Karin Hoelzer
Karin Hoelzer is a senior officer in health programs supporting Pew’s safe food and antibiotic resistance projects. Hoelzer, a veterinarian by training, focuses on research and policies related to foodborne pathogens, the use of antibiotics in animals, and other public health risks related to the food supply.
Before joining Pew, Hoelzer worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she developed and led risk assessments and conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses on a variety of issues, such as drug residues in dairy products and Listeria monocytogenes in retail delicatessens. Previously, she was a research associate at Cornell University, where she traced the transmission of pathogens between livestock and humans.
Hoelzer holds doctorates in veterinary medicine from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover, Germany and comparative biomedical sciences from Cornell University. She has received numerous honors and awards, including a Morris Animal Foundation fellowship training grant, and is the author of many peer-reviewed publications. Hoelzer is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Society for Risk Analysis, and the International Association for Food Protection. She serves as scientific editor for the Elsevier journal Research in Veterinary Science.
Jenny Tooth
Jenny is CEO of the UK Business Angels Association, the trade body for angel and early-stage investing, representing over 18,000 investors around the UK. Jenny has over 20 years’ experience of facilitating SMEs’ access to investment, both in the UK and internationally. She ran her own consultancy on access to finance for SMEs, including spending nine years based in Brussels, working closely with the EC. In 2009, Jenny co-founded Angel Capital Group which incorporates London Business Angels, one of the most established and active angel networks in the UK.
Jenny is an angel investor and in her role at UKBAA she focuses on building the angel community around the UK, connecting investors to good deal flow and assisting entrepreneurs to attract investors. Jenny sits on the steering group for emerging technologies and innovations for Innovate UK and the advisory board for the London Co-Investment Fund. Jenny is an experienced speaker on angel investing and entrepreneurship both in the UK and internationally. She has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Jenny was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to small businesses.
James M. Wilson
James M. Wilson, MD, PhD is a Professor in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he has been at the nexus of the field of gene therapy from its birth. Dr. Wilson began his work in gene therapy during his graduate studies at the University of Michigan over 30 years ago. He created the first and largest academic-based program in gene therapy after being recruited to Penn in 1993, initially focusing on the clinical translation of existing gene transfer technologies but soon redirecting his efforts to the development of second and third generation gene transfer platforms, the first of which was licensed to a biotechnology company he founded that resulted in the first, and only, commercially approved gene therapy in the western hemisphere.
More recently, his laboratory discovered a family of viruses from primates that could be engineered to be very effective gene transfer vehicles. Dr. Wilson has also been active in facilitating the commercial development of these new gene therapy platforms through the establishment of several biotechnology companies. He is currently leading a national dialogue on the challenges of commercializing these potentially lifesaving treatments due to the disruptive nature they will have on traditional business models. Throughout his career, the focus of Dr. Wilson's research has been rare inherited diseases, ranging from cystic fibrosis to dyslipidemias to a variety of metabolic disorders. He is the founder of a 501(c)3 called Health Through Fitness in Orphan Diseases and Director of a bicycle team called Rare Disease Cycling whose participants compete at a national level and help raise money for rare disease research.
Dr. Wilson has published over 550 papers, reviews, commentaries and editorials in peer-reviewed literature and is an inventor on over 117 patents. He was the second President of the American Society of Gene Therapy, the 2014 recipient of the William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award of the University of Pennsylvania and 2015 recipient of the Scientific Achievement Award
Dr. Henrik Bjørn Nielsen
Gudrun Ravetz
Currently Gudrun works as a Veterinary Consultant to Pet Health Plans from Denplan and as an external interviewer for prospective veterinary students at University of Liverpool. Alongside practicing as a small animal veterinary surgeon on graduating in 2002, Gudrun furthered her interest in the business side of the veterinary profession by studying for the post graduate certificate in business. Gudrun became President at the BVA Member’s Day and AGM on 22 September 2016.
Erwin Blomsma
Clare Allen
Clare is Deputy Director of Teaching (Quality Assurance) in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, where she oversees quality assurance of veterinary teaching in the university. She has also chaired taskforces to develop a curricular thread on professional skills and introduce pedagogical innovation through the use of learning technology throughout the professional veterinary course. Clare graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1996 and after completing an equine ambulatory internship at Millbrook Equine Practice in New York she started teaching on an equine studies programme and founded her own equine practice.
In 2005-06 Clare taught at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and became interested in veterinary education and curriculum development. Clare completed her PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs at the Ohio State University in 2013, with her doctoral research focusing on the career choice of veterinary students in the context of the feminisation of the profession.
Carl Damiani
Former President and Chief Operating Officer of Transition Therapeutics, a NASDAQ listed human-focused biotechnology company acquired by OPKO Health in September 2016. Transition developed a Phase 2/3 Alzheimer’s disease program, a Phase 2 diabetes program and held multiple partnerships with large pharma companies. Mr. Damiani founded Simini Technologies in 2017 to develop human drug candidates as veterinary therapeutics with an initial focus on dermatology and pain management.
Carel du Marchie Sarvaas
Carel du Marchie Sarvaas has been working as a senior government affairs and communications advisor in Brussels and Washington DC for 20 years.
He will move to IFAH from EuropaBio, the Association of Biotechnology Industries, where he has been Director for Agricultural Biotechnology for some 4 years. Prior to EuropaBio, Carel worked at international consultancies and think tanks in Brussels and Washington DC, most often serving clients with science-based policy and communications challenges.
Alf-Helge Aarskog
Mr. Aarskog has served as CEO of Marine Harvest since 2010. Prior to this position, he was the CEO (2009 to 2010) and Exective Vice President (2007 to 2009) at Lerøy Seafood Group ASA. His previous positions include Managing Director (2004 to 2007) of Lerøy Midnor AS, a subsidiary of Lerøy Seafood Group ASA, and Head of Production (2002 to 2004) at Fjord Seafood ASA, a company that was later merged with ours. He holds a degree in Fish Nutrition from the University of Agriculture in Norway.