Innovators

Dr. Claire Pomeroy is a distinguished physician, educator, and advocate for healthcare reform. With an undergraduate and medical degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Kentucky, Dr. Pomeroy has served on the medical faculties of the University of Kentucky, the University of Minnesota, and UC Davis, where she became the dean of the School of Medicine and is now professor emeritus. Her career has focused on addressing healthcare disparities, advocating for a proactive, preventative healthcare system that ensures equitable care for all populations, especially the underserved. Since June 2013, Dr. Pomeroy has been the president of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership in promoting medical research and public advocacy. The Lasker Foundation is renowned for its prestigious annual awards that recognize groundbreaking achievements in medical science and public service. Under her leadership, the foundation continues to inspire scientific innovation and discovery worldwide. Her life experiences, including overcoming a difficult childhood in the foster care system, have shaped her deep commitment to healthcare equality and compassion for disadvantaged populations. Dr. Pomeroy's unique blend of scientific expertise, leadership, and advocacy continues to impact the field of medical research and healthcare reform.  

In this episode of INNOVATORS, Dr. Jennifer Potter's talk offers an in-depth analysis of the enduring and deadly opioid crisis in America, exploring the factors that have sustained this epidemic for decades and assessing recent developments in overdose trends to understand their implications for the future. Originally from Canada, Dr. Potter earned her undergraduate degree from Queen's University, followed by a Master of Public Health from Emory University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, where she worked until joining the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. At UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Potter rose through the academic ranks to Full Professor and was appointed Vice President for Research in 2021.  

In recent years, a number of new medical schools – both allopathic and osteopathic – have launched and still more are in preparation.   In 2017 Kaiser Permanente announced the appointment of Dr. Mark A. Schuster of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital as the founding dean of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. A renowned figure in pediatric, adolescent, and family health; family leave; obesity prevention; sexual and gender minority health; bullying; and quality of health care, Schuster pledged to build the new school “from the ground up” on evidence-based best practices. Six years later, the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine was established.   In this INNOVATORS, Dr. Schuster answers the why, how, and so what of launching a new medical school. INNOVATORS is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on INNOVATORS do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Christopher Gaiteri, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Empire Innovation Scholar at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Gaiteri earned his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University and his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He joined Rush University as assistant professor of neurological sciences and computational neuroscientist after serving as Research Scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and Senior Scientist at Sage Bionetworks. In today's podcast, Dr. Gaiteri responds to the following questions: 1. What were the origins to your approach and how does it differ from the more traditional way of framing research about the onset and development of Alzheimer's disease? 2.  Statistical techniques such as factor analysis and canonical correlation were used in research to take a large number of measures of variables and allow those statistical techniques to sort out which of those variables covaried and which patterns emerged that could suggest relationships to be looked at more closely. In your approach using "big data" do you have a particular notion of which variables you select ought to covary? In other words, do you have a "pre-theory" that guides your selection of variables? 3.  Alzheimer's is nearly always associated with the aging process, perhaps implicitly arguing that the aging process alone is a causal agent for the onset and progression of the disease. More recently and not without some controversy, some researchers have suggested that aging itself should be considered a disease. From your perspective, does the question of age influence your view on how to go about framing analyses of data bearing on the inception and development of Alzheimer's? 4.  In your career to date, how has the leadership of organizations in which you have worked influenced you and your research? Are there characteristics of persons who hold leadership roles that you single out as especially important to your work? INNOVATORS is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on INNOVATORS do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Philip Bourne, founding Stephenson Dean of the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia, established in 2019 with a gift of $120 million. Dr. Bourne's career encompasses work at Columbia University, the University of California at San Diego, and the National Institutes of Health and includes motorcycle jaunts throughout western Virginia and beyond. We spoke with him at his office in Charlottesville about the following (abridged version of) questions:   1.  Why a separate school of data science?   2.  What gives data science its coherence as a professional field and an academic discipline? Does that include tackling a set of “grand challenges” such as we see in, for example, engineering?   3.  Your school is described as one “without walls,” suggesting perhaps a virtual format for learning. How will students, including working professionals you identify as persons you seek to serve, learn in the school?   4.  Is there any reason to expect student enrollment and degree completion in data science to be any different in terms of representation of persons of color? Will students be taught by a diverse data science faculty? If so, why?   5.  What do you see as the other key attributes, experiences, and expertise of someone who can lead successfully an academic leadership position in data science?   INNOVATORS is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.    *The views and opinions shared by the guests on INNOVATORS do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Over the past year, several INNOVATORS were devoted to learning more about the state of pediatric research. In this podcast, we learn about a breakthrough in the development of tissue from silk for use in the treatment of children born with spinal bifida.  Dr. Carlos Estrada holds appointments at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and was instrumental in the development and use of a new type of tissue. He earned his undergraduate degree from College of the Holy Cross and the MD from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residencies at Rush University Medical Center, then accepted a fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital from which he accepted an appointment to the faculty there. He earned an MBA from MIT. He focuses his research on tissue engineering and neurogenic bladder dysfunction. In today's podcast, he responds to the following questions: Describe the work you and your colleagues have been engaged in, particularly the rationale for pursuing it as well as its significance for the treatment of children?  Since launching INNOVATORS nearly 5 years ago, we've encountered several instances in a variety of fields including veterinary medicine and prosthetics, to mention only two, where the search for material that might be a substitute for surface skin was the “holy grail”. Your work seems to open up a much broader spectrum of applications. What are some of those and are the applications direct and straightforward or do they entail more research?  The announcement of your breakthrough was attended by an emphasis on the importance of collaboration that transcended areas of specialization and perhaps even entire fields. Who/what were those other partners and how did the collaboration come about and how was it sustained? Specifically, what role did leadership, on the part of an individual or a group of decision makers, play in facilitating collaboration?  The kind of research you and colleagues have been involved with requires resources. What kinds and which sources of resources were instrumental in advancing your research? Finally, even as you revel in what your research has accomplished, do you look out beyond the more immediate uses of your findings to applications that have become a bit more feasible precisely because of what the research makes possible now? What are some of those? INNOVATORS is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on INNOVATORS do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Talitha Washington is Professor of Mathematics and the Director of the Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative.   On leave to the National Science Foundation, she received the NSF Director's Award for Superior Accomplishment in 2020 “for exceptional stewardship in establishing the first NSF Hispanic-serving Institution program.” She is a graduate of Spelman College and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, then completed a research post-doctorate at Duke University.   The Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative is a unique collaboration among four historically black colleges and universities (Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College) aiming to infuse data science within and across each institution, and led by its Director, Dr. Washington, who responded to these questions: How did the four institutions of the consortium come together to seek to establish a data science initiative and why? What is the scope of the AUC Data Science Initiative and what outcomes are being pursued? You and your staff are tasked with integrating data science into and across the curricula of four separate institutions and therefore have to know how courses and curricula are made. How do you go about making change take place? Moreover, aren't you also changing faculty? As a mathematician and data scientist yourself, it seems likely that you have looked at data on the relative success of cross-institutional, multi- and inter-disciplinary curricular and instruction initiatives such as you are directing. What do the data tell you? A final question is prompted by good news for you and your colleagues. The National Science Foundation announced that Clark Atlanta University will be awarded a $10 million grant to establish the National Data Science Alliance. The new Alliance will extend the University's efforts to expand participation in data science to the nation's HBCU institutions and increase the numbers of credentialed Black data scientists.  As the new Alliance's principal investigator, tell us what is the scale of this effort? How many more institutions will be involved and what do you aim to accomplish in terms of additional student data scientists?   Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.* For additional insights on data science, see previous INNOVATORS podcasts:    Digital Health – Technological and Scientific Invention and Innovation in Healthcare;    The Burgeoning and Expanding Field of Data Science; and Artificial Intelligence and Precision Medicine.

Research is achieving major breakthroughs in tissue growth, cellular agriculture, medical implants, new ways to store electricity and deal with plastic waste. The time is right for a brief conversation with a leading researcher in materials science, so we asked Dr. Kaplan: What have been the primary accelerators of discovery, innovation, and invention in materials science during your career? Which are the principal “engines” producing new knowledge in materials science – universities, large governmental and non-governmental laboratories, or industry? The interdisciplinary nature of materials science research is quite remarkable: How did that feature come about What are the attributes of administrators and executives that make for effective leadership to enable solid research in materials science to be done? What does the near-term future hold in terms of new advances in materials science? David Kaplan is Distinguished Professor and Stern Family Professor of Engineering and Chair of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University and was recently elected to the NationalAcademy of Engineering. He is author/coauthor of more than 1,000 peer-reviewed articles and has his research funded continuously by federal agencies. He continues to direct a large research laboratory while chairing a major program in medical engineering.   Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

While the dispute over the causes and sources of climate change continues, few doubt the need for action to deal with the consequences of climate change. And action can best be guided by findings from solid scientific research.  James Arnott, Ph.D. makes the case that science can contribute to not only policy but action. But for that to occur, science will need to be more transparent and inclusive to meet the challenge of coping with the effects of climate change. Dr. Arnott earned his doctorate in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Principia College. His research explores how science can become more actionable for decision making. This involves studying how different approaches to collaboration, science translation, and funding can influence how research becomes used and to what end. Listen to his comments and responses to the following questions: Is it too cynical to argue that the failure to marshal collective efforts to deal with climate change is a matter of politics and economics, not science; that there are vested interests for maintaining the status quo, not challenges to research or the scientific method? Is it the case that even the very best science being devoted to climate change struggles to be interpreted in terms lay persons and governmental officials can comprehend fully? What is “actionable science”? How does it differ from what scientists do now and with what effect? Do you view it as something akin to what Thomas Kuhn termed a “paradigm shift” in science? If actionable science calls for researchers who either have experience with and/or understand the perspectives of those persons to whom the scientific results are presented, how might ways change in order to prepare the next generation of scientists? Actionable research in the contexts of achieving community, national, and global sustainability is compelling in many respects. How does adopting such an approach influence the attributes of those persons who lead scientific centers and laboratories with emphases on climate change?  Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Hard work, family support, and education are often cited as key elements in the success of most of the immigrants to the United States. These hold true for many Hispanics and Dr. Rivera-Mills of Ball State and her experiences and success exemplify that formula. Her success affords evidence to suggest just how Hispanics can achieve similar results. We spoke with Dr. Rivera-Mills and asked her to draw on her journey as a first-time Hispanic college attendee as well as her academic and administrative achievements to respond to the following questions:  The term “Hispanic” is “stretched” to encompass a multitude of nationalities and cultures of people in the United States. Does the term do justice to the complexity and diversity of persons to whom it is applied? Who is encompassed by the term? How do your experiences as a Hispanic woman compare and relate to what might be typical for today's Hispanic students? How do Hispanic women fare in American higher education? Except for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the only other federally-designated ethnic or racial higher education institutions are the more than 550 Hispanic-serving institutions in the U.S. How critical a role do these latter colleges and universities play in advancing the educational opportunity and achievement of Hispanic students? If you were an advisor to an American president or state governor and had the opportunity to propose government focus and resources that you believe would accelerate the progress of Hispanic students at any level of education – primary, secondary, postsecondary – what would be your top three recommendations? Dr. Rivera-Mills earned the B.A. and M.A. from the University of Iowa and the Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. She joined the faculty of Oregon State University where she served as a department chair, associate dean, and vice provost. At Ball State, her work focuses on student success for ALL students, and ensuring equitable access to educational opportunities. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Even as the COVID pandemic continues to plague the world, assessments of the effects of the virus and its variants are in order. Healthcare systems have borne some of the brunt of the effects and those associated with the preparation of health professionals have had to adapt “on the fly” to what are sometimes profound changes to the ways they deliver care and conduct education and training. Brian Burnett shared his experience and perspective on how COVID impacted the University of Alabama and its healthcare system in answering the following questions: What are the ways by which universities involved in the health professions, including medicine, affiliate with or develop the healthcare facilities and experiences needed to educate and train those professionals? How were the human and physical infrastructure of medical schools, clinical facilities, and administrative staff affected by the pandemic? In light of demands placed on healthcare delivery by COVID and its variants and the looming shortage of some physician specialties, new medical schools have been established with more on the way. How do you view this development and what advice would you give to a university, a community, and or a state government considering launching a new medical school? Just how important were remote learning and working to comprehensive universities such as UAB? Do you see these as more or less permanent parts of the landscape? In 10 years, how will the financial and administrative aspects of universities have changed? Brian Burnett joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in 2021 from the University of Maryland where he was interim associate vice president and chief financial officer. He worked in similar posts with the University of Colorado System, the University of Missouri System, and the University of Minnesota. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

In an extended and extensive interview, Dr. Perakslis drew on his experience in industry, regulatory agencies, and academia as well as his book co-authored with Martin Stanley, Digital Health: Understanding the Benefit-Risk Patient-Provider Framework, to address the following questions: How do we tackle the challenges of the unintended (and undesired) effects of healthcare inventions and innovations for patients? How do the perspectives of leaders of inventors/innovators/developers, regulators, and researchers in healthcare vary from one another in evaluating the importance of the work they oversee? What are the attributes of effective leaders of healthcare organizations that are more or less generic and which are more specific to organizations engaged in drug and device development, in regulating healthcare innovations, and in evaluating the effectiveness and safety of new products and services? Where do you see the newest frontiers for breakthrough developments stemming from digital health? Immediately prior to joining the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Dr. Perakslis was senior vice president and head of the Research & Development Institute of Takeda Pharmaceuticals and that company's work in oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and other fields.  Previously, he also held positions at: Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; senior vice president at Johnson & Johnson's Pharmaceutical R&D Information Technology;  and ArQule, a drug development company acquired by Merck. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Raymond Bergan, Deputy Director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center and Professor in both UNMC's Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and the Division of Oncology and Hematology in the Department of Internal Medicine, joins Innovators to share his assessment of the state of cancer research and what may be reasonably expected within the near future.   Dr. Bergan began his career at Northwestern University where he served as Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Leader of the Prevention Program for the University's Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. In addition to breakthrough work on early-phase cancer chemo-prevention, he demonstrated a new way for measuring prevention therapy in the individual cancer patient, important steps toward precision medicine and personalized therapy. In 2015, Dr. Bergan was recruited to join the Oregon Health & Science University as Head of hematology and oncology and as Associate Director of medical oncology for the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU. There too he led work that enabled individualized patient treatment with greater precision of effectiveness in ways that can change how cancer is treated henceforth. In late 2020, Dr. Bergan joined the University of Nebraska Medical Center. His undergraduate degree is from the State University of New York at Buffalo and he earned the M.D. from the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, where he also completed his internship and residency. He was awarded two fellowships in the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Jack Kufahl, Chief Information Security Officer at Michigan Medicine, joins Innovators to talk about the world of information security as it relates to healthcare. Jack Kufahl is responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and maintaining the Michigan Medicine information assurance program. He directs all information assurance activity across the academic medical center to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic information and IT/Information Service (IS) resources critical to the tripartite mission of patient care, research, and education at Michigan Medicine. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Fred H. Cate – vice president for research, Distinguished Professor, C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law and adjunct professor of informatics and computing at Indiana University – joins Innovators to talk about the state of cybersecurity and how policies in the cybersecurity world impact people around the globe. Professor Cate specializes in information security and privacy law, and he appears regularly before Congress and government agencies on these subjects. Professor Cate has served on numerous government, industry, and National Academies committees relating to privacy and information security. His most recent book, "Bulk Collection: Systematic Government Access to Private-Sector Data," was published in 2017. He attended Oxford University and received his J.D. and his A.B. with honors and distinction from Stanford University. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. David Allison – Dean of the School of Public Health at Indiana University Bloomington – joins Innovators to talk about what perceptions and trust are like today in fields like research, public health, and public safety, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Allison became Dean and Provost Professor at the Indiana University-Bloomington School of Public Health in 2017. Prior to assuming his current role as Dean, he served as Distinguished Professor, Quetelet Endowed Professor, and Director of the NIH-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Allison received his Ph.D. from Hofstra University in 1990. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a second post-doctoral fellowship at the NIH-funded New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center. He was a research scientist at the NY Obesity Research Center and Associate Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons until 2001.  Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Very soon, the likelihood is that one or more of the COVID-19 vaccines will be approved for use with children under age 12 and for the first time in the pandemic, children will be afforded the protection provided adults.    Listen to a special Innovators podcast of excerpts from three guests — leaders in pediatric research — Dr. Tina Cheng (Chief Medical Officer at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center), Mark Wietecha (CEO of Children's Hospital Association), and Dr. Mark Batshaw (former Chief Academic Officer at Children's National Hospital) in a short summary.   We encourage you to listen further to their full discussion on any one or all of our featured guests' Innovators podcast episodes. All three full episodes are available on all podcast platforms and also at HarrisSearch.com. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Tina Cheng, Chief Medical Officer at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, joins Innovators to talk about the state of pediatric research, what came before, and what comes next for the field.  Dr. Tina Cheng is the BK Rachford Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati; Director of Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation; and Chief Medical Officer of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Sarah Stone, Executive Director of the eScience Institute at the University of Washington, and Dr. Jing Liu, Managing Director of the Michigan Institute for Data Science at the University of Michigan, join Innovators to discuss the Burgeoning and Expanding Field of Data Science. Dr. Sarah Stone is the Executive Director of the eScience Institute. Stone handles eScience operations and planning, develops research and training programs, participates in strategic planning, and serves as the primary contact for university and industry partners, funding agencies and the public. eScience Director of Data Science Education since 2018, Stone is co-leading the Education and Career Paths Special Interest Group and helping departments across campus develop data science specializations. Stone also directs the UW Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) program which partners student fellows from across the country with project leads from academia, government, and the private sector to find data-driven solutions to pressing societal challenges. Stone sits on the executive committees for the eScience Institute and the UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology (CSDE). Since 2015, as a Deputy Director of the West Big Data Innovation Hub (WBDIH), she has focused on building and strengthening partnerships across the western U.S., with a particular focus on urban data science and data-enabled scientific discovery and training. Dr. Jing Liu, Managing Director, has been at Michigan Institute for Data Science since 2016. She oversees the operation of the institute and the staff team, designs programs to implement the institute's mission, and builds academia-industry-government-community partnership. In addition, she plans and coordinates research activities to enable groundbreaking, transformative and reproducible data science research. Dr. Liu's past research management experience includes coordinating mental health research, biostatistics, and grant proposal review. Her research experience includes visual neuroscience with human brain imaging and animal electrophysiology, genetics, and most recently science policy. She also writes and translates about science and education, and has received multiple awards including China Book Award and China National Library Book Award. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Mark Wietecha, CEO of Children's Hospital Association, joins Innovators to talk about the progress made in pediatric research and what he expects from his organization and children's hospitals around the country in the coming years. From the Children's Hospital's website: Mark is CEO of Children's Hospital Association (CHA), representing over 200 children's hospitals and major pediatric programs with a mission to improve child health through innovation in care, education, and research. CHA advances these aims by leading and supporting national collaboration in public policy and pediatric practice improving the access, quality, and costs of care for children.   Prior to joining CHA, Mark was a management consultant with Kurt Salmon Associates, where he served as the firm's executive chairman, responsible for over 2,000 professionals working across five continents in six languages. His professional work in both adult academic and pediatric medicine has been recognized as among the best in the country, and he has advised most of the U.S. News & World Report “Best” medical centers and children's hospitals. Mark has been named among the nation's “Most Influential Consultants” by Consulting Magazine and as one of the "5 Healthcare Leaders to Know" by Becker's Review.  He is a regular presenter on the future of health care and cited in such media as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and National Public Radio. Mark currently serves on the boards of the Children's Hospital Association, the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems of the AAMC, the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care, the National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect, OpenNotes, an organization advancing greater patient engagement in their own care, and Virtual PICU Systems, where he is past chairman of the board. He serves on the advisory boards of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan's CMS national quality initiative, and the New York University Sala Institute, with a mission to integrate pediatric care across a large academic teaching hospital. Mark is a former trustee and past chairman of the board of overseers of the UCLA Health System, a former director and past deputy chairman of the board of Management Consulting Group, a public London-listed company, and a former director and past chairman of the board of Kurt Salmon Associates.   Mark's academic training includes a Master of Science in pharmacology from The Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University. He is based in Washington, D.C. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Mark Wietecha, CEO of Children's Hospital Association, joins Innovators to talk about the progress made in pediatric research and what he expects from his organization and children's hospitals around the country in the coming years. From the Children's Hospital's website: Mark is CEO of Children's Hospital Association (CHA), representing over 200 children's hospitals and major pediatric programs with a mission to improve child health through innovation in care, education, and research. CHA advances these aims by leading and supporting national collaboration in public policy and pediatric practice improving the access, quality, and costs of care for children.   Prior to joining CHA, Mark was a management consultant with Kurt Salmon Associates, where he served as the firm's executive chairman, responsible for over 2,000 professionals working across five continents in six languages. His professional work in both adult academic and pediatric medicine has been recognized as among the best in the country, and he has advised most of the U.S. News & World Report “Best” medical centers and children's hospitals. Mark has been named among the nation's “Most Influential Consultants” by Consulting Magazine and as one of the "5 Healthcare Leaders to Know" by Becker's Review.  He is a regular presenter on the future of health care and cited in such media as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and National Public Radio. Mark currently serves on the boards of the Children's Hospital Association, the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems of the AAMC, the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care, the National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect, OpenNotes, an organization advancing greater patient engagement in their own care, and Virtual PICU Systems, where he is past chairman of the board. He serves on the advisory boards of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan's CMS national quality initiative, and the New York University Sala Institute, with a mission to integrate pediatric care across a large academic teaching hospital. Mark is a former trustee and past chairman of the board of overseers of the UCLA Health System, a former director and past deputy chairman of the board of Management Consulting Group, a public London-listed company, and a former director and past chairman of the board of Kurt Salmon Associates.   Mark's academic training includes a Master of Science in pharmacology from The Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University. He is based in Washington, D.C. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Mark Batshaw - Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief at Children's National Medical Center – joins Innovators to talk about the next innovations and breakthroughs in the field of pediatric research. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Jennifer Christner, Dean of the School of Medicine at Baylor University, joins Innovators to talk about how to build medical schools and healthcare systems around a more diverse generation of doctors and healthcare workers.  Dr. Christner became the Dean of Baylor's School of Medicine in 2015 after a role at State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. She earned her MD from the University of Toledo and a Bachelor's degree from Ohio State University. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Duane Ireland, Acting Dean of the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, joins Innovators to talk about the mission and goals of A&M's student-centered business program, how he measures success, and more. On top of being named Acting Dean of the school in January, Dr. Ireland has served as Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship at Mays Business School since September 1, 2020. Previously, he served as Executive Associate Dean for Mays Business School for five years and as Head of the Management Department for two years. He earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Cristina Gonzalez, Professor of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, joins Innovators to talk about implicit bias in education and how schools can combat it when selecting and elevating students. In 2011, Dr. Gonzalez's leadership was recognized nationally through the Unified Leadership Training in Diversity Award from the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine. In 2016, Dr. Gonzalez was one of five educators selected as a Macy Faculty Scholar from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. Dr. Gonzalez's work was also funded by the Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, making her only the second education researcher chosen as a scholar in that program's 30-year history. Dr. Cristina Gonzalez’s research interests focus on health disparities and advocacy education. Specifically, she focuses on undergraduate medical education both in the clinical realm and in the preclinical years, including teaching about health disparities and giving learners the tools to overcome health and health care disparities in their own clinical encounters and expose them to avenues of advocacy to help patient populations at large. In 2011 Dr. Gonzalez's leadership was recognized nationally through the Unified Leadership Training in Diversity Award from the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine. An active member of the Society of General Internal Medicine, she has contributed to the efforts of the Disparities Task Force and has served as Chair of Minorities in Medicine Interest Group since 2010. In 2011 she was named the Associate Director of the Institute of Community and Collaborative Health at Einstein, in recognition of her dedication to minority health and diversity enhancement in academic medicine. Most recently, she was selected as a Scholar in the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This four-year award will enable her to continue to pursue her research in the instruction of recognition and management of implicit bias in clinical encounters. Dr. Gonzalez completed her medical education at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and her internal medicine residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital- Weill Cornell Medical Center. In 2010 Dr. Gonzalez was awarded a Faculty Development Fellowship through Einstein’s Hispanic Center of Excellence, through which she earned a Master’s Degree in Medical Education in August of 2012. In 2011 she was selected for the Stanford Faculty Development Program and is now trained as a facilitator for Clinical Teaching seminars. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Wayne Frederick, President of Howard University, joins Innovators to talk about how his institution continues to deliver excellence in many fields, and how Howard is innovating to cope with the ongoing pandemic. Dr. Frederick was named Howard president in 2014, and also serves as the distinguished Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery. Dr. Frederick received his B.S and M.D. from Howard University, and also earned a MBA from the university in 2011. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Elsa Murano, the former president of Texas A&M and current director of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, joins Innovators to talk about the world's food production system and how it has been disrupted during the pandemic. Dr. Murano was appointed Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety in the United States Department of Agriculture in 2001 and served until 2005, which she went to work at Texas A&M. In 2007, she became the first Hispanic-American and first woman to hold TAMU's presidency. Her current leadership of the Borlaug Institute helps to carry on the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug by overseeing the Institute and its international agriculture training programs. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Klara Jelinkova, Vice President for International Operations and IT at Rice University, joins Innovators to talk about how technology influences and can enhance international education at universities of higher education. Jelinkova holds a Master's in Education from Boston University and a Bachelor's in Economics and Slavic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), joins Innovators to assess the long-term impact of 2020's high-profile protests against systemic racism in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and other unarmed Black Americans. Dr. Lomax also talks about the ongoing pandemic that has claimed the lives of Black Americans at some of the highest rates in the country – two times higher than that of white Americans. Dr. Lomax graduated from Morehouse College with an English degree, earned a master’s degree in English literature from Columbia University, and earned a doctorate in African American studies from Emory University. He became the president of UNCF in 2004. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Caroline Buckee, Associate Director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard University, joins Innovators to talk about championing the fight against infectious diseases and what challenges still lie ahead for the world of public health in a post-COVID-19 world. After completing her undergraduate studies, Buckee earned a master’s degree in bioinformatics at the University of York. There, she helped map the DNA sequence of the malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, an undertaking that sparked a lasting interest in pathogen genomics. Buckee earned her PhD in mathematical epidemiology at Oxford University. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Allison Brashear, Dean of the University of California-Davis School of Medicine, joins Innovators to talk about her program’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the pandemic has helped her West Coast medical school expand translational research, topple organizational silos, and embrace a curricular shift to lifelong learning. Dr. Brashear has been the Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine since early 2019. She completed the Harvard School of Public Health Leadership program for Physicians in 2004 and earned her M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 2012. She was named an Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans Fellow in 2014. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Allison Brashear, Dean of the University of California-Davis School of Medicine, joins Innovators to talk about her program’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the pandemic has helped her West Coast medical school expand translational research, topple organizational silos, and embrace a curricular shift to lifelong learning. Dr. Brashear has been the Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine since early 2019. She completed the Harvard School of Public Health Leadership program for Physicians in 2004 and earned her M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 2012. She was named an Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans Fellow in 2014. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Donde Plowman, PhD, Chancellor of the University of Tennessee’s flagship Knoxville campus, discusses her institution’s COVID-19 response in the latest installment of Innovators. Chancellor Plowman earned her doctorate in strategic management from the University of Texas at Austin, an undergraduate degree with a major in English from Southern Methodist University, and an MEd in higher education administration from the University of North Texas. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Bernadette M. Melnyk, PhD, chief wellness officer at The Ohio State University, analyzes the U.S. healthcare system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the latest installment of Innovators. The outbreak was destined to be a global crisis, Melnyk said. However, in her estimation, it was made far worse by our less-than-ideal response to it. Melnyk blames, among other things, a lack of coordination and cooperation by health officials at the federal, state, and local levels. The result, she said, was a frenzied, haphazard approach that has left the general public drowning in a flood of information, often contradictory and sometimes just plain wrong. In addition to holding a bachelor’s degree and a master's degree in nursing and a doctorate in clinical research, Dr. Melnyk is a registered nurse, a certified psychiatric- mental health nurse practitioner, and a certified pediatric nurse practitioner. She’s a fellow of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), the National Academies of Practice (NAP), and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Robert Hinson (USAF, Lt. General (Ret), Executive Director of The National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska, joins Innovators to talk about how he leads NSRI and how UARCs function to protect the nation from a myriad of growing global threats. Hinson joined the University of Nebraska on August 1, 2012, following a nine-year foray into the private sector — as a vice president with defense contractor Northrup Grumman. Hinson’s mission at the university: Establish an academic research center that could serve as a beachhead in the always-fierce battle for military research dollars. The upshot: the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI), which has, by most any measure, met the university’s lofty expectations. Since its launch eight years ago, NSRI has completed more than 110 projects for the U.S. military, yielding some $176 million in revenue. In 2019, revenue was up a staggering 52 percent from the previous year. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Santa J. Ono, PhD, a biomedical researcher and president of the University of British Columbia, assesses COVID-19’s impact on higher education —and society as a whole —in the latest edition of the higher education podcast Innovators. Just as COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate toll on the health and wellbeing of some population groups (e.g., senior citizens, people of color, and individuals with underlying medical conditions), the pandemic will hit some academic institutions — or categories of academic institutions — much harder than others, Ono said. A child of Japanese parents, Ono grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, attended the University of Chicago for undergraduate studies, then returned to Canada to earn a doctorate in experimental medicine from Montreal’s McGill University. He did post-graduate work at Harvard University before joining the medical faculties of — in chronological order — Johns Hopkins University, University College London, and Emory University in Atlanta. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Ajit Yoganathan – The Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering & Regents' Professor at The Georgia Institute of Technology – joins Innovators to talk about his history in biomedical engineering and the background on the field as a field of higher education. Dr. Yoganathan and host Dr. Rick Skinner also conclude their conversation talking about how biomedical engineering could be a "catalyst" to solve problems like COVID-19. According to Dr. Yoganathan, his Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics Lab at Georgia Tech "focuses on understanding complex cardiovascular problems using fundamental engineering and science. The main objective of my lab is to provide answers to life-saving clinical questions using engineering approaches.” Dr. Yoganathan earned his bachelor's degree from the University of London in 1973 and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1978. His lab has evaluated (directly or indirectly) all prosthetic heart valves in use in the United States since 1975. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Donna Petersen joins Innovators to talk about how the coronavirus has shown a spotlight on the good and the bad of America's public health system. In the early stages of America's battle with COVID-19, Dr. Petersen talks about the public's knowledge and understanding of the country's health system and how state and federal lawmakers and healthcare professionals are dealing with the crisis. Dr. Petersen is a masters and doctoral graduate in maternal and child health from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, and is an author of many publications. She has been honored for her work in public health by the American Public Health Association, among many others. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Adrianna Kezar, Director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California, joins Innovators to examine the state of higher education when viewed against harsh criticism, external factors, and the facts around enrollment, faculty, and the changing workforce. Dr. Kezar and Innovators host Rick Skinner also talk about an aging faculty, tenure-track professors, and how to make space for the new wave of university professors. Dr. Kezar is also the Dean’s Professor of Leadership and a Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education at USC and directs the Delphi Project on the Changing Faculty and Student Success there. She is a highly sought after expert on the matter of the changing faculty in higher education. She earned her PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Michigan. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Mónica Bugallo, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Stonybrook University, joins Innovators to talk about  STEM and efforts to improve science and technological learnings. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Jacqueline Travisano – Executive Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Miami (FL) – joins Innovators to talk about being an operational and strategic leader at the institution from her position as COO. She also talks about working with and implementing the strategic plans of the university president and the rest of the executive level. Dr. Travisano holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, an M.B.A. from Chatham University, a B.S. in Business Administration from Robert Morris University. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Lesa Roe, Chancellor of the University of North Texas System, joins Innovators to talk about how she manages and operates UNT System, its facilities and its strategies across many different institutions. Roe also is the CEO of the UNT System, and joined the university system after 33 years in various leadership positions at NASA, including Acting Deputy Administrator, a role similar to a COO. She is the first woman to hold the position of Chancellor at UNT. Chancellor Roe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. James Dean, President of the University of New Hampshire, joins Innovators to talk about the state of his university, its in-state tuition rates, its status as a research institution, and how it will evolve in the future. Dr. Dean and Innovators host Rick Skinner also discuss questions around the public's trust in higher education and likewise in many other types of major institutions. Dr. Dean became the 20th president of UNH in 2018 and has served for more than 30 years in higher education. Before becoming president at UNH, he served as executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Dr. Dean earned his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Carnegie Mellon University.  Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

The leadership of Northern Illinois University – President Lisa Freeman, Executive Vice President and Provost Beth Ingram, and Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Sarah McGill – joins Innovators to talk about how they manage to affect change at a large university and what it means to be part of a largely female leadership team at NIU. Dr. Freeman was appointed president of Northern Illinois University in September 2018. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1981, then a master's degree and a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1986, from Cornell University. She then spent nearly two decades at Kansas State University before her time at NIU. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. David Nash, Dean Emeritus and Founding Dean Emeritus and the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy at the Jefferson College of Population Health, joins Innovators to talk about the definition of population health as opposed to public health, and how to tackle the specific challenges that come with 21st century healthcare.  Dr. Nash earned his MD from the University of Rochester and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a principal faculty member for quality of care programming for the American Association of Physician Leadership. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Klemen Zupancic, CEO of Scinote, joins Innovators to talk about how his company and others are building technological solutions to complex scientific problems. Dr. Zupancic and Rick Skinner talk about how these software evolutions can help build a digital mindset for the future of science. Dr. Zupancic earned his Ph.D. at the University of Ljubijana in Slovenia, and is also the co-founder of Biosistemika, a creator of software solutions for laboratory use. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*  

Dr. Jeffrey Joyce, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs at Florida State University, joins Innovators to talk about the role of research in the clinical healthcare enterprise, community health, and how to meet the needs of all kinds of communities. Dr. Joyce is also a professor of biomedical sciences at FSU and earned his Ph.D. in psychology (with a concentration in Physiological Psychology), at the University of Florida. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Raquel Tamez, the CEO of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), joins Innovators to talk about the importance of the development of hispanic and latinx professionals in America, especially in STEM fields. Tamez talks about SHPE's role in the landscape and the reasons for her to be "cautiously optimistic" about the evolution and trends of representation in STEM fields. Tamez has been the CEO of SHPE since 2017, and prior to her work at SHPE, she was the Chief Legal officer, General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal for SourceAmerica, a national nonprofit agency that creates employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.  Tamez is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary’s University School of Law. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.  *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Susan Fritz joins Innovators to talk about the University of Nebraska and other Land Grant institutions across the country, and their role in higher education, policy, and their place in the world. Dr. Fritz is the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska. She recently spent several months as the interim president of the University of Nebraska, becoming the first woman to hold that title. She earned her bachelor's (in business administration), master's (in adult education and agricultural education), and doctoral degree (in community and Human Resources) all from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt. (This interview was conducted in late August, before NU appointed a permanent president to replace Dr. Fritz in her interim role.) *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Eleftherios Iakovou joins Innovators to talk about the importance of the global supply chain in the world of food strength and security. Dr. Iakovou and Rick Skinner discuss the need for communication, organization, and transportation – all essential parts of the supply chain – to ensure food safety for the most amount of people worldwide. Dr. Iakovou has a Ph.D. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and a M.Sc. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt. *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Michael Lairmore joins Innovators to talk about the important role of veterinary medicine in overall human healthcare. Dr. Lairmore talks about the "One Health" approach, which helps doctors add to the understanding of biology, public health, and places where the lives of animals and humans intersect. Dr. Lairmore started at UC Davis in 2011, and has helped lead the school to the #1 ranking in worldwide veterinary medicine schools in both 2015 and 2016. Via the UC Davis website, Dr. Lairmore "earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia before working as a dairy and small animal veterinarian. Following private practice, he completed a residency and PhD program in experimental pathology at Colorado State University at Fort Collins." Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt. *The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*