Immunology

• Christine Eischen, PhD, is Professor and Special Advisor to the President of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. The primary focus of  Eischen Laboratory is on tumor initiation. Eischen lab wants to know how does a normal cell become a cancer cell. Specifically, Eischen lab wants to know what are the genes and pathways that contribute to or inhibit cellular transformation. Eischen lab studies the pathways, proteins, and recently, the miRNA and lncRNA that contribute to or inhibit tumor development with emphasis on the oncogenes Myc and Mdm2. B cell lymphoma is the cancer that we have almost 2 decades of experience studying, and multiple projects utilize this expertise. However, lung, breast, and ovarian carcinomas and cutaneous T cell lymphomas are also studied in the lab. Research in the Eischen lab spans from basic science with and without mouse models through translational research with patient material and bioinformatics.

• J. Joseph Kim, PhD, is President, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a company that is revolutionizing the fight against cancers & infectious diseases. Dr. Kim was appointed President and CEO of Inovio Pharmaceuticals in June 2009. Dr. Kim co-founded VGX Pharmaceuticals, a synthetic vaccine company, in 2000 to develop intellectual property related to immunotherapeutics licensed from the University of Pennsylvania. He led that company for nine years and combined VGX with Inovio Biomedical in 2009 to form Inovio Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Dr. Kim was a senior vaccine developer at Merck & Co. where he successfully led efforts in manufacturing and process development for several FDA-approved products for hepatitis and developmental vaccines and therapeutics for HIV/AIDS. Dr. Kim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a U.S. Senate Honors Scholar. He holds a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Wharton School. Dr. Kim has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, holds numerous patents and sits on several editorial boards and review panels.

• Vu L. Truong, PhD, is Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Aridis Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing new breakthrough therapies for infectious diseases and addressing the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Aridis has a deep, diversified portfolio of clinical and pre-clinical stage anti-infective product candidates that are complimented by a fully human monoclonal antibody discovery platform technology. Dr. Truong is a founder of Aridis and recently elected to the CEO position in 2014 after having served as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer for the past 9 years. He has over 15 years experience in biopharmaceutical drug development, having held positions of increasing responsibilities in companies which were eventually acquired by larger entities, including Gene Medicine (sold to Megabios), Aviron (sold to Medimmune), and Medimmune (sold to Astra Zeneca). He has a life-long interest and research experience in infectious diseases, focusing on the development of innovative human monoclonal antibodies and vaccines designed to address life threatening infections. His product development experience includes FluMist™, Synagis™ mAb, and a number of other monoclonal antibody based therapeutics. Dr. Truong is the principal architect of the Aridis technologies, which includes a range of anti-infective products and pharmaceutical processing technologies. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Oncology

• Ildiko Csiki, MD, PhD, is Vice President, Clinical Development of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a company that is revolutionizing the fight against cancers & infectious diseases. Dr. Csiki joined Inovio as Vice President, Clinical Development from Merck & Co. where she held the title of Senior Director, Clinical Development and was the Clinical Lead for solid tumor immuno-oncology programs. Previously she spent time at Glaxo Smith Kline as Director, Clinical Oncology in both early and late development groups. Additionally, she has been an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has been both a clinical and laboratory Principal Investigator and a clinician with an active practice. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arkansas with degrees in Biology, Psychology and Chemistry and then received her MD and PhD degrees from Vanderbilt University. She also completed an internship in Internal Medicine and a Holman Research Pathway residency and fellowship in Radiation Oncology at Vanderbilt.

• Jordan Leef is a seasoned healthcare entrepreneur and venture capitalist with over a decade of life science venture creation experience. Mr. Leef currently serves as the CFO, CBO and Co-Founder of  Pyramid Biosciences, an early stage biotechnology company with a drug discovery platform based on modulation of the TRK receptors. Most recently, Mr. Leef served as CBO and interim-CFO of Metamark Genetics, a urologic oncology company. Mr. Leef also served as a Principal Venture Capitalist and member of the Healthcare Investment Team at Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE), a publicly-traded venture capital firm, where he invested broadly in diagnostic, medical device, healthIT and therapeutic companies. Prior to Safeguard, Mr. Leef served as a Senior Associate with MentorTech Ventures, a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage companies. During his time at MentorTech, Mr. Leef also served as a Senior Associate for SVM Israel, a hybrid fund-of-funds investing in Israeli private equity and venture capital funds as well as selectively co-investing alongside those funds. Prior to joining MentorTech, Mr. Leef was a Financial Analyst at Pharos Capital Group, a private equity firm located in Nashville and Dallas. In this capacity, Mr. Leef worked as a member of the Pharos investment team to provide growth and later-stage capital for businesses in the healthcare, business services and technology industries. Prior to becoming an investor, Mr. Leef worked in the Biotechnology Equity Research Group at C.E. Unterberg, Towbin (now Collin Stewart) in New York City. Mr. Leef also previously worked at Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE) in the U.S. Clinical Operations and Business Development Divisions of the Specialty Products Cluster. Mr. Leef graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

• Pierluigi Porcu, MD, is Director of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in the Department of Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Porcu came to Jefferson from The Ohio State University in Columbus, where he held the position of Professor of Medicine with tenure and was a member of the Viral Oncology Program of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Porcu earned his undergraduate degree from Liceo Classico Lagrange, Vercelli, Italy and received his MD from the University of Torino. Dr. Porcu came to Jefferson in 1990 for a postdoctoral research fellowship in our Department of Microbiology-Immunology, ultimately rising to the rank of Research Instructor. He completed his internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowship at Indiana University, Indianapolis. In 1999, Dr. Porcu joined the faculty of The Ohio State University as an Assistant Professor, rising to the rank of Professor with tenure. Dr. Porcu is a lymphoma-focused hematologic oncologist. He has led a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, researchers and nurses with the goal of discovering causes and risk factors for T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas; developing lymphoma-specific oncology practice models that integrate clinical care, research and mentoring; and bringing new therapies to the clinic through biomarker research and clinical trials. He was the Director of the Cutaneous Lymphoma Program, an integrated translational research program that included a multimodality cutaneous lymphoma clinic jointly staffed by hematologists, dermatologists and pathologists, all with a special expertise in skin lymphomas. Dr. Porcu’s efforts have also focused on the role of the Epstein Barr Virus in a subset of T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas that are rare in North America but common in Asia and South America. Dr. Porcu has a long track record of advocacy and education for patients with cutaneous lymphoma and has been a successful fundraiser, creating Team CTCL, a 105-member cycling team that participates in Pelotonia, one of the most successful cancer fundraising events in the United States. From 2011 to 2014, Dr. Porcu was listed among the U.S. News & World Report Top Cancer Doctors in America, and in 2015, he was listed as one of Newsweek’s Top Hematology Doctors.

“The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Healthcare Galaxy”

What if someone came down from another planet and looked at the healthcare system in the place called USA on the planet earth. What they would find is a system that speaks of wellness but is financed by disease treatment, one that talks about moving from volume to value but has yet to figure out how to define or reward value, and one where every other aspect of its economy and lifestyle has been transformed by technology and consumerism except for healthcare. The author of the books, We CAN Fix Healthcare and The Phantom Stethoscope, President Klasko uses science fiction to challenge audiences to imagine an ideal future, and identify what it takes to design that future today. He reviews twelve “disruptors” for the demise of the old healthcare system, and shows how each is an opportunity to take the trends and incremental steps we see today and create the transformations and disruptions tomorrow. His optimism is an antidote to fear surrounding current change. Most importantly, President Klasko challenges us to erase traditional boundaries and silos, to see creativity as a strategy, and to reconsider a hospital system as a “consumer organization.” He is passionate about designing a system without health disparities, a system that makes wellness the goal and a system where augmented intelligence use machine cognition to replace doctors’ memorization skills so that doctors can be chosen based on self-awareness and empathy to create meaningful relationships with patients. The talk will demonstrate actionable strategies through an innovative “history of the future” thought experiment, a strategic planning process which has led to Dr Klasko’s organization rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing academic medical centers in the nation, one that is more optimistic about its future than its almost two-hundred year old past.

Where is Healthcare in 2030?

• Alfonso Chang, Managing Director of Relativity Healthcare Partners, an an investment group dedicated to providing growth capital to emerging healthcare companies.

• Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, is President and CEO of Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University, a regional healthy system of hospitals dedicated to the health sciences and committed to educating professionals, discovering new knowledge, and setting the standard for quality, compassionate and efficient patient care. What began as Jefferson Medical College in 1824, now known as Sidney Kimmel Medical College, has grown into one of the nation’s leading healthcare learning institutions. Dr. Klasko has championed transformation of American health care as university president, dean of two medical colleges, and CEO of three academic health centers. He is author of 2016’s We CAN Fix Healthcare in America, and editor in chief of “Healthcare Transformation.” Since 2014, Jefferson Health has grown from a three hospital urban academic medical center with annual revenues of $1.8 billion to a major regional academic medical center. Currently an eight-hospital system, resulting from the merger of Jefferson with Abington Health, Jefferson Health will expand to an 11-hospital system with the proposed partnership mergers with Aria Health and Kennedy Health. Jefferson has the largest tele-health network in the region, the NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, and an outpatient footprint that is among the most technologically advanced in the region. Upon completion of the proposed merger with Philadelphia University – creating a comprehensive university with a forward-thinking education model – Jefferson will have combined annual revenues exceeding $4.8 billion, more than 28,000 employees, 7,800 students, 6,000 physicians/practitioners and 4,000 faculty.

• David Nikodem, is Managing Director and Head of Biopharma Investments of Ally Bridge Group, a global healthcare-focused, multi-strategy investment group with a portfolio of healthcare investments in China, the US and Europe, and of Themes Investment Partners, a China-focused private equity fund. In 2015, Ally Bridge Group, in close collaboration with Wuxi’s founder/chairman/CEO, initiated, led and completed the landmark USD3.3 billion take-private of Wuxi Pharmatech, a leading global life science service company.

• Greg Simon is the Director of the Biden Cancer Initiative at the Biden Foundation and the former Executive Director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, a position created by President Barack Obama and for which he was chosen by Vice President Joe Biden in March 2016. As Executive Director, Greg assembled and led a team of eight professionals to support the work of the Vice President in developing and promoting the goals of the Cancer Moonshot in numerous meetings and presentations and to coordinate the work of the Task Force comprised of twenty cabinet and sub-cabinet offices. Over the past nine months Greg and his team worked across the Task Force, academia and the private sector to create over seventy innovative collaborations. On October 17th, 2016, Greg joined the Vice President to present the Cancer Moonshot reports to President Obama in an Oval Office briefing. On December 7, 2016, the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act provided $1.8 billion for the Cancer Moonshot over the next seven years.

 

HPV: The Health Crisis We’re Not Talking About

At current rate, the annual number of HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer is expected to surpass the annual number of cervical cancers by 2020. Hear from KOLs at Jefferson, one of the top ranked Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) programs in the United States, about new technologies and advancements in medicine that can combat this deadly disease.
 

• David Cognetti, MD, is a board certified Otolaryngologist who completed fellowship training in Advanced Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. He specializes in the care of patients with benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck. Dr. Cognetti holds the rank of Associate Professor and is the Associate Director of the Division of Advanced Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. His advanced training includes endoscopic laser techniques for organ- preserving management of laryngeal cancer, as well as minimally-invasive approaches for thyroid and parathyroid surgery. His expertise covers all aspects of the management of head and neck cancer.

 
 
 

Game Changers in Medicine with Stem Cell Science Advancement as the Example

“Today, for the first time in history, stem cell research offers real hope to those whose suffering has previously been considered incurable. The road is long and challenging, but scientists and physician-scientists, empowered by the people of California, have accomplished much. The path to success is within our grasp, if we can sustain the advances of the scientists dedicated to stem cell therapies.” – Americans for Cures
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• Bob Klein is President of  Klein Financial Corporation, a real estate investment banking consulting company focused on affordable housing finance and development. The company has raised and/or consulted on approximately $3 billion in financing and development of public and private real estate projects and governmental housing funding programs. Bob is also Chairman Emeritus of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which is accelerating stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs, and he serves as Board Director of  Lifeguard Health Networks, a company with a mission to simplify care coordination by harnessing the collective information & power of all Caregivers. Bob is committed to advancing medical research. Bob served as author of  Proposition 71 and as Chairman of the California Proposition 71 campaign committee, the champion sponsor of the $3 billion dollar “California Stem Cell Research and Cures” ballot initiative. This initiative supports stem cell research for chronic illness and injury, with a focus on pluripotent and progenitor stem cell research. Time Magazine honored Bob as “One of the World’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year” for 2005. Soon after, Scientific American named Bob one of “The Scientific American 50” as a leader shaping the future of science technology. Bob holds a B.A. in History from Stanford University and JD from Stanford University Law School.

• Lorraine Iacovitti, PhD, is a full Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience, Neurology and Neurological Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and she is Director in the new Jefferson Stem Cell and Regenerative Neuroscience Center in the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience. The Center greatly expands Jefferson’s ability to study neurodegenerative diseases using patient-derived stem cells and develop “personalized” pharmaceutical, genetic and cell-based treatments for these insidious diseases. Dr. Iacovitti’s research contributions have been in the fields of developmental neuroscience and stem cell biology with an emphasis on Parkinson’s disease (PD) and stroke models. Her work in PD focuses on 1) defining the underlying principles governing the differentiation of the midbrain dopamine neuron, the cell lost in Parkinson’s disease (PD); 2) using differentiated stem cells for PD modeling and drug discovery in culture; and 3) translating these discoveries into a cell therapy to treat PD in vivo. Most recently, Dr. Iacovitti’s breakthrough discovery, published in Molecular Cell (2017), described ways to manipulate the cell’s DNA such that stem cells could homogenously differentiate into dopamine neurons, overcoming one of the major obstacles slowing the translation of iPS technology to the clinic. Through the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Neuroscience Center, Dr. Iacovitti is now building on this expertise to tackle other neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, SBMA and spinal cord injury. In the last decade, the Iacovitti lab has expanded its efforts to include studies on endogenous stem cells in the brain. With the discovery of novel stem cell niches along the entire neuraxis, these pioneering studies have re-written dogma, establishing for the first time the potential for widespread neurogenesis throughout the adult brain. Moreover, in all brain niches, a dramatic surge in stem cell proliferation and differentiation was observed after experimental stroke due in large part to molecular and cellular changes in the blood-brain-barrier. Capitalizing on this finding, the Iacovitti lab is currently exploring new ways to modify the BBB to facilitate entry of stem cells and other therapeutic agents. Dr. Iacovitti has been continually funded by the NIH and NSF for more than 30 years. In addition, she was the recipient of the James A. Shannon Director’s Award from NIH, a Ben Franklin Partnership Award, a Kodak Research Award and an Amgen Research Award. In 2007, Dr. Iacovitti was honored with the Tilker Foundation’s inaugural Outstanding Investigator Award in Stem Cell Research and in 2010 she was nominated for the Royan International Stem Cell Scientist Award. She has served as a member of numerous NIH, NSF, Michael J Fox, Welcome Trust grant study sections and grant review panels. She is currently an Editor for the American Journal of Pathology and a Senior Editor for Brain Research. Dr. Iacovitti has served on the Board of Directors of The Parkinson Council (Chapter of National PD Foundation) since 2006.

 
 

 

Is Medicinal Cannabis the Wonder Plant of the Century?

A leader in innovation, Thomas Jefferson University is dedicated to embracing the ever-evolving nature of healthcare and researching new cutting-edge methods for the treatment of diseases. In 2016, Jefferson became the first health sciences university in the United States to provide a comprehensive academic resource for the medicinal application and business of cannabis and hemp. Jefferson’s Dr. Charles Pollack, who leads Jefferson’s Center for Medical Cannabis Education & Research (CMCER), will discuss his views on new approaches to illness management and pain relief with business leaders who have invested heavily in the research and development of a wonder plant proven to advance the health of humankind.

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• Kevin McGovern, Chairman and CEO of McGovern Capital and The Water Initiative®, which co-creates customized and sustainable drinking water solutions through innovative partnerships with municipalities, business and local microentrepreneurs in developing and developed countries. Through McGovern Capital, he has founded over fifteen companies, six of which have become world/category leaders, has been lead negotiator/principal in over twenty (20) global joint ventures. McGovern Capital serves as an investment, strategy and  licensing participant and advisor to global businesses. McGovern was a founder of  SoBe Beverages, the fastest growing beverage company ever in the US (sold to Pepsi), and McGovern Capital was one of three owners of KX Industries, L.P., the largest manufacturer and worldwide source of carbon water purification filters, having invented and supplied PUR to P&G, the first end-of-tap filter to Brita, and the first refrigerator water filter to Electrolux. He also created the program, supervised and negotiated all licensing of Tristrata’s alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) patents, which technology was incorporated in approximately 40% of all global skin care products, and is sold in approximately 88 countries. He serves/served on many public and private boards including The Sports Authority (Exec. Committee – NYSE).

• Charles V. Pollack, Jr., MA, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FAHA, FESC, FCPP, is Director of the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp; Associate Provost for Innovation in Education; Director of the Institute of Emerging Health Professions; Associate Dean for CME and Strategic Partner Alliances; and, Professor and Senior Advisor for Interdisciplinary Research and Clinical Trials, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. From 2001-2015, Dr. Pollack was Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania and served as Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. He graduated summa cum laude from Emory University in 1980 with BA degrees in history and chemistry and with an MA in the history of science and medicine. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Pollack earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Pollack has long been active in teaching and clinical research and is an international leader in emergency medicine. He is the only physician to have received the American College of Emergency Physicians’ highest national awards in both teaching and research, and in 2015 became the first US emergency physician to be elected a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC). Dr. Pollack has written more than 500 original research articles, chapters, and abstracts, and serves on the editorial boards of several journals and on the steering committees of multiple national and international trials. Dr. Pollack also lectures widely on many varied topics in emergency medicine. He is a strong advocate for entrepreneurism and innovation in healthcare. He is a founding Board member of the Hospital Quality Foundation, a non-for-profit organization dedicated to improvement in the quality of care provided in the hospital and at transition back to the outpatient setting.

• Eric Wang is Executive Director of Ecofibre, an 18 year old Australian company, that produces and commercializes IP created from genetics through to the material science of hemp products. After graduating from West Point and receiving his MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Eric moved to Sydney where he served for over 15 years as a senior executive in financial services. It was during this time that Eric became very close confidant of the Lambert Family who later went on to establish the Lambert Initiative by donating $34M to Sydney University to fund research in MC and then make the Lambert Family’s only investment in the cannabis industry Ecofibre and Ananda Hemp (its US subsidiary). In late 2016, on behalf of the Lamberts, Eric helped to establish the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University with Dr. Charles Pollack.

 
 
 

Bridging the Gap between Academia, Corporations and Capital

• Kumaril (Kumar) Bhargava, PhD, MBA, R.Ph., Executive Director of Merck, where he is responsible for scouting and evaluating products in emerging science such as microbiome, regenerative medicine, hearing loss and gene therapy. He is also focused on out-licensed products and technologies to large and small biotech companies. He joined Merck after serving as a Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OncoViRx, a specialty company he started after licensing compounds for blood cancer from University of Pennsylvania. Prior to OncoViRx, Dr. Bhargava was part of the External Research & Development Innovation group at Pfizer where he played a key role in acquiring multiple technologies and companies in Rare and Orphan Diseases areas and establishing collaborations with biotech firms and academia. He also served as a Director of Strategic Marketing for Procrit™ at Johnson & Johnson. He has more than twenty years of experience in R&D, Supply Chain, Sales and marketing and Business development gained at Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Abbott.

 
 
 

Investing in Innovation

• John Ason has been an angel investor for over 20 years specializing in early stage pre-revenue companies. He has made about 80 eclectic investments in the areas of e-commerce, technology, advertising, neidical IT and entertainment.  John is a guest lecturer at Fairleigh Dickinson, Wharton, NYU, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers. John mentors the following women’s groups: Astia, Springboard, 37Angels and The Vinetta Project. John has spoken at conferences in Kiev, Minsk, Moscow, Dublin, Oviedo, Mexico City, Ho Chi Minh City, Yangon, Phnom Penh, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires and Seoul. John is a mentor at the following accelerators: DreamIt, TechStars, Starta, FoodFuture and Entrepreneurial Roundtable (ERA). John devotes a significant amount of his time to mentoring his companies. A typical company consists of one or two people in a kitchen or garage with minimal or no revenues. Any low capital industry with high growth potential qualifies with the exception of medical and biotech. John was at AT&T Bell Labs for over 25 years, first involved in software and technology development, then in marketing and business management of large telecommunications projects overseas.  John has a degree in Mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology. John’s hobbies include traveling, golf, GO (Asian game) and mentoring companies.

• Les Funtleyder is an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at Columbia. He is also Portfolio Manager of E Squared Asset Management, an accomplished family office targeting emerging growth companies with potentially disruptive technologies or services. Les =is an experienced healthcare investor and analyst with a track record of significant positive returns across Pharmaceuticals, Medical Technology, Managed Care, Hospitals and other facilities, and Healthcare Information Technology utilizing public equity, private equity and debt. He has served as a speaker and resource to media, policymakers and corporations on the intersection of investing, health policy and innovation. Les is the author of Healthcare Investing: Profiting from the New World of Pharma, Biotech, and Health-Care Services (McGraw Hill, 2009).

• Rose Ritts, MS, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of Jefferson Innovation, where she is creating a world-class engine for innovation at Jefferson, advancing our commitment to developing products and services for commercialization, and in partnership with like-minded organizations, driving unique programs that transform how we deliver patient care and education and bring to market novel treatment therapies. In addition to driving innovation efforts for Jefferson, Dr. Ritts manages the commercialization staff for the Office of Technology Transfer and Jefferson Accelerator Zone members who support the creation of transformative educational and programmatic initiatives within that group.

 
 
 

Activating the Body’s Natural Defense: Strategies & Therapies

Vaccines prevent disease by priming the immune system to recognize and attack invading germs. “In theory, a similar approach could be used to fight another threat: cancer. But as appealing as the concept sounds, therapeutic cancer vaccines have essentially defied developers, even as some other immunotherapy technologies have taken off. Thomas Jefferson University researcher Scott A. Waldman believes that an intestinal protein called GCC, or guanylyl cyclase C, will be a cancer vaccine breakthrough.” Source: Philly.com

• Scott Waldman, MD, PhD, is Program Director, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. His research focuses on GCC, demonstrating the importance of this receptor as a novel tumor suppressor central to the induction of colorectal cancer, and the translation of those observations to patient care. Indeed, he is the PI of NCI multi-institutional clinical trials examining the utility of GCC as a molecular marker for managing patients with, and as a target for the prevention of, colorectal cancer. Projects in his laboratory examine the translation of GCC biology into approaches to image colorectal tumors, prevent neoplastic transformation in intestine, and paradigms for vaccine development for patients with colorectal cancer. His research combines both basic and clinical investigation and serves as an exemplar of translational research. Dr. Waldman’s office is 901 College.

 
 
 

New Frontier Bio

“Have we the nerve and the will? Can we carry through in an age where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction, but also a race for mastery of the sky and the rain, the ocean and the tides, the far side of space, and the inside of men’s minds? That is the question of the New Frontier.” – President John F. Kennedy

The Kennedy Family has been involved with healthcare innovation since the 1940s. They endowed the Chair of Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, founded the National Center for Children and Families at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and created the Special Olympics, among other things. Ted Kennedy was responsible for overseeing funding for U.S. healthcare research for 40 years, and the family has an unparalleled network of contacts in academic medical centers nationwide. In addition, the family founded two of the largest and most influential nonprofits in neuroscience and healthcare policy innovation (The Kennedy Forum and One Mind for Research) and two very successful healthcare businesses: MEDCO, the nation’s first Plan Benefit Manager, and The Marwood Group, a premier healthcare regulatory and reimbursement risk consulting firm. New Frontier Bio, a holding company co-founded by Stephen Kennedy Smith and Corey McCann, leverages the long-term involvement of the Kennedy family in health care and academia to identify and commercialize transformative medical innovations that have the potential to achieve early stage validation, transform millions of lives, and become highly valuable businesses.

• Stephen Kennedy Smith is a principal at Park Agency – Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, the Kennedy family office, and an investor and entrepreneur. He has served as a director or advisor to several companies, including Gridline Communication Holdings, Pear Therapeutics, Owl Biomedical, and LocoMobi. His current investment and business focus is scaling innovative healthcare, and neuroscience companies. Stephen is a board member of the John F. Kennedy Library and The Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation. He also serves on the advisory board at INCAE Business School. He is cofounder and vice president of the World Leadership Alliance, an organization of business and political leaders that promotes, democracy, international understanding and trade. Stephen is currently a lecturer at the Sloan school of Management in the visionary investing program, as well as a fellow at the Connection Science Group at MIT. He holds an M.A. from Harvard University, a J.D. from Columbia University, and an M.A. Ed. from Harvard’s School for Education. He has served on the staff of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees and is a three-time recipient of the Danforth Award for Excellence in Teaching at Harvard University.

• Corey McCann, MD, PhD has background as a physician, scientist, entrepreneur, and healthcare investor. Previously, he was an investor with MPM Capital and with RiverVest Venture Partners, where he evaluated new investment opportunities, managed relationships with strategic partners, and oversaw board-level strategy and execution at portfolio companies. Prior to MPM, he was with McKinsey & Company, where he advised pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology companies on the acquisition, development, and commercialization of life science technologies. He also led McKinsey’s Central Nervous System (CNS) expertise group, serving clients across pharma and biotech. He is a founding member of multiple start-ups including Alcyone Lifesciences, a company developing technologies to deliver therapeutics to the brain. Dr. McCann’s post-graduate training was at Harvard University, Washington University in St Louis, and at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and he graduated summa cum laude from The Pennsylvania State University where he was an Evan Pugh Scholar.

 
 

Championing Women’s Health, Equality and Empowerment

A discussion on women’s health and economic and political empowerment, including access to decent work, and control over economic, and productive resources and active participation in governance and decision-making.

• Alaa Murabit is a medical doctor and one of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Global Advocates and United Nations High-Level Commissioner for Health Employment and Economic Growth, a TED speaker, the founder of VLW and a MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow. She was recently named a 2017 Forbes Under 30 for her work in global health policy and a Harvard University Law 2017 “Woman Inspiring Change”. Her TED Talk was named “TED Talk of the Day” and one of four “moving TED Talks to watch right now” by The New York Times. Nicknamed the “Libyan Doogie Howser” by Jon Stewart, Alaa was driven by her desire to create inclusive processes and institutions and founded VLW at the age of 21. With a strong focus on challenging societal and cultural norms and utilizing traditional and historical role models Alaa champions women’s participation in peace processes and conflict mediation. Her programs, such as the groundbreaking “Noor Campaign” have been replicated internationally. She currently serves as a trustee for The Malala Fund, International Alert, Keeping Children Safe and is an advisor to ConnectHer. Named The New York Times “International Trust Women Hero 2014”, Alaa is an Ashoka Fellow, Alaa is the youngest Marisa Bellisario International Humanitarian Award recipient, a Newsweek “25 under 25 to watch”, a BBC News “100 Top Woman”, the 2015 SAFE Global Hero and a Virgin Unite Changemaker.

 

 

Maternal Health in the Era of the Sustainable Development Goals

Maternal mortality is one of the most pronounced health inequities between high income and resource constrained countries. For example, a woman in sub-Saharan Africa is 45 times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than her counterpart in the developed world. Hear how the Sustainable Development Goals aim to reduce maternal mortality by more than 50% and new technologies and practices that will help to reach this target.

• Ari Eisenstat is the Co-Executive Director of the UN Global Sustainability Index Institute, an independent foundation mandated to measure and accelerate capital for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Through education, investment, and a comprehensive index, UNGSII empowers stakeholders from all sectors to achieve the global goals. (UNGSII.org) Ari is also the CEO and Founder of DREAM VENTURES GLOBAL, an idea-stage impact venture fund with the mission of funding the next generation of socially, environmentally, and technologically conscious entrepreneurs. Ari was selected to be an International Chamber of Commerce representative to the United Nations during the post-2015 negotiations, and is a member of the UN’s Interagency Working Group for Youth and Gender Equality. He is the cofounder of the “U.N.trepreneurship Initiative,” which connects entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs across sectors to innovate for the 2030 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Ari regularly delivers the DRÆMATHON Social Venture Creation Workshop to students to some of the world’s leading universities, including Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, MIT and NYU. In addition, he mentors startups with top incubator and accelerator programs.

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• Pete Lambert, Director, Program Management of the Inhaled Oxytocin Project at Monash University. Every year, over 300,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth with postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), a condition of excessive blood loss after childbirth, being the leading cause. Although PPH can be effectively prevented or treated with an injection of oxytocin, access to this drug is limited due to the requirements for refrigeration, storage and trained medical personnel for administration. Pete Lambert and a team at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, led by Associate Professor Michelle McIntosh, are working on a project to develop a novel aerosol delivery system for oxytocin that can be inhaled by patients from a simple, disposable device immediately after childbirth. With no requirement for cold chain storage, this approach will increase access to this life saving commodity in resource-poor settings, where a large number of women give birth outside medical facilities or in understaffed and ill-equipped clinics with limited or no refrigeration facilities. Mr. Lambert is a UK registered pharmacist with over 20 years’ experience in drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. After an early career in large multinational pharma companies, Pete joined Britannia Pharmaceuticals, initially as a project manager developing a novel dry powder platform technology for nasal delivery, progressing to the role of Director of Development with responsibility for a broad development portfolio. On leaving Britannia in 2009, he volunteered in South Africa leading medical assistance projects in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This transformative experience led Pete to direct his expertise towards global health. Pete worked as the Director of Development at Medicines Development for Global Health prior to joining the inhaled oxytocin project team in June 2012. Pete received his MPhil in HIV/AIDS Management from Stellenbosch University in 2014.

 
 

A Focus on Youth

Young people play important roles in our interconnected global society. Leaders who apply innovative approaches to reform systems, educate and create change to decrease suffering in the world discuss how they help children to become productive, independent citizens who will enrich their communities and their future.

• Robert Smith entered Wall Street with lessons passed down from four generations of family members who worked in the investment industry before him. Over the course of his career, he managed sales and trading teams at leading financial institutions, and built capital markets and international equities businesses. In 2014, Robert founded ICV to bring together his network of Family Offices and Fund Investors to evaluate opportunities that create a social impact beyond a financial return. He serves as Business Strategy Advisor to New Frontier Bio, a multi-asset holding company, which leverages the long-term involvement of the Kennedy family in healthcare, to identify, finance and develop novel medical technologies from inception through clinical proof of concept; he serves as a a member of the Presidential Advisory Board of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, the largest academic medical center in Philadelphia and ranked #16 by U.S. News and World Report; and, Robert serves Senior Advisor to the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, a platform to consolidate peace efforts and strengthen global security, monitor and support the Nobel Peace Laureates, and engage the minds of young people and citizens on real matters that broaden vision and open up new horizons for more peaceful and compassionate thinking. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chaeli Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on growing more inclusive and empowered communities, especially through the inclusion of children, youth and adults with disabilities. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Childhood Cancer Kids, a nonprofit that increases childhood cancer awareness and elevates the spirits of children with cancer. Robert serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Children’s Village, a nonprofit that works in partnership with families to help society’s most vulnerable children so that they become educationally proficient, economically productive, and socially responsible members of their communities. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Tuesday’s Children, a response and recovery nonprofit organization that supports youth, families, and communities impacted by terrorism and traumatic loss. Robert serves as Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors of The Harmon Foundation, a private foundation established in 1922 by his great, great grandfather for charitable and humanitarian purposes, with an emphasis on “inspirational and tangible help for young people.”

 
 
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• Louis Venturelli is the Youth Program Officer for the Americas of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. A champion of youth advocacy in international peace and humanitarian efforts, Mr. Venturelli has assisted in the recruitment of university students and young professionals for the annual World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates since he first attended the Hiroshima Summit in 2010. He helps to lead the coordination and facilitation of youth activities for the Leading by Example youth program, and assists in the coordination of the youth delegate alumni network following the conclusion of the summits. Mr. Venturelli has helped lead service trips of high school students to Nicaragua in partnership with the Rotary Club of New York. He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Quinnipiac University, and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Columbia University. Mr. Venturelli was recognized as a finalist for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his role in shaping education policy in January 2016.

 
 

A Journey of Inclusion

The Chaeli Campaign is a social justice foundation founded in August 2004 by 5 girls between the ages of 6 and 12 to raise R20 000 for Chaeli Mycroft’s motorised wheelchair. They accomplished their mission in just 7 weeks by selling cards with their artwork on them. What started as a campaign to mobilise their sister and friend has culminated in a fully-fledged social justice foundation that provides a holistic range of services to support differently-abled catalysts of change. The Chaeli Campaign advocates for policy change and system reform to grow more ability-focused and inclusive communities. This foundation is based in Cape Town, South Africa, but has a global footprint with founder, Chaeli Mycroft, recognised as a powerful human rights defender and ability activist. Each year the lives of 7000+ direct beneficiaries are positively impacted through the 7 programmes run by The Chaeli Campaign, with Inclusive Education, Adaptive Sport and Advocacy through Training and the Arts forming cornerstone projects.

The Chaeli Foundation (USA) will be launched in September 2017 with Philadelphia as its headquarters. This organization is a sister-foundation to The Chaeli Campaign (SA) and its start-up projects will be Adaptive Sports, Youth Leadership/Empowerment and Advocacy & Training. Its main focus is to grow social cohesion and inclusion of children, youth and adults with disabilities through its projects. It advocates for opportunities for people with disabilities to be fully included in family and community life – to the benefit of all members of these social units – and will work globally with The Chaeli Campaign towards realizing the Global Goals for Sustainability – especially Goal 10: Reducing Inequalities.

Disability and the rights of people with disabilities is too often assumed and silent – and therefore not fully addressed through all the Global Goals. The Chaeli Campaign and Chaeli Foundation highlight the right of people with disabilities to contribute meaningfully to all aspects of life to enrich our world.

• Chaeli Mycroft was born in Cape Town on 30 August 1994. She graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2015 with majors in Politics and Social Development and in December 2016 gained her Honours degree in Social Policy and Management. She is currently reading for an MPhil degree in Human Rights Law at UCT. Chaeli is an internationally recognised ability activist having been awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2011, the Medal for Social Activism from the Nobel Peace Laureates in 2012 and in 2013 she accepted the World of Children Youth Award in New York. On 3 September 2015 Chaeli became the first female quadriplegic to summit Mt Kilimanjaro. She also competes in wheelchair dancing on the international stage, is the first adaptive (assisted wheelchair) athlete in 95 years to finish the iconic 89km Comrades Marathon (2016) and get her back-to-back medal (2017). Chaeli has also completed 4 Cape Town Cycle tours. Through teamwork you can accomplish anything. Chaeli believes in living a full and rich life. She is an adventurer, a conqueror of limitations and constantly seeks new ways of overcoming perceived barriers and boundaries.

 
 

Innovations in Population Health

When it comes to population health, social determinants of health (e.g., poverty and education) are the key to wellness in our society.
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• David Nash, MD, is Founding Dean, The Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy of the Jefferson College of Population Health, the first College of its kind in the country! Established in 2008, the College is part of Thomas Jefferson University, a leading academic health center founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1824 as Jefferson Medical College (now the Sidney Kimmel Medical College). The College is dedicated to exploring the policies and forces that define the health and well-being of populations. The mission of the College is to prepare leaders with global vision to examine the social determinants of health and to evaluate, develop and implement health policies and systems that will improve the health of populations and thereby enhance the quality of life. The College achieves this by providing exemplary graduate academic programming in population health, public health, health policy, healthcare quality and safety, and health outcomes research. The College’s educational offerings are enhanced by research, publications and continuing education and professional development offerings in these areas. David B. Nash, MD, MBA was named the Founding Dean of the College in 2008. This appointment caps a 25 year tenure on the faculty of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Nash is a board certified internist who is internationally recognized for his work in public accountability for outcomes, physician leadership development, and quality-of-care improvement. Repeatedly named to Modern Healthcare’s list of Most Powerful Persons in Healthcare, his national activities cover a wide scope. Through publications, public appearances, his “Nash on the Road” blog, and an online column on MedPage Today, Dr. Nash routinely reaches more than 100,000 persons every month. He has authored more than 100 articles in major peer-reviewed journals. He has edited 23 books, including Connecting with the New Healthcare Consumer, The Quality Solution, Population Health: Creating a Culture of Wellness, and most recently, Demand Better. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief of four major national journals including American Journal of Medical Quality, Population Health Management, P&T, and American Health and Drug Benefits (AHDB).

 
   

Nutrition & Integrative Medicine: The Most Powerful Drug is Food

Proper nutrition is more important to the achievement and preservation of health than prescription medications and supplements. Food intake has been traditionally associated with calories, and less understood in its other biological interactions. We know now that food is actually information like software disks in computers. Insert the wrong disk or a virus and you know what happens. The truth is that food influences gene expression. Eating changes cells and bodily functions through foods’ communication with hormones and genes. Healthy cellular communication resulting from proper food choices leads to a healthy body with good genetic expression and overall well-being. Inappropriate food choices cause unhealthy communication leading to dysfunction and disease. Genomic testing provides helpful information to create an optimal diet customized to each person. Targeted dietary changes empower individuals to operate beyond the, “What can you do anyway, it’s nobody’s fault… It’s all in your genes” approach most people have been led to believe. At FWSI, we evaluate you as an individual and provide clear, science-based instructions on eating to improve your health, strengthen your biochemistry, protect yourself against diseases, and work toward reversing imbalances within your body.
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• Peter Beetham, PhD, is President and CEO of Cibus, named after the Latin word for food, designs, develops, engineers, and provides solutions to global agriculture customers through its innovative platform for accelerating gene expression through the manipulation of specific traits by targeting specific sections of the plant’s genetic code. Cibus’ game changing technology allows scientists to genetically enhance or introduce traits that allow crops and in many cases animals, gain either resistance to or propensity for physiologic alterations such as increasing survivability, yield or other positive attributes. Peter co-founded Cibus with Keith Walker and took a lead role in developing the core technologies associated with the Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS™). He played an integral part in setting up Cibus’ first San Diego facility in 2000, and is currently based in the new expanded California location. During his career at Cibus, Peter led the research and product development teams before taking on the role of CEO role in July 2014. Peter has over 30 years of experience in agriculture, with a passion for moving technology to commercial application. During his eight-year tenure at the Victorian Department of Agriculture (Australia), he led a team that provided pathogen-testing of root crops for many countries in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, helping to increase crop yields and improve farmer economics. He received his PhD in Plant Molecular Virology from QUT in Brisbane, Australia and is a BSc (Hons) graduate of Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Prior to joining Cibus, Peter was research director of the Plant and Industrial Products Division at ValiGen, formerly Kimeragen, Inc. Part of Peter’s extensive research experience was at the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, where he was a postdoctoral scientist and one of the pioneers of the early work that led to the Cibus RTDS technology.

• Michael Meng is a Principal in the Healthcare Group of Apax Partners, a private equity investment group that manages approximately $46 billion in assets. Michael joined Apax Partners in 2008 and is currently based in New York. He is involved in a number of key deals including most recently Vyaire Medical, Ideal Protein, GENEX, and One Call Care Management. In addition, his past Apax deal experience includes TriZetto, Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, and rue21. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Michael was a member of Lazard’s Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions Group in New York, where he worked on pharma, biotech, and healthcare services M&A and financing transactions. He has also worked in investment banking in Hong Kong office of UBS. Michael holds an MBA in Healthcare Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BBA in Finance and Accounting from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

• Victoria Moran has been a Main Street Vegan® for 32 years and she currently holds the title of Peta’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50, alongside the 2016/17 male winner, Joel Kahn, MD. Victoria is an obesity survivor, maintaining a 60+-pound weight loss, and She is the bestselling author of twelve books, including Creating a Charmed Life (in 30 languages around the world) and the gentle weight loss classic, The Love-Powered Diet, and the iconic Main Street Vegan®. Her latest book is The Good Karma Diet: Eat Gently, Feel Amazing, Age in Slow Motion. Her college thesis became Compassion the Ultimate Ethic: An Exploration of Veganism, originally published in 1985 and the first work on vegan philosophy and practice to come from a major publisher. Victoria is also an inspirational speaker, corporate spokesperson, certified holistic health counselor (HHC, AADP), graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Foundation/eCornell program in plant-based nutrition, host of the Main Street Vegan radio show/podcast, awarded Outstanding Vegan Media Outlet 2015, and founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, training and certifying vegan lifestyle coaches. Cited by VegNews among the Top 10 Contemporary Vegetarian Authors, Victoria appeared twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show and she’s one of the celebrity coaches for PCRM’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. Her articles have appeared in Yoga Journal, Mothering, Natural Health, Woman’s Day, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, VegNews, and Vegetarian Times. Her work has been noted in USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, Self, Elle, Glamour, Allure, and O, the Oprah Magazine. She was named Vegan of the Year 2012, sharing that honor with male counterpart Michael Greger, MD, and she speaks extensively for vegetarian/vegan festivals, health events, women’s conferences, associations, corporations, and religious groups.

 

 

The Power of Mindfulness & Meditation: Reshape Your Brain

Mindfulness is about paying attention. It’s about living your life in the richness of right now, not being lost in memories of the past or overwhelmed by the worries or projections of the future. It’s a simple practice that strengthens the mind’s ability to stay focused on what is happening right now and to be open to experience – meeting the present moment with kindness and nonreactivity.

• Andrew Newberg, MD, is the director of research at the Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear medicine. Dr. Newberg has been asking questions about reality, truth, and God since he was very young, and he has long been fascinated by the human mind and its complex workings. While a medical student, he met Dr. Eugene d’Aquili, who was studying religious experiences. Combining their interests with Dr. Newberg’s background in neuroscience and brain imaging, they were able to break new theoretical and empirical ground on the relationship between the brain and religion. Dr. Newberg’s research now largely focuses on how brain function is associated with various mental states-in particular, religious and mystical experiences. His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people’s spiritual experiences and attitudes. He has also evaluated the relationship between religious or spiritual phenomena and health, and the effect of meditation on memory. He believes that it is important to keep science rigorous and religion religious. Dr. Newberg has also used neuroimaging research projects to study aging and dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, depression, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Research, Lectures, Books, Articles, News & media pieces on Dr. Newberg’s website. Dr. Newberg was featured in “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” for National Geographic.

• Diane Reibel, Ph.D, cofounded the Stress Reduction Program at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health in 1996. She has taught mindfulness-based stress reduction programs for more than 16 years. Dr. Reibel has participated in professional training under the direction of Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and is certified as an MBSR teacher through UMass Center for Mindfulness. In addition, she is a research associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson, and studies the effects of mindfulness on physical and psychological health. Her research is published and widely cited in both scientific journals and the popular press. She is coauthor with Don McCown of  Teaching Mindfulness: A Practical Guide for Clinicians and Educators. Dr. Reibel brings both a scientific foundation and wholeheartedness to her work.

 
 

Realism in Meeting the World’s Greatest Health Challenges

Challenges that threaten humanity’s health require innovative responses and insights. The power of collaboration can ensure a prosperous future. Experts discuss the nature of the challenges we face today, and how to respond to and contain these threats.

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• Jonathan Granoff, President of Global Security Institute, is a former professor of international law, and serves as a Senior Advisor and Special Representative to the United Nations for the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. He is the Chair of the Task Force on Nuclear Nonproliferation of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association, and Ambassador for Peace and Security of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. He focuses his advocacy efforts on the legal, moral, political and spiritual dimensions of peace with a particular emphasis on the rule of law and the elimination of nuclear weapons. He serves on numerous advisory and governing boards such as the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security at the UN, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, Middle Powers Initiative, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, and the Jane Goodall Institute. He is a Fellow in the World Academy of Arts and Science and recipient of numerous awards such as the Arthur E. Armitage, Sr. Distinguished Alumni Award of Rutgers University School of Law. Mr. Granoff is the award-winning screenwriter of The Constitution: The Document that Created a Nation, and has articles in more than 50 publications and books including: The Sovereignty Revolution, Toward a Nuclear Weapons Free World, Imagining Tomorrow, Analyzing Moral Issues, Perspectives on 911, Toward a World In Balance, Reverence for Life Revisited, and Hold Hope, Wage Peace. He has been a featured guest and expert commentator on hundreds of radio and television programs, and testified as an expert in the US Congress, Parliaments of the UK and Canada, and at the UN numerous times. He has represented the Nobel Laureate organization the International Peace Bureau at Nobel Laureate Summits and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

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• Ira Helfand, MD, is Co-President of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, and he is co-founder and past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, IPPNW’s US affiliate. He has published studies on the medical consequences of nuclear war in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the British Medical Journal, and has lectured widely in the United States, and in India, China, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Israel, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil, and throughout Europe on the health effects of nuclear weapons. He represented PSR and IPPNW at the Nobel ceremonies in Oslo in December 2009, honoring President Obama, and presented their new report, Nuclear Famine: One Billion People at Risk, at the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit in Chicago in April of 2012. A second edition was released in December of 2013. Dr. Helfand was educated at Harvard College and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a former chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine and president of the Medical Staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and currently practices as an internist and urgent care physician at Family Care Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 
 

Remarks on Behalf of the City of Philadelphia

• Sheila Hess was appointed to the position of City Representative for the City of Philadelphia by Mayor Jim Kenney. Her office is the ceremonial and special events department which serves as Philadelphia’s events production, public relations and hospitality-tourism arm. Her foray into civic service in her beloved city is a dream come true. She relishes the opportunity to “tell the City’s story,” connecting the perfect union of projects and people. With pride, passion and purpose, Sheila, 48, currently serves on a variety of non-profit boards: Back on My Feet Phila; Police Athletic League (PAL), LEADERSHIP Philadelphia; Visit Philly, Historic Phila, Inc., Greater Phila Film Office, PHLCVB, Marian Anderson Award; and Fred’s Footsteps. She is a former board member and now a devoted ambassador for Variety — The Children’s Charity – which provides assistance to children and youth with physical and developmental disabilities. She is a difference maker, and has earned a reputation as a stellar coalition builder and compassionate, energetic advocate for the disabled, disadvantaged and underserved. Sheila joined the city after an accomplished 24-year career at Independence Blue Cross (IBC), where she proudly served as Director IBC Foundation & Community Affairs. Sheila is the recipient of the 2016 Philadelphia Pinnacle Award from her alma mater, St. Maria Goretti H.S. in South Philly. She was recognized as one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2007 and earned the distinction as one of the city’s “Top 101 Emerging Connectors” by LEADERSHIP Philadelphia. She is a Temple University graduate and recipient of the Diamond Excellence Award presented by Temple University Young Alumni in 2010. In 2016, she garnered national attention from ESPN Radio, WDAS Radio’s Women To Watch program and was identified as one of five Philadelphia women moving the needle in the City of Brotherly Love by Philadelphia Style magazine. Sheila was born with Spina Bifida and is a lifelong resident of South Philadelphia, where she currently resides with her husband Michael.

 

 

Philanthropy

The Chaeli Campaign is a social justice foundation founded in August 2004 by 5 girls between the ages of 6 and 12 to raise R20 000 for Chaeli Mycroft’s motorised wheelchair. They accomplished their mission in just 7 weeks by selling cards with their artwork on them. What started as a campaign to mobilise their sister and friend has culminated in a fully-fledged social justice foundation that provides a holistic range of services to support differently-abled catalysts of change. The Chaeli Campaign advocates for policy change and system reform to grow more ability-focused and inclusive communities. This foundation is based in Cape Town, South Africa, but has a global footprint with founder, Chaeli Mycroft, recognised as a powerful human rights defender and ability activist. Each year the lives of 7000+ direct beneficiaries are positively impacted through the 7 programmes run by The Chaeli Campaign, with Inclusive Education, Adaptive Sport and Advocacy through Training and the Arts forming cornerstone projects.

The Chaeli Foundation (USA) will be launched in September 2017 with Philadelphia as its headquarters. This organization is a sister-foundation to The Chaeli Campaign (SA) and its start-up projects will be Adaptive Sports, Youth Leadership/Empowerment and Advocacy & Training. Its main focus is to grow social cohesion and inclusion of children, youth and adults with disabilities through its projects. It advocates for opportunities for people with disabilities to be fully included in family and community life – to the benefit of all members of these social units – and will work globally with The Chaeli Campaign towards realizing the Global Goals for Sustainability – especially Goal 10: Reducing Inequalities.

Disability and the rights of people with disabilities is too often assumed and silent – and therefore not fully addressed through all the Global Goals. The Chaeli Campaign and Chaeli Foundation highlight the right of people with disabilities to contribute meaningfully to all aspects of life to enrich our world.

Donate

 
 

Complex Head & Neck Care & Education (CHANCE). Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the only countries in the world left without access to radiation and oncologic care. You can help Jefferson change that. Give today to fund the Complex Head and Neck Care and Education (CHANCE) mission and bring cancer care to Haiti.

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Jefferson has one of the top ranked Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) programs in the United States. However, we don’t think that top-ranked care should be limited to those who can travel to Philadelphia. For the past four years, the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery team-accompanied by residents, medical students, nurses and anesthetists-has been traveling to Haiti to perform complex head and neck care and education (CHANCE) on a nation with few medical resources.

Seven trips later the team has come to realize that performing surgery alone is not enough. The country is entirely without cancer care. Many of the patients being seen have treatable diseases that we know are curable with the combined effort of surgery, radiation and chemotherapeutics. Project CHANCE is committed to expanding upon its surgical foundation to bring comprehensive cancer care to Haiti. We hope that you are as inspired by the people of Haiti as we are and ask that you consider partnering with us to bring them the care that they deserve.

Donate

 
 

Childhood Cancer Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, seeks to increase childhood cancer awareness and to provide resources to and elevate the spirits of children with cancer.

• Sierra Preveza, Founder of Childhood Cancer Kids, is a survivor of kidney cancer who was diagnosed at the age of 6. A Wilms’ tumor stage 2, the size of a grapefruit, grew rapidly inside of Sierra. She was very fortunate; she underwent surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital and the tumor was removed. A year after her experience and strong recovery, Sierra decided she wanted to give to other kids with cancer and founded Childhood Cancer Kids. She has three missions: to fundraise for places that support childhood cancer, to provide yoga relaxation techniques for kids going through and recovering from cancer, and to raise the level of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. The Today Show named Sierra the Kindest Kid in America and she is the Sprout Network’s Chief Kindness Officer.

 

Donate

 
 

Healthy Role Models for Kids
Become a Sponsor of The Great Red Clay Wellness Challenge, and show your support of wellness and education-related initiatives for Red Clay schools!

The Red Clay Consolidated School District recognizes that student wellness and proper nutrition are related to students’ physical well-being, growth, development and readiness to learn. In a healthy school environment, students learn about and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices that can improve student achievement. It is the policy of the District to encourage healthy lifestyle habits for all members of the school community: children, parents, and staff.

Every day 18,000 students pass through the doors of the Red Clay Consolidated School District. By supporting The Great Red Clay Wellness Challenge, you will inspire thousands of kids to shape up, have fun and make wellness a top priority.

Over the course of 10 weeks, Red Clay schools and offices will compete as teams to get in shape. The team that loses the greatest percentage of weight wins a $500 grand prize to support wellness or education-related initiatives in their building.

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

For sponsorship details of The Great Red Clay Wellness Challenge, please contact Taylor Green, Office of the Deputy Superintendent.

 

 
 Jefferson is a powerful institution with a singular goal: to improve human health. What happens each day in Jefferson’s classrooms, clinics and laboratories inspires the support of generous donors looking for the highest possible return on their philanthropic investments. The purpose of the Jefferson Office of Institutional Advancement is to seek, acquire and manage charitable contributions from individuals, organizations, corporations and foundations to advance Jefferson’s mission of clinical care, education and discovery by:

• Improving the health of our patients, families and community
• Providing unrestricted funds to meet the most urgent needs
• Supporting research programs
• Strengthening our faculty to maintain academic excellence
• Growing the capabilities and impact of academic departments
• Providing scholarship assistance for students
• Initiating new programs that reinvent health sciences education
• Enlarging the pool of endowed funds to secure Jefferson’s future

 
In the fight against cancer, science matters. From molecular breakthroughs to innovative therapies, our research uncovers the cures of tomorrow, and saves lives today. It takes place inside pristine, high-tech rooms, using futuristic instruments and complex mathematical calculations. But at its core, cancer research is all about people. The researchers at the lab bench, the physicians and nurses by the bedside, the patients fighting for their lives, and the donors who are powering new discoveries. You have the power to tip the scales in the fight against cancer. You are the difference. Explore our work, get to know your team. Then join our quest, until every cancer is cured.
 

Donate 

 

The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates

The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates derives from a new and more broadly based collaboration between the International Gorbachev Foundation and the City of Rome for realizing the World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates. The Permanent Secretariat, based in Rome, is a non-profit association without political aims.

As well as organizing the tasks of the Summit, the Secretariat monitors the activities of Nobel Peace Laureates, while promoting the adoption of the “Charter for a world without violence” and supporting the work of the Nobel, who participate in the annual Summits at Rome, as mediators in various conflicts around the world (Article 3 of the Statute).

Our Summit is the most inspirational and largest annual event in the field of peacemaking. It aggregates panel discussions among Nobel Peace Laureates and representatives of the leading international organizations, media, business and government in open forums. It gives the opportunity for group and individual meetings with high-profile leaders from around the globe. It has dedicated Student’s workshops organized in collaboration with international organizations and Nobel Peace Laureates. We share our networking of international and national students groups and young social activists, international delegations, elected officials and businessmen from around the world, promoting a unique discussion environment.

Visit

 
 
 
Shot@Life, campaign of the United Nations Foundation, aims to ensure that children around the world have access to life-saving vaccines. Through education, advocacy, and fundraising we strive to decrease vaccine-preventable childhood deaths and give every child a shot at a healthy life no matter where they live.
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• Martha Rebour joined the United Nations Foundation in 2014. She serves as Senior Director of Shot@Life, a global campaign to increase access to immunizations for children in need through UN partners. She oversees its marketing, communications, corporate partnerships, and brand strategy. Martha has more than 15 years of experience in strategic branding,social media marketing, creative development and consumer research for corporate and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining the UN Foundation she worked for 10 years at Discovery Communications and oversaw marketing campaigns such as the 20th Anniversary of Shark Week, the BBC series LIFE and Mythbusters, and subsequently ran her own marketing firm where she directed strategic planning and marketing for clients such as the InterAmerican Development Bank, Ogilvy Public Relations, National Geographic, and PBS. She holds a B.A. from Colby College and an MA in French language from New York University.

 

Donate 

 

Venue

 
Thomas Jefferson University – Dorrance H. Hamilton Building
Address: 1001 Locust Street, Philadelphia 19107
Phone: (215) 955-8874

 
 

Independence Hall
The Liberty View

Address: Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: (215) 965-2300

 

In his speech at Independence Hall on July 4, 1962, President John F. Kennedy praises the American democratic system which encourages differences and allows for dissent, discusses the enduring relevance of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and addresses the role of the United States in relation to the emerging European Community.
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On the opening evening of ICV Philadelphia on April 24 at Independence Hall, Stephen Kennedy Smith will give a fresh take on the relevance of his uncle’s words today, JFK’s life and presidency, and his compelling vision for America.

In commemoration of the centennial of President John F. Kennedy’s birth, his nephew, Stephen Kennedy Smith, edited “JFK: A Vision for America” (release on May 2, 2017), the definitive compendium of JFK’s most important and brilliant speeches, accompanied by commentary and reflections by leading American and international figures – including Senator Elizabeth Warren, David McCullough, Kofi Annan, and the Dalai Lama – and edited by JFK’s nephew Stephen Kennedy Smith and renowned historian Douglas Brinkley. Combined with over seven hundred documentary photos, it tells the story, in words and pictures, of JFK’s life and presidency, and depicts his compelling vision for America. The august list of contributors includes Secretary John Kerry, Ambassador Samantha Power, Congressman John Lewis, Senator John McCain, Senator Elizabeth Warren, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Robert Redford, Conan O’Brien, Dave Eggers, Gloria Steinem, Don DeLillo, David McCullough, George Packer, Colum McCann, Michael Beschloss, Robert Dallek, David Kennedy, Ted Widmer, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Drew Faust, Tariq Ramadan, Pastor Rick Warren, Jonathan Alter, E. J. Dionne, Ron Suskind, Paul Krugman, Kofi Annan, Governor Jerry Brown, Paul Theroux, Jorge Domínguez, and many others.

• Stephen Kennedy Smith is a principal at Park Agency – Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, the Kennedy family office, and an investor and entrepreneur. He has served as a director or advisor to several companies, including Gridline Communication Holdings, Pear Therapeutics, Owl Biomedical, and LocoMobi. His current investment and business focus is scaling innovative healthcare, and neuroscience companies. Stephen is a board member of the John F. Kennedy Library and The Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation. He also serves on the advisory board at INCAE Business School. He is cofounder and vice president of the World Leadership Alliance, an organization of business and political leaders that promotes, democracy, international understanding and trade. Stephen is currently a lecturer at the Sloan school of Management in the visionary investing program, as well as a fellow at the Connection Science Group at MIT. He holds an M.A. from Harvard University, a J.D. from Columbia University, and an M.A. Ed. from Harvard’s School for Education. He has served on the staff of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees and is a three-time recipient of the Danforth Award for Excellence in Teaching at Harvard University.

 

Agenda

• April 22 - Weekend Activities
• April 23 - Weekend Activities
• April 24 - Welcome Reception
• April 24 - One-on-Ones
• April 25 - Healthcare Innovation Forum

START	END
8:00 AM	9:00	Breakfast
9:00	12:00 PM	Tour of Longwood Gardens
12:00	1:00	Lunch
2:00	5:00	Historic Walking Tour
6:30	9:30	Dinner

START	END
8:00 AM	9:00	Breakfast
9:00	12:00 PM	Spa or The Franklin Institute
12:00	2:00	Lunch
2:00	5:00	The Barnes Foundation - Private Museum Tour

6:00 PM		The Liberty View at Independence Visitor Center - 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
START	END
6:30	6:35	ICV Philadelphia Welcome Remarks: Robert Smith, Founder of Investment Community Visibility
6:35	6:40	Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health
6:40	6:50	Former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell
6:50	7:10	Stephen Kennedy Smith - "JFK: A Vision for America"
7:10	7:15	Pete Lambert of Monash University: Maternal Health in the Era of the SDGs
7:15	7:30	Dr. Alaa Murabit -  Championing Women’s Health, Equality and Empowerment
7:30	9:00	Networking Dinner Reception

10:00 AM		Thomas Jefferson University - Dorrance H. Hamilton Building - 1001 Locust Street, Philadelphia 19107
COMPANY	PRESENTER	ABOUT
Aridis Pharmaceuticals	Vu Truong, PhD, CEO	A privately held biotechnology company focused on developing new breakthrough therapies for infectious diseases and addressing the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Cibus	Peter Beetham, President and CEO	Inspired by nature, Cibus is a leader in developing a sustainable, global, non-transgenic food supply.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals	Joseph Kim, PhD, President and CEO	Inovio (NASDAQ: INO) develops DNA based immunotherapies targeting cancers and infectious diseases.
Monash University	Pete Lambert, Director, Program Management	A team at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, led by Dr. Michelle McIntosh, is working on a project to develop a novel aerosol delivery system for oxytocin that can be inhaled by patients from a simple, disposable device immediately after childbirth.
Spectrum Dynamics	Michael Joos, CEO	A global leader in Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), an imaging method with faster scanning and higher-resolution than Computed Tomography (CT) imaging.
New Frontier Bio	Stephen Kennedy Smith, Co-Founder	New Frontier Bio is a holding company that leverages the long-term involvement of the Kennedy family in health care.

08:00 AM		Thomas Jefferson University - Dorrance H. Hamilton Building - 1001 Locust Street, Philadelphia 19107
START	END	General Session
8:25	8:30	Welcome Remarks
8:30	8:35	An Unparalleled Commitment to the Treatment of Cancer
8:35	9:05	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Healthcare Galaxy
9:05	9:25	Where is Healthcare in 2030?
9:25	9:45	Can We Cure Cancer In Our Lifetime?
9:45	10:25	The Next Giant Leap: Making the Cancer Moonshot a Reality
10:25	10:55	Advancing Innovative Therapeutic Approaches - Oncology
10:55	11:05	Break
11:05	11:35	Advancing Innovative Therapeutic Approaches - Immunology
11:35	11:55	Activating the Body's Natural Defense: Strategies & Therapies
11:55	12:10	HPV: The Health Crisis We’re Not Talking About
12:10	12:15 PM	Complex Head & Neck Care & Education (CHANCE)
12:15	1:00	Networking Luncheon
1:00	1:05	Remarks on Behalf of the City of Philadelphia
1:05	1:15	Bridging the Gap between Academia, Corporations and Capital
1:15	1:50	New Frontier Bio
1:50	2:20	Realism in Meeting the World's Greatest Health Challenges
2:20	2:45	Investing in Innovation
2:45	3:00	Shot@Life
3:00	3:30	Game Changers in Medicine with Stem Cell Science Advancement as the Example
3:30	3:50	Nutrition and Integrative Medicine
3:50	4:00	Break
4:00	4:35	Is Medicinal Cannabis the Wonder Plant of the Century?
4:35	4:50	Innovations in Population Health
4:50	5:10	Maternal Health in the Era of the Sustainable Development Goals
5:10	5:30	The Power of Mindfulness & Meditation: Reshape Your Brain
5:30	5:45	A Focus on Youth
5:45	6:00	A Journey of Inclusion
6:00	7:00	XPRIZE Foundation Networking Reception

 

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