at the STD clinic.Support the show