Speakers for the upcoming AACT conference in Chicago
Great line up. Kudos to one of our members, Sammy Jo, for all the hard work she has put in. She will be speaking at this event. It's so refreshing to have someone like her represent patients. If you haven't joined AACT yet, please do. It's free and it will show your support for this group. AACT is organizing the Chicago Stem Cell Showcase Sept 17-18. This is where doctors and researchers in cellular therapy are gathering to explore “The Dilemma of Difficult Diseases: Cell Therapies to the Rescue?”
Keynote Speakers
Arnold Caplan, Ph.D.
Arnold Caplan, Ph.D., known as “The Father of the Mesenchymal Stem Cell”, is a Professor of Biology & General Medical Sciences (Oncology) and Director of the Cellular and Molecular Basis for Aging Training Program of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Caplan serves as the Director of Skeletal Research Center. He is an international scholar focusing on experimentation in the area of musculoskeletal and skin development. He has published over 390 papers and manuscripts and has long been supported by the NIH and other non-profit and for-profit agencies for his efforts in trying to understand the development, maturation and aging of cartilage, bone, skin and other mesenchymal tissues and for his pioneering research on Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Caplan received his BS in Chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois; and his PhD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Caplan did a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Anatomy at The Johns Hopkins University, followed by Postdoctoral Fellowships at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts with Dr. N. O. Kaplan and Dr. E. Zwilling. Since the 1970’s, he has published works on tissue-engineered repair of bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, dermis and other tissues as a component of his interests in Regenerative Medicine. More recently, he and his collaborators have helped define the immuno-regulatory and tropic activities of MSCs as manifested by the secretion of a complex array of bioactive molecules at sites of tissue injury or inflammation. With the identification of MSCs as perivascular cells, or pericytes, he has proposed how MSCs function in vivo at sites of tissue regeneration and, thus, defined the logics for self-repair within the context of Regenerative Medicine. He recently suggested as the secretory source of bioactive agents that the MSC be renamed as the Medicinal Signaling Cell because of its controlling role in the regeneration of damaged tissue. Caplan has been Chief Scientific Officer at OrthoCyte Corporation, a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. since June 2010. Dr. Caplan co-founded Cell Targeting Inc. He served as Founder and President of Skeletech, Inc. and as Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. He serves as Director of BioMetic Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He has been a Director of Biomimetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since March 2001. Dr. Caplan serves as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board at IsoTis, Inc. and SanBio Inc. and as member of Orthopedic Scientific Advisory Board at BioMimetic Therapeutics. He served as a Director of Carbylan Biosurgery, Inc. and BioMimetic Therapeutics Inc. from March 2001 to September 2006 and as Director of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. Caplan has lectured and published extensively within the fields of cellular, molecular, developmental and bone biology and is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on tissue regeneration. Dr. Caplan has received a number of awards including the Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award given by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as part of their 1990 Kappa Delta Awards Program, the 1999 Marshall R. Urist Award for Excellence in Tissue Regeneration Research given by the Orthopaedic Research Society, the Genzyme Lifetime Achievement Award given by the International Cartilage Repair Society in 2007 and the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society‘s Life Time Achievement Award in 2010.
Robert J. Harman, D.V.M., M.P.V.M.
Bob-Lab
Dr. Harman founded and is the CEO of VetStem Biopharma, the first US-based commercial veterinary stem cell company. For 15 years prior to that, he was the CEO of HTI-Bio-Services, a preclinical research company for veterinary and human pharmaceutical development. He has authored more than 500 contract study reports for animal health companies throughout the world and for submission to the FDA and USDA in support of the development of new animal and human health products.
In his current position, he is the CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of the programs at VetStem to bring stem cell therapy to veterinary medicine. He has been a frequent speaker at stem cell conferences in North America, Central America, Europe and the Middle East. He has authored seven peer-reviewed publications on stem cell therapy. Dr. Harman received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master’s in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis.
Mark Holterman, M.D., Ph.D.
Mark Holterman, Chief of Pediatric Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Illinois, is also Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Holterman is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for the Advancement of Cellular Therapy (AACT). Affliated with multiple hospitals in the Chicago area, Dr. Holterman has been named as a top US physician by the Castle-Connally organization for the last five years. His research interests include the development of therapies to induce antigen and tissue-specific control of the immune system including the use of stem cells to control the autoimmune process in patients with diabetes. He and his collaborators have active research projects in regenerative medicine and anti-cancer therapies. Dr. Holterman is a 1980 graduate of Yale University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology. He then entered the NIH-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine where he completed his Ph.D. studies in Immunology in 1987 and Medical Degree in 1988. Dr. Holterman completed his surgical residency at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center in 1993, followed by Pediatric Surgery Fellowship training at the Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington from 1993-1995. Dr. Holterman then completed a two year Research Fellowship at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal studying proteins important in controlling lymphocyte activation. Dr. Holterman joined the faculty of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1997 and his research endeavors have been supported by the NIH, American Diabetes Association and the Illinois Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
International Guest Speakers
Adeeb Al-Zoubi, Ph.D.
Adeeb M. Al-Zoubi, Ph.D., is a prominent stem cell scientist and a molecular immunologist. His research interests focus on developing safe and effective methods for the utilization of autologous purified stem cells in treatment of chronic and devastating diseases. Dr. Al-Zoubi is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL, USA, and the founder, owner and CEO of Stem Cells of Arabia, Amman, Jordan. Dr. Al-Zoubi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology, Southwestern University, Philippines, 1990, a Master’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences from Rosalind Franklin University, USA, and a Ph.D. in Immunology from College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
Dr. Al-Zoubi is the inventor and developer of the Jordanian Method ® that is currently being utilized in the treatment of several chronic and untreatable conditions in Jordan and other countries. Dr. Al-Zoubi is the Vice President of the International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR), Founding Member of the International Stem Cell Academy (ISCA), USA, Founding Member of the International Stem Cell Study Group (ISCSG), Board Member of the Alliance for the Advancement of Cellular Therapies (AACT), USA, Member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), USA, Member of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), USA, and a member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals.
Brig.Gen.Dr. Hazem Habboub
Brigadier General Hazem K. Habboub, M.D., D.M.R.D., F.R.C.R., F.A.C.I.R., is a prominent interventional radiologist and an internationally known neuroradiologist. Dr. Habboub is the Head of Vascular and Interventional Neuroradiology and a Consultant in Diagnostic Radiology at King Hussein Medical Center, The Royal Medical Services, Amman-Jordan. Additionally, he is an Associate Consultant at the Diagnostic Radiology Department at Jordan University Hospital, and Associate Professor in Radiology at King Abdullah University Hospital, Jordan University of science and Technology.
Dr. Habboub is a senior advisor to the Medical board of Covidien. He is an International proctor for endovascular abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm repair for Medtronic. Dr. Habboub is a graduate of Jordan University where he earned his M.D. degree. He earned a diploma in Medical Radio-diagnosis, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff-United Kingdom. He completed a fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists, London-United Kingdom. He was a fellow associate and board in Vascular and Interventional Radiology, University of Iowa, USA. He also completed a fellowship in Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Habboub is a member of The Jordan Medical Association and 9 other societies specializing in radiology and neuroradiology in Jordan, UK, and USA.
SPEAKERS
Naomi Lopez-Bauman
Naomi Lopez Bauman, serves as the Director of Healthcare Policy for the Goldwater Institute. She most recently served as the Director of Research and the Director of Health Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. During that tenure, she also served on the executive committee for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Health and Human Services Task Force. Lopez Bauman also previously worked as a public policy consultant conducting research on federal and state health care programs, social and economic well-being, pension reform, federal and state health and welfare programs, barriers to entrepreneurship, and tax expenditure programs. She also served as Director of both the Center for Enterprise and Opportunity and the Project on Children at the Pacific Research Institute and was a member of the California Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Homelessness. Lopez Bauman also worked as a research associate in health care and welfare at the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies and as an entitlements policy analyst at the Cato Institute. She also served as special policy advisor to the State of Michigan’s Secchia Commission, which provided recommendations for state government reform. A frequent media guest and public speaker, Lopez Bauman has authored hundreds of studies, opinion articles and commentaries. She holds a B.A. in economics from Trinity University in Texas and an M.A. in government from Johns Hopkins University.
Tracey L. Bonfield, Ph.D.
Tracey L. Bonfield, Ph.D. D. ABMLI is an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University. With a keen interest in stem cells and regenerative medicine, Dr. Bonfield’s research focuses on developing new or augmented therapeutics to treat lung diseases including asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), allergy, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia through the use of stem cells and their secreted products. Although Dr. Bonfield’s research interests span pulmonary diseases in general, her main focus has been on CF, contributing to understanding the role of immune defense and hematopoietic transplantation in the context of CF resolution of infection and inflammation, the main contributors to CF pulmonary morbidity and mortality. These research and translational focuses are demonstrated in her publications. Further, Dr. Bonfield is Director of the Anti-Inflammatory Pre-Clinical Therapeutics Testing Core for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, using her in vitro and in vivo murine modeling systems to evaluate possible therapeutics for transition into Phase I Clinical Trials in CF. Dr. Bonfield is the Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative Bioanalyte Core and Lung Infection and Inflammation Modeling Core Centers at Case Western Reserve University and is Board Certified by the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunologist (ABMLI). Dr. Bonfield is on the Executive Board of Directors of the ABMLI and is currently Chair of the Exam Development Committee. With publications spanning many journals, patents, as well as a growing number of industry relations, Dr. Bonfield’s breadth of expertise covers broad areas of immunological knowledge with a specific interest in CF.
Richard K. Burt, M.D.
Richard K. Burt, M.D. is chief of the Division of Immunotherapy, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Burt pioneered the use of hematopoietic stem cells to treat autoimmune diseases. Dr. Burt performed either America’s first or the world’s first autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants for numerous immune-mediated diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Crohn’s disease, polymyositis, bullous pemphigus, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Behcet’s disease, neurovascular or pulmonary Sjogrens’s syndrome, Wegener’s granulmatosis, Arron’s syndrome (immune-mediated blindness), Devic’s syndrome, and type 1 diabetes.
Lusine Danielyan, M.D.
Lusine Danielyan MD is Head of Division of Cellular/Molecular Pharmacology at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany. She earned her MD at the University Hospital of Tuebingen. Her current research interests include the exploration of mechanisms and efficacy of neuroprotection provided by several agents including growth factors and therapeutic cells in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. Her new findings on intranasal delivery of cells to the brain were highlighted by several journals including Nature Methods, European Journal of Cell Biology, Neurology Today, The New Scientist and others. For the discovery of intranasal delivery of cells to the brain she received an award from the German Ministry of Nutrition and Agriculture in 2009 and also received the World Pharma Young investigator Award in 2010.
William Frey II, Ph. D.
William H. Frey II, Ph.D. is Director of the Alzheimer’s Research Center at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN, Professor of Pharmaceutics and faculty member in Neurology, Oral Biology and Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and consultant to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Dr. Frey’s patents, owned by Novartis, Stanford University, HealthPartners Research Foundation and others, target noninvasive delivery of therapeutic agents, including stem cells, to the brain and spinal cord for treating neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders and obesity. Dr. Frey’s non-invasive intranasal method for bypassing the blood-brain barrier to target CNS therapeutic agents to the brain while reducing systemic exposure and unwanted side effects has captured the interest of both pharmaceutical companies and neuroscientists. The intranasal insulin treatment he developed for Alzheimer’s disease has been shown in clinical trials to improve memory in both Alzheimer’s patients and normal adults. The intranasal therapeutic cell delivery and treatment method he invented has been shown to treat many neurological disorders in animal models. With over 100 publications in scientific and medical journals, Dr. Frey has been interviewed on Good Morning America, The Today Show, 20/20, All Things Considered and numerous other television and radio shows in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Articles about Dr. Frey’s research have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report and other magazines and newspapers around the world. Dr. Frey earned his BA in Chemistry at Washington University in 1969 and Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University in 1975.
Mitchell S. Fuerst
Mitchell S. Fuerst is a founding member of Fuerst Ittleman David & Joseph, PL and is the firm’s managing partner. He concentrates his practice in the areas of Tax Law & Tax Litigation, Corporate Governance and Compliance, International Business Transactions, Complex Commercial Litigation, International Trade Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities Law and Banking Regulation, Food and Drug Law, Anti-Money Laundering Compliance, and White Collar Criminal Litigation. Mr. Fuerst’s practice is primarily devoted to the comprehensive representation of businesses. His ability to thoroughly analyze the strategies and goals of corporations, coupled with nearly 30 years of diverse legal experience, places him in a unique position to effectively guide businesses through the complexities of governmental regulations and corporate compliance requirements, while consistently maximizing shareholder value. This aspect of Mr. Fuerst’s holistic representation of businesses frequently takes the form of working in conjunction with corporate executives to develop ambitious business strategies that meet or exceed all legal requirements, while simultaneously promoting the growth and success of the corporation. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Fuerst worked as a trial attorney with the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Chief Counsel in Chicago. In 1980, Mr. Fuerst entered private practice, concentrating on tax and tax litigation, and maintains that practice today.Mr. Fuerst’s tax and tax litigation practice consists of State and Federal Income and Excise Tax Litigation, State and Federal Income and Excise Tax Administrative Agency Controversies, Employee vs. Independent Contractor Tax Controversies and Audits, Tax Accounting Audits and Accounting Method Change Applications, Money and Monetary Instrument Compliance Examinations and Investigations and related Criminal and Civil Tax Litigation. Mr. Fuerst regularly practices in Tax and Governmental Compliance, including tax planning for businesses with domestic and international commercial transactions, providing instruction and compliance programs on money and monetary instrument handling and reporting, planning and advising on corporate formations, (such as partnerships and agency agreements), and advising and drafting instruments for commercial transactions such as OEM agreements, manufacturer distribution agreements, manufacturer quantity supply agreements and manufacturer product warranty and epidemic failure agreements. The other areas of Mr. Fuerst’s practice flow organically from his tax practice. As a world renown tax attorney, Mr. Fuerst must become intimately familiar with every facet of a corporation’s business practices in order to effectively guide that business or represent it in front of state, federal and international taxing authorities. Similarly, with respect to the other areas of his practice – whether teaching international computer parts distributors about the complications associated with Brazilian Customs regulations, briefing Chinese aquaculture farmers on the developments in United States import law, advising domestic financial institutions about the Patriot Act and related BSA regulations and state requirements, or representing food and drug product manufacturers and importers under indictment in Federal District Court – Mr. Fuerst must become as familiar with the day-to-day operations and long-term goals of his client corporations as the corporations’ directors themselves. Only with that knowledge can Mr. Fuerst help his clients make the decisions which will sustain them far into the future.
Andrew Ittleman, Esq.
Andrew S. Ittleman is a Founder and Partner of Fuerst Ittleman David & Joseph, PL. He concentrates his practice in the areas of White Collar Criminal Defense, Anti-Money Laundering compliance, and Food and Drug Law. Mr. Ittleman litigates extensively against the United States government in civil and criminal matters. Mr. Ittleman’s practice is primarily devoted to the representation of regulated entities in complex disputes with the United States government. Virtually all of Fuerst Ittleman David & Joseph, PL’s clients are regulated by the federal government in some way, and Mr. Ittleman focuses his work on those clients which have entered into a dispute with the government regarding whether, and if so how, certain laws or regulations should apply. These disputes can take many forms. In some cases, the government will send correspondence to a regulated business advising the business that it has failed in some material way to comply with federal law. In many of these cases, such as those which begin with Cease and Desist Letters issued by state banking regulators and Warning Letters issued by FDA, the issuing agency posts the correspondence on the World Wide Web, and Mr. Ittleman is thus asked to respond with the utmost sensitivity and urgency. In other cases, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Department of Justice may announce itself to a regulated entity by issuing a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) or other formal demand for information, and in these cases Mr. Ittleman is requested by his clients to determine what, exactly, is being investigated and why, and to work with the government in limiting the scope of the investigation so that it does not unduly burden the client’s business. Mr. Ittleman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University and received his law degree from the University of Miami Law School in Miami, Florida. Mr. Ittleman is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Eighth Eleventh and District of Columbia Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, the District of Colorado, the Northern District of Illinois, the Western District of Michigan, the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Tax Court. Mr. Ittleman has also represented clients pro hac vice in the District of Columbia, the Central and Northern Districts of California, and the District of New Jersey. Mr. Ittleman has been certified as an Anti Money Laundering Specialist by the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, and is a member of the National Money Transmitters Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Ittleman is also a member of the Advisory Board of the International Money Transfer Conferences, and the Medical Devices Committee of the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI).
Nadia Jessel, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Nadia Jessel is Research Director and head of the “ Osteoarticular and Dental regenerative Nanomedicine” laboratory at INSERM (French National Institute for Health and Medical Research), UMR 1109, Strasbourg, France. She was leader of “Active Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering” team INSERM 977 until december 2012. She received her Ph.D. from University Louis Pasteur, ULP, Strasbourg, France for the work on Development of pseudopeptides as synthetic vaccines. Dr. Jessel (Benkirane) then held a postdoctoral position in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, working on Immunotherapy HIV, and another postdoctoral position on the application of modified peptides as vaccines against FMDV (Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944-0848, USA). She joined the INSERM U595 in 2002 as a post-doc, and received the diploma to direct the research (HDR) in 2004.
Wade McKenna, DO
Wade McKenna, DO is founder of McKenna Orthopedics, North Central Texas Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, and co-founder of the Riordan-McKenna Institute in Southlake, Texas. Board certified in orthopedic surgery, Dr. McKenna is the chief medical officer and co-founder of Biologic Therapies, a product development and research company dedicated to the advancement of autologous adult stem cell therapy. His achievements include the recent development of the BioMac bone marrow aspiration catheter, treating world-class athletes, and developing numerous surgical and non-surgical stem cell application protocols. He is a leading advocate of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine focusing on advancing the clinical benefits in orthopedics. After receiving his undergraduate degree and earning his medical degree at Oklahoma State University, Dr. McKenna completed his orthopedic residency at the Dallas/Ft Worth Medical Center and his trauma fellowship at Tampa General Hospital. With over 20 years in private practice, Dr. McKenna has a proven track record of producing positive clinical outcomes augmented by concentrated, autologous bone marrow aspirate. Dr. McKenna has applied this stem cell-enriched product to thousands of surgical and non-surgical patients. Successful applications include long bone non-unions; avascular necrosis of the femoral head; severe clavicle non-unions; cartilage regeneration; chondrogenesis and soft tissue repair of the shoulder; chronic tendonopathy; tendon ruptures; numerous applications to common, often difficult foot and ankle injuries; and wrists fractures. R. Wade McKenna, DO and Neil Riordan, Ph.D published ‘Minimally Invasive Autologous Bone Marrow Concentrate Stem Cells in the Treatment of the Chronically Injured Achilles Tendon: A Case Report” in the journal, CELLR4, the official journal of The Cure Alliance.
Leslie Miller, M.D.
Leslie Miller, MD is recognized as a renowned cardiologist, specializing in heart failure treatment as well as new drugs, innovative mechanical devices and transplant. His focus is now entirely on regenerative medicine and the use of adult stem cells to repair and recover heart function. After obtaining his medical degree and completing his internship at the University of Missouri’s Medical Center, Dr. Miller completed his internal medicine residency at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He then completed his cardiology fellowship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Dr. Miller went on to become the Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at University of Minnesota, and most recently the University of South Florida (USF) and Director of the USF Cardiovascular Clinical and Research Integrated Strategic program. Dr. Miller was also the Director of Cardiology at Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital and Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Miller has also served as President of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and the American Society of Transplantation, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Throughout the course of a career spanning over 30 years, he has strived to remain on the cutting edge of cardiac research and patient care. Over the past several years he has focused almost solely on the field of Regenerative Medicine, examining both stem cell and gene therapy for heart failure. In addition to serving as an investigator in over 80 clinical trials, Dr. Miller’s widely published research focuses on innovative heart failure treatments, including the use of adult stem cell therapy in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease and heart failure. Dr. Leslie Miller resides in Tampa and has two children who are grown.
Bellur Prabhakar, Ph.D.
Bellur Prabhakar, Ph.D. is Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Professor of Ophthalmology, and Associate Dean for Technological Innovation and Training, College of Medicine, University of Illinois.
Dr. Bellur S. Prabhakar obtained his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He continued his studies at the Wistar Institute, while he was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his post-doctoral fellowship, he joined the National Institutes of Health NIH as a staff-fellow and after 3 years he was promoted to Senior Staff Fellow. In recognition of his many contributions, he was promoted to Senior Investigator with tenure after only 6 years of service at the NIH. While at NIH he received several recognitions including the Director’s Merit Award.
In 1990, he joined the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston as an Associate professor with tenure, and within 6 months after that he was promoted to full-Professor. In 1997, he was recruited as Professor and Head of the department of microbiology and Immunology in the college of medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago and was appointed as the Associate Dean for Research and Training Programs.
Dr. Prabhakar has published nearly 200 papers and highly reputable peer reviewed journals and has been an invited speaker at many scientific conferences here and abroad. He has trained a very large number of PhD, and MD/PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and clinician scientists who have populated research laboratories in USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia. He has active research and education collaborations in India and Italy.
He has provided outstanding leadership not only to his department but also to the University. His leadership abilities are recognized at the national level through his election to the Executive Committee of the American Association of Microbiology and Immunology Chairs. He has served as a member of the National Caucus of Basic Biomedical Science Chairs. He has served/serves on a number of scientific and advisory committees.
Damiano Rondelli, M.D.
Damiano Rondelli, M.D. graduated at the Medical School of the University of Bologna, Italy, where he also completed his training in Hematology. Dr. Rondelli started his research on hematopoietic stem cell transplant immunology as Research Associate at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA. He was then Assistant Professor at the University of Bologna where he established his lab research and clinical work in the Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant unit. In 2002, he moved to the University of Illinois at Chicago as Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, and in 2013 he was appointed Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Rondelli is the Principal Investigator of clinical studies in stem cell transplantation for hematologic malignancies, such as high risk leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, or myelofibrosis, and for patients with sickle cell anemia. He has authored over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Nirav Dinesh Shah, M.D., JD
Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Nirav Shah as Director to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Shah holds both a medical degree and law degree, making him uniquely qualified to understand both the health and administrative sides of this position.
Shah is currently an attorney at Sidley Austin in Chicago, focusing on the administrative and legal aspects of public health. He works with clients around the world to administer health programs, improving access to quality health care.
In addition, Shah is currently a lecturer in global public health at the University of Chicago’s medical school, where he teaches students how to solve public health problems through empirical analysis. He also sits on the board of the Northwestern Global Health Foundation and the Women’s Global Education project.
Prior to earning his medical and law degrees, Shah worked for the Ministry of Health in Cambodia as a public health economist. He worked with the Cambodian health care system to address inefficiencies, making the public health system more cost-effective for the government and for the people.
Shah graduated from the University of Chicago with a law degree in 2007 and his M.D. in 2008. He also attended Oxford University as a Rotary Scholar in economics. Shah earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Louisville
Carlo Tremolada, M.D.
Carlo Tremolada, M.D. graduated in 1989 in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milan, and specialized in Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and Maxillofacial Surgery. He also graduated at the European Board of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. *nbsp; From 1994 to 2009, he was professor at the school of specialization in Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Parma before and at the School of Dentistry at the University of Florence afterwards. Medical Director at San Paolo Hospital in Milan in the role of Chief of Plastic Surgery service (1996-2009) he served first at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and later at the Department of General Surgery. During this period, he developed extensive experience in the reconstructive surgery of genetic and acquired deformities of face, breast, limbs, and abdomen. He also served as consultant at Department of Orthopedics at San Raffaele Hospital (1999-2003) and San Carlo (2003-2008). Carlo has served as scientific director of Image Medical Spa since 2010 and President of Lipogems International Spa since 2012. He is also current author of over 70 publications of plastic, aesthetic and maxillofacial surgery on indexed journals.
Sammy Jo Wilkinson
SammyJoWilkinsonSammyJo Wilkinson speaks at the AACT Conference about her personal experience with using her own stem cells as therapy to put long-term multiple sclerosis into remission. When the U.S. regulatory environment blocked access to using one’s own stem cells in 2012, she was inspired to become a patient advocate. She became a founding member of Patients For Stem Cells, with the mission to create awareness about the violation of patient’s basic human rights to access their own stem cells for potentially life saving therapies, through vetting media reports, and enlightening the research community and public of the plight of no-option patients. Sammy Jo Wilkinson current serves as AACT’s Patient Advisory Board Committee Chair.
Yong Zhao, M.D., Ph.D.
Zhao-speaker.Yong Zhao, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associated Scientist at Hackensack University Medical Center. He identified a novel type of stem cells from human cord blood and developed the Stem Cell Educator therapy. He owns 8 patents, and he has published more than 30 papers. He has received several national and international awards. His works were press released in major media such as CNN, USA Today, Reuter, and EurekAlert.
