Wei R. Chen is currently Stephenson Chair and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Chen was trained as a theoretical high-energy particle physicist. He received his BS degree in physics from Shandong University, China, and PhD degree in physics from the University of Oregon. He switched his research focus from particle physics to cancer in the early 1990s. Dr. Chen took a unique bioengineering approach to develop novel cancer therapies. He led his research team in the development of laser immunotherapy (LIT), a novel method that combines local laser ablation and local administration of immunostimulants. The laser ablation selectively destroys tumor cells, releasing tumor antigens, and the immunostimulants activate immune cells, specifically targeting the tumor cells. In pre-clinical studies and preliminary clinical trials, LIT has eliminated treated tumors and eradicated untreated distant metastases, significantly prolonging patients’ survival time. For the development of LIT, Dr. Chen co-invented N-dihydrogalactochitosan, or glycated chitosan, (GC), a potent immunostimulant for inducing antitumor immunity, and the unique combination of local laser irradiation and immunostimulation. As a co-inventor, he was awarded five US patents and multiple international patents on LIT. Dr. Chen also developed a multifunctional bionanoprobe for targeted drug delivery, tumor imaging, and treatment of metastatic cancers by constructing a stable solution of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) using the novel immunostimulant GC as an effective surfactant. He was awarded two US patents on the immunologically modified carbon nanotubes.

Dr. Cino is a board-certified anatomic pathologist currently serving as an assistant professor and head of pathology services at the Oklahoma Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory at Oklahoma State University. She earned her DVM degree from the National University of Asunción, Paraguay (2009), her anatomic pathology board certification (2014) and PhD degree (2016) from Kansas State University. Cino's diagnostic and research interests are focused on immunopathogenesis of food animal infectious diseases, with emphasis in porcine species and Emerging and Foreign Animal Diseases. She also has special interest in ophthalmopathology in all animal species. She is a member of ACVP, AAVLD, USAHA, and AASV.

Dr. Danson is the president of comparative medicine at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, where he is a member of the academic board. He is also a member of the British Veterinary Association's UK One Health Coordination Group. After a short time in general practice, Danson worked briefly in the poultry industry before moving to pharmaceutical and diagnostics, where he worked in clinical trials and pharmacovigilance. His career in industry included ex-patriate appointments in the USA, Switzerland and Netherlands. Danson also spent 12 years as a member of council at the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London, which included three years as the vice chair and chair of ethics. He spent 19 years on the board of Moredun Scientific Ltd, the contract research wing of the Moredun Foundation, where he is an Honorary Fellow.

David S. Ebert is the associate vice president for research and partnerships and director, Data Institute for Societal Challenges (DISC). He is currently a Gallogly Chair Professor of electrical and computer engineering. Ebert is the recipient of the 2017 IEEE Computer Society vgTC Technical Achievement Award, member of the IEEE vgTC Visualization Academy, an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, and the director of the Visual Analytics for Command Control and Interoperability Center, the Visualization Science team of the Department of Homeland Security’s Visual Analytics and Data Analytics Emeritus Center of Excellence. He received his Ph.D. in computer and information science from The Ohio State University. USA and performs research in visual analytics, novel visualization techniques, interactive machine learning and explainable AI, human–computer teaming, advanced predictive analytics, and procedural abstraction of complex, massive data.

Dr. I-Hsiu (George) Huang is an assistant professor of microbiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Sciences. He received his bachelor's degree in biology and a Ph.D. degree in microbiology from Oregon State University. After three years of postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Huang worked at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, first as an assistant professor and later as an associate professor until 2020 when he joined OSU-CHS. Huang has nearly 20 years of experience in the field of anaerobic microbiology and bacterial pathogenesis. His current research is focused on the development of novel therapeutic and preventive strategies against C. difficile. A major focus of research is on the development of a nanoparticle mucosal vaccine to prevent C. difficile infection.

Dr. Karnani is a molecular epidemiologist and clinical data scientist with 20 years of experience working with academia, industry, and national platforms. She started her research career at the University of Virginia, USA, where she contributed to the first functional annotation draft of the human genome (ENCODE consortium). She moved to Singapore in 2013 to join A* STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS). As the Systems Biology lead at SICS, she developed the multi-omics roadmap for Singapore's National Birth (GUSTO) and Pre-conception (S-PRESTO) cohorts and identified biomarkers of metabolic and mental health adversities in expecting mothers and their offspring. These findings have been patented and licensed by eminent nutrition industries (Eg. Nestle and DSM) and are being translated into future interventions. She has also contributed to the research landscape and scientific vision of these cohorts by serving on their executive committees. Beyond the developmental and pregnancy cohorts, she is involved in Singapore National Precision Medicine (NPM) program's SG10K-Health study and serves on its science and data access committees. She is also Co-chairing the 'Aging in Asians' study under the SG10K-Health initiative. To advance her interest in population health studies and to connect it with real-world data, she joined A*STAR's Bioinformatics Institute (BII) in April 2021 as the Head of Clinical Data Engagement. Under this new initiative, she is working closely with the Ministry of Health and public hospitals in Singapore to develop federated biodata hubs for chronic disease surveillance and epidemic preparedness. Her team is also developing nextgen mobile applications that can provide patient health journey and actionable intervention roadmaps for clinicians. She has authored 96 publications covering various health domains of global concern and across life-course. Her contributions to the biomedical field and its impact on the public sector were highlighted in the GovInsider's special international report on 'Women in GovTech 2021'.

Dr. Rashmi Kaul’s research involves understanding the hormonal regulation of inflammation and immunity during development of infectious disease pathogenesis and how these responses are influenced by gender-specific host factors such as aging pregnancy or menopause. Her research studies are mainly focused on hormonal influence in urinary tract infection pathogenesis and Hepatitis C virus- related liver disease and cancer development. She has published significant studies showing gender-based differential liver inflammation mediated by mercury and Hepatitis C virus- related cirrhosis and development of cancer. In addition, she with her group were first to show the presence of bacteria in normal human livers that can lead to significant clinical implications for adverse outcomes liver cirrhosis or cancer development. In addition to studying the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, the research in the lab also involves development of novel targeted therapeutics for UTIs. Kaul has received continued grant support from local and national organizations, Cancer Sucks Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, American Cancer Society, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) Health Research Award and National Institute of Health award. She was awarded several U.S. patents for developing diagnostic tools for early diagnosis of preterm birth and cancers. Some of her papers are highly cited (more than 100 times), and she serves as editorial board member for many scientific journals.

Dr. Gerwald Koehler currently is chair and professor of microbiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology from the Technical University of Munich. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Würzburg, Germany, where he continued his research on the fungal pathogen Candida albicans as staff researcher. The advent of genomics and microarray-based transcriptomics in C. albicans brought him back to UCSF as assistant researcher. After joining the OSU-CHS faculty, he expanded his interest in beneficial bacterial interactions with C. albicans into microbiome and bacterial genomics research. He has collaborated with neuroscientists, toxicologists, nutritional and social scientists as well as animal scientists on projects involving microbiota profiling and the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Moreover, he has a continued research interest in established and emerging fungal pathogens in humans and animals.

Dr. Donald J. Kyle currently serves as CEO at NCWR. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Biomedical Science at Oklahoma State University. With more than 100 patents and nearly 200 publications, Kyle brings tremendous biomedical insight to the field of addiction medicine.

Dr. Daniel Lin is the John and Sue Taylor Professor (with tenure) of nutrition metabolism and gut microbiome in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in China. After the two-year STA Fellowship in Sapporo, Japan, Lin joined Kansas State University as a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry and then as research faculty in molecular and biochemical nutrition. He started his tenure-track sssistant professor position in 2013, associate professor with tenure in 2019, and professor in 2022. His current research is focused on vitamin A and carotenoids in mitochondrial function, energy metabolism, cellular oxidative stress and signaling, immune responses and inflammation, and the interplay of the host and gut microbiome in the development of intestinal colitis, obesity, and diabetes. He is also interested in exploring the role of the gut-lung axis in influenza virus infection.

Dr. Erika Lutter is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Oklahoma State University. She obtained her master's and Ph.D. from the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, then came to the United States to complete her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. She established her laboratory at Oklahoma State University in 2013 where she focuses on host-pathogen interactions in separate foci: Chlamydia-host interactions investigating how Chlamydia manipulates host signaling and immune responses and Pseudomonas aeruginosa-host interactions focused on mechanisms of invasion and intracellular survival. She is the recipient of multiple NIH research awards and an OCAST Health award in addition to being the the PI of the Beckman Scholars Award to OSU and the Co-PI of the OSU NIH NIGMS G-RISE T32 program.

Dr. Joseph W. McFadden is an associate professor of dairy cattle biology, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance Faculty Fellow, and Cornell Atkinson Sustainability Fellow in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University. McFadden received a B.S. degree in animal science from Cornell University, an M.S. degree from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. degree from Virginia Tech. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medicine and later served as a biochemistry professor at West Virginia University. At Cornell, McFadden is leading the development of the Cornell LIFE: Livestock Innovations for Food Security and Environmental Health initiative to establish the infrastructure and international engagement required to identify next-generation dietary solutions that enhance milk production efficiency and reduce methane emissions from dairy production.

Dr. Morgan is an intensive care doctor, researcher and author. As a regular columnist for the internationally acclaimed British Medical Journal, his article “A letter from the ICU” is one of their most popular opinion articles, read by more than 130,000 people. Since narrating the highly rated audiobook of his book CRITICAL, he has spoken on a number of popular podcasts and radio programs including The Today Program on BBC Radio 4 and international talk shows. He has appeared on a number of television programs including Sky News, CNN, ITV, The BBC, The Jeremy Vine Show and international channels. Morgan was nominated for the Royal Society David Attenborough Prize for public engagement in science. His second book, "One Medicine," looks at how understanding the lives of animals can help treat human disease.

Dr. Yannick Guilloux is a professor at University of Nantes teaching immunology and cell biology. He belongs to an INSERM/CNRS research team at the CRCI2NA in Nantes. His research work focus on therapeutic combination: alpha radioimmunotherapy and adoptif T cell transfert in multiple myeloma preclinical model. Guilloux has published 51 international peer0reviewed articles.

Dr. Emmanuel Opara is a professor of regenerative medicine and biomedical engineering at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has previously held academic positions at the Duke University School of Medicine, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He is globally recognized as a leading expert in the use of alginate beads for cell therapy and drug delivery. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). Opara is presently on the editorial board of many journals including the Pancreas, Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine, and Current Pharmaceutical Design. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers and has edited four books. He has 15 issued US Patents and has three pending. Current research in his lab includes bioengineering of bioartificial organs and the development of pH-sensitive polymers for oral delivery of therapeutic peptides.

Dr. Xavier Prieur is a professor of animal physiology at the University. After receiving his Ph.D. at l’université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, he did a postdoctoral training at Cambridge University Institute for Metabolic Sciences. He teaches metabolic physiology and leads a research group on adipocyte dysfunction. The aim of our research group is to discover new key players involved in adipocyte good health.

Dr. Rajagopal Ramesh is a professor and associate director for cancer training, education and career enhancement; Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor; Jim and Christy Everest Endowed Chair in Cancer Developmental Therapeutics; co-director of nanomedicine program; director of small animal imaging core; in the Department of Pathology and Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Ramesh received his Ph.D. from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, followed by postdoctoral training at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, Lousiana. He subsequently joined the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He is a tenured professor in the Department of Pathology and holds the Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor and Jim and Christy Everest Endowed Chair in Cancer Developmental Therapeutics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He is the associate director for Cancer Education, Training and Career Enhancement, co-director for the Nanomedicine Program and director for the Small Animal Bioluminescence Imaging Core at the NCI-Designated Stephenson Cancer Center.

Dr. Salak-Johnson received her Ph.D. in animal science with a minor in neuroscience from Texas Tech University. After graduation, she was awarded a three-year NIH Postdoctoral Training Fellowship in Psychoneuroimmunology at the University of Minnesota. She was then awarded a one-year NIH-NSRA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pain at the University of Minnesota within the Departments of Preventive Sciences, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. Upon completing her postdoctoral training, Salak-Johnson joined the animal science faculty at the University of Illinois (2000-2017), where she held a research and teaching appointment and received tenure. In 2018, Salak-Johnson joined the animal science faculty at Oklahoma State University and holds the Temple Grandin Endowed Professorship in Animal Behavior and Wellbeing. A highly regarded expert in Stress Physiology and Animal Wellbeing, Salak-Johnson uses an integrative biological, whole-animal approach by combining facets of the behavioral, physiological and immunological sciences to enhance our understanding of these complex relationships that ultimately affect the health and well-being of food animals. Her research findings have significantly impacted animal care and wellbeing programs and have been featured on agriculturally derived news media outlets, publications and university websites. Moreover, these research outcomes have played a significant role in policies. She has authored or co-authored more than 150 refereed publications, proceedings, technical reports and abstracts. She serves on numerous professional and industry advisory boards and many task forces as an animal care and wellbeing expert. The American Society of Animal Science appointed her to serve as a board director for AAALAC International. She provides service to numerous professional societies and associations.

Dr. Joy Scaria is an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Science at South Dakota State University. Scaria is also a research scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to beginning his research program at SDSU, Scaria was a postdoctoral fellow and research associate at Cornell University. His primary research interest is to understand the mechanisms by which commensal gut bacteria provide colonization resistance against pathogens such as Clostridium difficile and Salmonella enterica. Current research efforts also include translational studies to control enteric infections using prebiotics and probiotics.

Lance Walker, PT, MS, CSCS, CNDS, SST, is a coach, therapist, scientist and internationally recognized expert in fusing sports performance, sport science and sports medicine for athletes of all ages, ability levels and sport disciplines. He is the current Rick and Gail Muncrief Executive Director of the Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute at Oklahoma State University and former executive vice president and global performance director of Michael Johnson Performance. Walker has experience in both the private business of sports performance and working in organizations within the NFL, NCAA and primary school levels. He is a published author, former human performance lab coordinator, NIKE Performance Council Member and exercise science researcher. He is a performance coach, licensed physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist former adjunct professor and clinical instructor with nearly 30 years of sports performance training and sports medicine experience spanning over 50 professional, elite, collegiate, high school and youth sports. Thousands of current and past athletes supported include first round NFL/NBA/CHL/MLB draft choices, Olympic gold medalists, world champions, world record holders, CrossFit world champions, Super Bowl MVPs, Champions League Stars, and NFL Hall of Famers.

Dr. Karen Wozniak is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Oklahoma State University. She completed her B.S. in biological sciences from the University of Notre Dame, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology, immunology and parasitology from Louisiana State University's Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She began her work on immune responses to fungal pathogens at LSU and expanded on this work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Boston Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Wozniak continued her work in fungal immunology as a research assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, then began her tenure-track position at OSU in 2017. Her current research is focused on the interaction of innate immune cells in the lung with the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Over the course of an over 20-year career, Kevin has worked at the forefront of major national healthcare law and policy reforms with worldwide impact. He currently directs government relations for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. Prior to the AAVMC, he was Director of Federal Relations for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He has served as a key aide to Members of the U.S. Congress, including former Senator Johnny Isakson and former Representative Max Burns. He has been elected as an ANC Commissioner in the District of Columbia and enjoys taking part in political round tables and issue-based focus groups. In his spare time, Kevin is a committed business networker and admitted political addict. He helped found Q Street, an association of LGBTQ advocacy professionals, and he and his husband Chris are awaiting the birth of their next boxer, after losing their 12-year-old female a year ago. He is also a lifelong fan of his home state Georgia Bulldogs and hoping for three National Championships in a row!

Andrew T. Maccabe, DVM, MPH, JD, is the chief executive officer of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. He received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from The Ohio State University in 1981 and 1985, respectively, and began his professional career working in a mixed animal practice with primary emphasis on dairy herd health. Maccabe was commissioned as a public health officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1988, where he managed preventive medicine activities and directed programs in occupational health, communicable disease control and health promotion. After 24 years of combined service on active duty and in the Air Force Reserve, he retired as a Colonel in 2017. Maccabe completed his Master of Public Health degree at Harvard University in 1995 and his Juris Doctor degree (Magna Cum Laude) at the University of Arizona in 2002. He served as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s liaison to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, coordinating policies and programs between the CDC and the FDA. He has been elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Practice and holds memberships in many professional organizations, including the American Veterinary Medical Association and the District of Columbia Veterinary Medical Association. He is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia and is a licensed patent attorney.

Dr. Emily Graff is an associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology and an adjunct professor at the Scott-Ritchey Research Center at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research interests are in comparative physiology and pathology, and One Health. While most of her research focuses on domestic cats as a comparative model organism, her work also involves rodents and a variety of companion animal species. Current studies characterize changes in adipose tissue deposition and composition during the development of obesity in domestic cats and investigate the unique features of feline fibroblast growth factor-21. Recently, collaborations with GE explore peripheral nerve stimulation as a mechanism to improve glucose regulation in obese and insulin resistant cats. Graff is also the director of the clinical pathology residency program at Auburn and runs the research histology lab at the Scott-Ritchey Research Center.

Chandan Guha, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., is a professor and vice chair in the radiation oncology department as well as a professor in the pathology and urology departments at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His professional interests are exploring therapeutic potential of stem cell regeneration in the event of radiation insult, preparative live irradiation for hepatocyte transplant in acute liver injury and cirrhosis, and cancer immunotherapy.

Robert D. Timmerman, M.D., FASTRO, FACR, is professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology, professor of neurosurgery, and Effie Marie Cain Distinguished Chair in Cancer Therapy Research. His primary practice involves the treatment of adult and children with brain tumors. Timmerman graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering and earned a master's degree in reactor physics from the University of Tennessee. After finishing medical school in his home state of South Dakota, he completed a residency in radiation oncology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was the principal investigator or co-investigator on several prospective trials designed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of stereotactic body radiation therapy in lung, liver, spine and pelvic sites. Timmerman is the national principal investigator of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trials using this therapy in patients with early stage lung cancer.

Dr. Joanne Tuohy is a veterinary surgical oncologist and immunologist. The goal of her research is to improve cancer outcomes for veterinary and human patients via tumor ablation and immunotherapy, especially for patients with osteosarcoma and lung tumors. Specifically, Tuohy's research team investigates the use of two non-thermal tumor ablation techniques, histotripsy and highfrequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE). Her research focuses on developing histotripsy as a tumor ablation modality for the primary tumor in osteosarcoma, and on developing H-FIRE as a tumor ablation modality for metastatic tumors in osteosarcoma and primary lung tumors. Additionally, her research also evaluates the immune response after histotripsy and H-FIRE ablation of tumors.

Dr. Christopher W. Puleo is a non-invasive cardiologist at MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute. He is board certified in internal medicine and board eligible in cardiovascular disease, adult echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Puleo earned his medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He then completed an internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center before joining Ochsner Clinic Foundation for a three-year cardiovascular disease fellowship program. As a noninvasive cardiologist, Puleo diagnoses and treats a broad spectrum of cardiovascular health conditions, including coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and valvular disease. His research interests are focused on preventive cardiology and include cardiac biomarkers and cardiac risk stratification.

Dr. Hauptmannova is an experienced and inspiring leader with a demonstrated track record of working in the clinical research industry for more than 15 years. She head of research and innovation at Humanimal Trust. She has strong business development experience, including strategic and financial planing as well as operational and delivery experience. Hauptmannova is professionally skilled in medical device, drug and ATIMP studies, customer relationship management , public speaking, Healthcare Information Technology and management.

Dr. Kishore joined Neel Veterinary Hospital as an Associate Veterinarian in 2013 and became board certified in 2018. His specialty in canine and feline practice allows a multi-faceted approach to patient care, especially in complex cases. Dr. Kishore has a passion for emergency, soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries. He combines minimally invasive techniques like Commuted tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, endoscopy, arthroscopy, cystoscopy and laparoscopy for diagnosis and treatment of complex medical issues. Dr. Kishore performs numerous TPLO’s (ACL or cruciate surgeries), fracture repairs (bone plating, pinning and external fixators), hemilaminectomies and soft tissue (exploratory, mass removals) every year. He is able to combine hyperbaric therapy and physical therapy with all orthopedic and spinal surgeries to minimize inflammation, promote healing and decrease chances of infection. Dr. Kishore advocates for non-opioid pain control using Platelet Rich Plasma, rehabilitation and stem cell therapy in chronic pain management. He has educated clients all over Oklahoma regarding Bobcat fever which is rampant in Oklahoma. Dr. Kishore is the Research Director at Neel Veterinary Hospital and helps establish clinical trials in the fight against cancer and other minimally invasive therapies. Dr. Kishore has published peer reviewed journal articles in relation to heat stress and adaptation of immune system to multiples stressors and toxins.

Secretary, VCI

President, VCI

Vice President, VCI