NATO CBRN Medical Symposium
Gary L. Riddle MPA. Kaléo - Director of Government and Community Relations, Richmond, Virginia. (USA)
Gary Riddle presently serves as the Director of Government and Community Relations for kaléo (a biopharmaceutical based in Richmond, Virginia). In this position, he oversees the government affairs operations for kaléo through engagement with policymakers and pertinent stakeholders throughout the U.S. and abroad with the aim to further awareness regarding access to the company and its portfolio (including medical countermeasures).
Coming into this position, Gary brings over 12 years of government affairs experience within the health care sector which includes an emphasis on building relationships among key affiliates and policymakers at
multiple levels of government (local, state, federal, and international). His educational background includes a Bachelors of Science in Health Policy from James Madison University followed by a Masters in Public Administration from The George Washington University.
Dr Sarah K. Hill, PhD. Health Services Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (USA)
Sarah K. Hill is staff psychologist and human reliability analyst for the Health Services Division (HSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). She graduated from East Tennessee State University (Psychology, BS; Clinical Psychology, MA & Ph.D.), interned at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and completed post-doctoral training at Cherokee Health Systems. She is licensed as a Clinical Psychologist and Health Services Professional in Tennessee and has practiced clinical psychology in various outpatient and consulting capacities in East Tennessee. She has worked within the U.S. Department of Energy sphere for over five years.
Matthew R. Price MA, BSN-RN, AEMT. Health Services Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (USA)
Matthew R. Price is a licensed Registered Nurse and Advanced EMT. He serves as the Medical Compliance Officer and Safety Officer for the Health Services Division (HSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He graduated from Roane State Community College (Associate of Applied Science - Allied Health Science; Associate of Applied Science - Nursing), King University (Bachelor of Science - Nursing), and American Military University (Master of Arts - Emergency and Disaster Management). He has over a decade of experience within the emergency medical setting, having worked as a First Responder and EMT and then as an Emergency Nurse in several hospital Emergency Departments across East Tennessee.
Dr Mark H. Waugh, PhD ABPP. Health Services Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Not Present) (USA)
Mark H. Waugh is staff psychologist and human reliability analyst for the Health Services Division (HSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He graduated from the University of North Carolina (Psychology; BA), University of Florida (Clinical Psychology; MS and PhD), interned at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Dallas/Southwestern Medical School, and completed post-doctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine. He is a Board-certified and licensed Psychologist in Tennessee and has practiced clinical psychology in a variety of outpatient and inpatient settings in the Oak Ridge/Knoxville area. He has worked within the US Department of Energy sphere for over twenty years including at ORNL, Y-12, and ETTP/K-25 and Sandia National Laboratory-Tonopah Test Range. He is adjunct clinical supervising and teaching faculty at the University of Tennessee Department of Psychology and is active in scholarly and scientific writing and publication.
Dr Pamela Jones, PsyD. Health Services Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (USA)
Pamela Jones is staff psychologist and human reliability analyst for the Health Services Division (HSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). She graduated from Lynchburg College (Psychology; BA), Radford University (Clinical Psychology; MS), and Indiana State University (Clinical Psychology; Psy.D.). She interned at the Danville VA Medical Center in Danville Illinois. She is a licensed Psychologist in Tennessee and has practiced clinical psychology in a variety of outpatient and inpatient settings in Virginia and the Oak Ridge/Knoxville area for 39 years. She has worked with the US Department of Energy for over 12 years including at ORNL, Y-12, the Office of Secure Transport, and for the Office of Science. Dr. Jones maintains a clinical practice in addition to her DOE duties.
Wing Commander (Dr) Robert Lindfield OBE MB.ChB BSc Med Sci (Hons) MSc DRCOphth, MRCOphth, FFPH, FRGS, Force Health Protection Branch, NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (GBR)
Wg Cdr Lindfield is a Public Health doctor from the UK. He has extensive experience of Force Health Protection (FHP) having led the UK Royal Air Force FHP capability prior to being posted to NATO. He also has led investigations of incidents and outbreaks of infectious disease affecting different military units throughout the world. He previously worked at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Public Health England.
One of the key elements of Wg Cdr Lindfield’s role in the RAF was responsibility for the transfer of patients with high consequence infectious diseases (HCID), such as Ebola, by Air. Most recently he led the team that moved patients affected by Lassa fever in Sierra Leone on behalf of the UK Government. He is the author of NATO doctrine on the movement of patients with HCID.
Wg Cdr Lindfield was an integral part of the RAF and UK Defense response to the COVID-19 and worked closely with a range of different individuals and organisations to ensure that the initial repatriation flights from China, Japan and elsewhere were managed safely, and that the RAF maintained operational output throughout the pandemic.
He moved to the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (MIL MED CoE) in March 2021. He is the UK subject matter expert on Force Health Protection in the CoE and is closely involved with several different projects to enable NATO Nations to protect their personnel from disease threats. For example; he is leading the development of a near real time disease surveillance tool which acts as an early warning of disease threats that might adversely affect Operational effectiveness. He is also closely involved in providing medical intelligence and information (MI2) to NATO Command Structures.
Rodney Satterfield, AAS, EMT-P, TCC
Training Coordinator, Jefferson County (TN) EMA/EMS (USA)
Rodney Satterfield is the Education Coordinator for Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency/Jefferson County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMA/JCEMS). As such, he serves as the Program Director for JCEMS’ Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program, as the service’s American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center Coordinator, and oversees eight regional training sites that fall under the auspices of the JCEMS educational program. Prior to this role, Rodney served as the Deputy Director at JCEMS/JCEMA for 10 years.
Rodney has 30 years of experience in the prehospital and hospital-based emergency department settings. He has served on regional EMS boards and has assisted with the revision and implementation of protocols for many regional EMS agencies. Rodney is also licensed as a Paramedic Instructor Coordinator by the State of Tennessee and is an instructor/affiliate faculty in numerous emergency medical courses.
Rodney holds an Associate’s Degree in Emergency Medical Services from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Alabama and received his paramedic education from Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee.
Angie Bowen, MPS, RN, CPEN, NRP IC - Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator, Jefferson County (TN) EMA/EMS (USA)
Angie Bowen is a Nurse/Paramedic and the Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator with Jefferson County (TN) Emergency Management Agency/Emergency Medical Services. She has over 30 years of emergency nursing experience and over 35 years working in the pre-hospital setting in both EMS and rescue capacities. Angie spent much of her career as the Regional Coordinator for Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) and the Trauma Program Manager at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, and also spent 8 years as a Nurse/Paramedic with the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) in Oak Ridge, TN. Angie serves on many state and regional committees/boards, holds instructorships and regional/affiliate faculty status in numerous courses, and has served as a content editor and chapter author for emergency care texts. She is a long-standing member of the Knox-East Tennessee Healthcare Coalition and served as a consultant for several regional healthcare coalitions to meet the 2023 national requirements for radiation emergency surge annexes and exercises.
Angie holds a Master of Professional Studies with a concentration in Public Safety from Tennessee Technological University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Communications, with a Public Relations focus, both from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her paramedic education at Creighton University in Omaha.
Battalion Chief Todd Derrick, BS, EMT-P (USA) - Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Todd Derrick has served with the Oak Ridge Fire Department for 37 years, the past 15 of which he has held the rank of Battalion Chief/Paramedic. He has over 40 years of pre-hospital emergency medical and rescue experience and has held numerous leadership and educational roles within the fire service, as well as with the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad and Gulf Coast Emergency Response Training Academy. Todd is also a retired Senior Master Sergeant with the Tennessee Air National Guard, having served his country for 23 years. Todd holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Administration from Columbia Southern University and is certified in multiple command and control courses through the National Fire Academy.
Surgeon Captain Steven Bland Royal Navy MB ChB MSc(MedTox) FRCEM FFMLM (GBR)
Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Chair, NATO CBRN Medical Working Group
Steven trained at Manchester University and joined the Royal Navy in 1994 and served initially on HM Submarines (1997–99) where he developed an interested in medical emergencies and remote medicine as well as radiation incident response. While training in Emergency Medicine (EM), he furthered his interest in radiation and toxicology by completing the Diploma in Medical Toxicology and then Masters passing with distinction.
During his secondment to the London Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), he was the Forward Medical Incident Officer at Kings Cross during the 7th July bombings 2005. He was appointed as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine (EM) at the Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth in 2007. As a military EM Consultant, he has deployed on several operational and humanitarian missions including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Mediterranean, Sierra Leone, and the Caribbean following hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Steven was the UK military clinical lead for CBRN medicine (2007-22), including Medical Director at the Defence CBRN Centre, and was the first Defence Consultant Advisor in this field as well as Head of the UK Joint CBRN Medical Faculty. He remains chair of the NATO CBRN Medical Working Group developing an all-hazards approach to CBRN casualty care and incident management including bio-response. NATO work includes custodian of four of the key CBRN medical allied publications, and in 2022 NATO published his Guidelines for Civil-Military Cooperation for CBRN Mass Casualties Incidents.
He is a Senior Lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London and co-leads on the Toxicology and CBRN Module for the Masters in Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine course, as well as advising on the Tactical and Operational Medicine Course.
In 2020, he was awarded both the annual Medal for Clinical Excellence in Military Medicine by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries on behalf of the UK Surgeon General, and the Dominique-Jean Larrey Award, the highest NATO medical honour, for his extensive work in the field of CBRN for NATO over the last 10 years.
In August 2022, he was posted on promotion to Surgeon Captain as the British Liaison Officer (Healthcare) in Washington DC supporting UK and US military medical interoperability including education and training, research and capability development and innovation. His interests include astronomy, travel and history often in combination, as well as medical education and training including simulation.
Dr Jason E. Davis PhD. CHP
Senior Radiological Engineer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA)
Dr. Davis received a Master of Science in health physics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2008 and was awarded his doctorate in applied physics by Idaho State University in 2014.Dr. Davis has nineteen years of experience in health physics and radiological engineering within academia, the United States Department of Energy, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is certified in the comprehensive practice of health physics by the American Board of Health Physics.
Major General Tim Hodgetts CBE, KHS, DL, OStJ
UK Surgeon General & Chair, Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO (GBR)
Tim was commissioned in 1983 and trained at Westminster Medical School, qualifying with distinction in 1986. He holds fellowships with the Royal College of Physicians of London, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Pre-hospital Care, Institute of Healthcare Managers, and the Royal Geographical Society. He has a PhD in Public Health (‘A revolutionary approach to improving combat casualty care’); Master’s degrees in Medical Education and Business Administration; and is a Chartered Manager. He graduated from Joint Command & Staff College (psc[j]) in 2011 and the Royal College of Defence Studies in 2018.
Tim’s professional career began as a general physician in the British Military Hospital in Hannover, progressing to higher training in emergency medicine in Manchester and Sydney. He became Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Frimley Park Hospital from 1995, transferring to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in 2001 on its inception, where he served until 2010. He was first appointed a Professor in 1998 at the European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, then at the University of Birmingham (2001), and at City University of London (2013). He was the inaugural Defence Professor with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and Penman Foundation Professor of Surgery in South Africa for 2011.
Within Defence Tim has been responsible for nurturing the specialty of emergency medicine from infancy to maturity. He has implemented concept, doctrine, equipment and practice changes to transform the early management of combat injury and led major trauma governance from 1997-2010. Clinical leadership appointments have included Defence Consultant Adviser in EM (1997-2008); and Assistant Director Clinical Services at RCDM (2001-2007). He has served on operations in hospitals in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Oman, Afghanistan (3 tours), Kuwait and Iraq (4 tours). On 6 of these tours he was the hospital’s Medical Director, including the multinational Danish-UK-US hospital in Afghanistan, 2009. From 2011-13 he was Medical Director within NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps; and from 2014-17 he was Medical Director for the Defence Medical Services. From 2018 until assuming his role as Surgeon General he has was the Army’s Senior Health Advisor, the Head of the Army Medical Services and a Commissioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Tim has published extensively (books & journal articles) and regularly lectures internationally as a keynote speaker on leadership, innovation at pace, disaster medicine and combat casualty care. He is co-author of Major Incident Medical Management and Support; Battlefield Casualty Drills; Army Team Medic; Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support; and Clinical Guidelines for Operations. He co-founded the citizenAID® charity from 2017, designing a free multi award-winning app to support the public during a terrorist attack and inventing a new device (the Tourni-Key™) for the public to treat life-threatening limb bleeding.
Tim was made Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1999 and Commander of the British Empire in 2009; he received the Danish Defence Medal for Meritorious Service in 2010. He was Queen’s Honorary Physician from 2004 to 2010 and became Queen’s Honorary Surgeon in 2018. In 2010 he received the Defence Scientific Adviser’s Commendation for contribution to research and has been awarded 18 academic medals, including the prestigious Mitchiner Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. His academic department was twice recognised nationally as the “Training Team of the Year” and in 2006 he was honoured with the personal accolade of Hospital Doctor of the Year throughout the NHS. He was named in a British Medical Association dossier as one of the most innovative doctors in the country.
Lt Col (Dr) Tim Nicholson Roberts BSc FRCP FRCA FFICM DipMedTox EDIC RAMC
Consultant Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Prehospital Emergency Physician Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (GBR)
Lt Col Tim Nicholson Roberts is a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, with a Neurosciences Intensive Care bias. He has extensive research experience of countermeasures to Phosgene Induced Acute Lung Injury which is the focus of his PhD. He was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in CBRN Medicine by the UK Defence Medical Services Academic Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care in 2022. His CBRN publications include the matters of Phosgene and Ebola.
SFC Tracy Banta
State Standardization NCO, Critical Care Flight Paramedic, TN Army National Guard, AASF#2 (USA)
Sergeant First Class Tracy Banta is a critical care flight paramedic, a flight instructor, and the State Standardization NCO with the Tennessee Army National Guard, United States Army, based in Louisville, TN. SFC Banta brings 33 years of experience as a military and civilian paramedic and has served during multiple international deployments as well as numerous homeland disaster response efforts. SFC Banta holds instructorships and affiliate faculty status in multiple emergency medicine courses and is a Tennessee licensed instructor coordinator and an adjunct faculty member at Roane State Community College. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master of Health Administration from University of Phoenix.
Dr Adela Salame-Alfie, PhD, FHPS
Radiation Studies Section, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)
Adela Salame-Alfie, PhD, FHPS is a Senior Health Physicist in the Radiation Studies Section in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Salame-Alfie spent 22 y with the New York State Department of Health in various capacities including Director of the Division of Environmental Health Investigation, Director of Preparedness for the Center for Environmental Health, and Director of the Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection.
Dr. Salame-Alfie is a Lifetime member of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors where she served as Chair and member of the Board of Directors and chaired several committees and received the 2014 Gerald S. Parker Award. She is a member of NCRP, and co-chaired Scientific Committees 3-1 and 3-2 that prepared NCRP Report 179 and Commentary 28 addressing dosimetry guidance for radiation emergency workers; and Scientific Committee 3-3 that prepared Statement 15 on respiratory protection guidance for workers and volunteers. She is a Fellow member of the Health Physics Society and currently serves in the Board of Directors.
She has extensive experience in many areas of radiation protection including radiological emergency preparedness and response, environmental radiation and radon and has published and co-authored many publications.
Dr. Salame-Alfie obtained her MS and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Adam Polling MA, MSc, MBA (USA)
Deputy Joint Staff Surgeon and US Representative to NATO COMEDS Steering Group
Mr. Paul "Adam" Poling serves as the Deputy Joint Staff Surgeon to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a deputy military medical advisor for the Joint Staff. He serves as a critical linkage between the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Services, and other U.S. government and international military medical stakeholders.
Mr. Poling is a native of San Francisco, California, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in 1985 from the University of California, Berkeley’s Navy ROTC program, and holds a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Davis. Adam has served as a GS employee at the Office of the Joint Staff Surgeon since 2010.
Before assuming his current position, Mr. Poling completed a career as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer, serving on numerous afloat and ashore commands to include the Joint Staff, Logistics Directorate from August 2001 to July 2004. He earned numerous military awards and decorations including the Combat Action Ribbon for his unit’s participation in Operation Praying Mantis. Upon retirement from Naval service, Adam worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, supporting the Joint Staff, primarily the Office of the Joint Staff Surgeon. During his tenure at Booz Allen, Mr. Poling was awarded the annual partners’ Values in Practice award.
In his current position, Mr. Poling has been the lead proponent for developing a more Joint U.S. military medical community. The development of Joint medical capabilities has grown exponentially under his leadership of the Health Services Working Group. Additionally, he is a principal author of the groundbreaking Joint Concept for Health Services and worked with the U.S. Congress to develop the requirement for the Joint Medical Estimate. Additionally, he is the US representative to the COMEDS Steering Group. Most recently, Adam graduated from National War College, where he earned a Master of Science in National Security Strategy. In addition to this degree, Mr. Poling has earned a Master of Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University (2004), a Master of Arts in Accounting and Finance (2016), and a Master of Arts in Human Resources (2020).
Mr. Poling and his spouse live in western Fairfax County and have two grown children, with their son a former U.S. Marine Corps Intel Officer (now a drilling reservist) and a USAF GS employee, and their daughter an artist, and an Arizona St graduate. They live with an ole Southwestern Virginia rescue hound dog that keeps them on our toes
Dr Adayabalam S. Balajee, PhD
Director of REAC/TS Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (USA)
Dr. Balajee has been working in the field of Radiation Biology for more than 20 years with special emphasis on radiation biodosimetry and radiation induced biological effects in diverse human and animal cell model systems. After obtaining his Ph.D. degree in Molecular Cytogenetics in 1991 from Banaras Hindu University in India, Dr. Balajee got his post-doctoral training at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Dr. Balajee spent 5 years as a visiting scientist at the National Institute of Health in Baltimore where he focused his research on genomic instability, cancer and aging. After his tenure at the NIH, Dr. Balajee worked as a Research Scientist/Principal Investigator at the Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, NY for more than 15 years prior to his joining as the Director of Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory at REAC/TS in Oak Ridge in 2015.
Dr. Balajee’s current research is focused on developing automated high throughput triage tools for radiological/nuclear mass casualty incidents. In addition, Dr. Balajee has been actively collaborating with a number of national and international institutions to develop novel and minimally invasive biomarkers for detecting radiation induced early and late health effects. Dr. Balajee reviews original research and review articles on diverse aspects of radiation biology and cancer for many well-known scientific journals and has edited special issues for journals such as Mutation Research and Cytogenetic and Genome Research. Dr. Balajee has given numerous invited lectures on radiation biology and biodosimetry at the national and international conferences and workshops.
Lt Col (Dr) Katherine Clay PhD RAMC (GBR)
Military Infectious Diseases Consultant, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Universities Hospital Birmingham.
Lieutenant Colonel Katherine Clay is an Infectious Diseases consultant in the Royal Army Medical Corps. She qualified from Leeds Medical School in 2004 and completed her specialist training in Infectious Diseases and General Medicine in 2021. She has deployed to Afghanistan three times with the military and to Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak in 2014-15. She also returned to Sierra Leone during the outbreak to work with Kings Sierra Leone Partnership in Freetown.
Most recently she deployed to Turkey with the 16 Medical Regiment in the aftermath of the Earthquake in February 2023 and to Sudan in support of the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation in April 2023. Lt Colonel Clay completed her PhD at the University of Warwick and Defence Sciences Laboratory, Porton Down in 2019 where she investigated antibiotic therapy as prevention and treatment of Q fever.
Following this she has continued her research interest in biodefense pathogens and in 2022 took on the role of Senior Lecturer in CBRN medicine coordinating the Defence Medical Services CBRN research portfolio. She has recently taken on the role of GBR NATO subject matter expert for clinical biodefence and sits on the NATO CBRN WG and BioMed panel.
Dr. Nicholas Studer PhD (USA)
Physician-Scientist, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research
Dr. Nicholas Studer is an EMS and Disaster Medicine Physician. He is a combat casualty care researcher at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research. He also holds several positions for the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General for installation Emergency Medical Services, Disaster Medicine, Diving Medicine, and Spaceflight Contingency Response.
Dr Mario Rodriguez PharmD (USA)
Senior Director Medical Affairs, Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
Mario Rodriguez is the Senior Director, Medical Affairs with Emergent BioSolutions. He is a graduate from the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.
He has served in Medical Affairs for the past 25 years, holding various positions with both large and small companies. As a Commander in the United States Navy Reserve, he has held various staff and leadership positions in the Navy Reserve Medicine System. He currently serves as the Operations Officer attached to a unit in the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Falls Church, VA.
Dr Emily Kiernan, PhD (USA)
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology at Emory University School of Medicine; Attending Physician Grady Memorial Hospital Emergency Department; Staff Toxicologist at Georgia Poison Center; Staff Physician at Medication Assisted Opioid Treatment Clinic, Grady Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Kiernan is an Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine and a staff toxicologist at the Georgia Poison Center. She is a board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology. She completed her emergency medicine residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network (2014-2018), and medical toxicology fellowship at the Emory University, Georgia Poison Center, CDC fellowship program (2018-2020). She serves as the Chair for the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology Radiation Section. She has a special interest in chemical weapons, radiological and nuclear incidents and emergencies, and disaster preparedness.
Commander Philip Bacchus MSc, BSc
Chief of Staff, Exercise Evaluation, Armed Forces Defense Staff, PhD Student, Lund University, Sweden (SWE)
Cdr Philip Bacchus is a naval officer from the Swedish Armed Forces. He was the commanding officer of the Swedish National CBRN Defense Unit (NCDU) during 2018 – 2020 and was there after stationed at the Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHAS) for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting large-scale COVID-19 sampling operations He has during his career served in several operations abroad: Bosnia-Hercegovina, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Horn of Africa and Mali. Cdr Bacchus was awarded the National CBRN Defense Centre Medal of Merit in 2020 and the Swedish Armed Forces Medal of Merit in 2021 For actions during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Dr Catalina Florez PhD
Senior research scientist at U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases/The Geneva Foundation (USA)
Dr Catalina Florez is a research scientist within the Viral Immunology Branch at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID). She completed a Ph.D. studying outer membrane vesicle biogenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a post-doctoral fellowship that focused on antibody engineering and SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic and diagnostic development. In her current position at USAMRIID, she works with a multi-disciplinary team to develop anti-viral therapeutics against emerging and re-emerging viral pathogens.
Maj(P) Jeffrey Kugelman PhD
Branch Chief Synthetic Biology & Surveillance, Molecular Biology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USA)
Maj(P) Jeffrey Kugelman, PhD is currently serving as the chief of the Synthetic Biology and Surveillance branch at USAMRIID. He earned a PhD in Pathobiology from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2010 and completed Command and General Staff College in 2019. MAJ(P) Kugelman has served as a biodefense subject matter expert in a variety of roles including liaison officer to the Army G8 Office of Chemical and Biological Defense in 2015, and as a Science and Technology Attaché in the Engineering and Science Exchange Program with France in 2016. In 2014, he deployed to Liberia in support of Operation United Assistance, where he provided real-time sequencing identification of Ebola-virus infected human samples and has provided genomic subject matter expertise to outbreaks around the globe since. His research interests include computational biology, viral population dynamics, molecular epidemiology and synthetic biology.
Bradley J Stewart
CEO, ADS Inc (USA)
Bradley J. Stewart is a highly accomplished professional with over three decades of experience in military medicine, logistics, and private sector work. Throughout his illustrious career, Bradley has displayed a remarkable ability to think creatively, devise innovative solutions, and tackle complex problems head-on.
Bradley’s journey in the field of medicine and logistics began in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction for 23 years. Starting as an EMT, he gained valuable experience in emergency medicine and patient transport. Driven by his passion, he volunteered for the Navy Deep Sea Diving Medical Technician (DMT) program, where he worked as a Fleet Diver, supporting overseas diving operations. Later, stationed with an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in Italy, he specialized in long-range casualty evacuation platforms and even qualified as a Military Freefall Parachutist. Bradley’s dedication and expertise led him to serve multiple SEAL teams, providing essential medical support, planning and directing medical operations, and conducting CASEVAC missions. As he rose through the ranks to the position of Hospital Corpsman Chief Senior, Bradley’s decision-making abilities were further sharpened during numerous high-risk deployments and missions. Bradley’s areas of expertise lie in combat medicine, trauma care, and trauma training, earning him widespread recognition and respect. He has demonstrated exceptional coordination and management capabilities while overseeing large-scale medical, resource, and logistical operations in extreme and challenging environments.
His exceptional performance and dedication have been acknowledged with numerous prestigious awards, including the Bronze Star with Valor, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, two Joint Commendation Medals, a Combat Action Ribbon, and two Presidential Citations. These accolades serve as a testament to his outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to excellence throughout his military career.
After retiring from the United States Navy, Bradley continued to make a significant impact by focusing on the design, construction, delivery, and training of personnel in CASEVAC platforms and Mobile Hospitals. He played a pivotal role in implementing and operating over twenty mobile hospitals for the Department of State and the Department of Defense, ensuring critical healthcare support in austere and hostile locations. Bradley’s expertise proved instrumental in the successful functioning of these medical facilities, including his selfless deployment to support the build-out of Ebola Treatment Units during the 2014 outbreak in Liberia. Additionally, he has contributed to humanitarian missions for organizations like the United Nations, USAID, and DFID, where he designed shipping containers to upgrade medical clinics in refugee camps across Africa, providing advanced medicine at a lower cost.
Throughout his career, Bradley has consistently delivered outstanding results, earning a stellar reputation as a true leader in his field. His exceptional knowledge, remarkable achievements, and expertise in mobile hospital operations have solidified his position as an industry leader. Bradley J. Stewart embodies excellence, dedication, and innovation in his field. His contributions have left a lasting impact on military medicine, logistics, and the provision of vital healthcare services. With an unwavering commitment and an ability to surpass expectations, Bradley continues to make a difference, ensuring that healthcare reaches those who need it most.
Fire Chief Travis Solomon
Fire Chief, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA)
Travis Solomon is the Fire Chief of the Oak Ridge Fire Department and has over 25 years in emergency services. Chief Solomon has served with the Oak Ridge Fire Department since February 2016, first as Fire Marshal and was promoted to Chief in December of 2020, after serving as interim Chief since August of 2020. Prior to coming to Oak Ridge, Chief Solomon was a Deputy State Fire Marshal with the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office for just over 13 years. He served as Assistant Supervisor for the Eastern Region. He also served and worked up through the ranks at New Market Fire Department from Firefighter to Captain. Chief Solomon earned his Bachelor of Science in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University, and his Associate in Science on Fire Protection from Walters State Community College. Among his dozens of certifications and licenses, he holds his Chief Fire Officer Designation and Fire Marshal Designation with Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). In November of 2020, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee appointed Chief Solomon to the Commission on Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education as a representative of the Tennessee Fire Chief’s Association, Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, and the Tennessee Fireman’s Association. He is also the Vice President of the East Tennessee Regional Council of Fire Chiefs.
Lt Col (Dr.) Gelimer Genzel
Desk Officer for Biological Medical Defense (DEU)
Lt Col Genzel joined the Bundeswher in 1995 as a medical student. On being promoted to OF3, in 2010, as a specialist in Medical Microbiology, his main focus was on antimicrobial susceptibility testing. In 2013, he has deployed as the Diagnostic Laboratory Leader in Masar-E-Harif, Camp Marmal, Afghanistan.
In 2014, He was promoted to OF4 and became the head of Bio – Reconnaissance and Verification, working on projects such as the Q-Fever Outbreak investigation in Kosavo, 2016.
Along with his Bundeswher role, Lt Col Genzel is currently Chair of the NATO Bio Def Panel.
Cpt (Dr) Eliot Fletcher BSc, MPH, PhD
71B Biochemist, 491st MCASCMD (USA)
Originally from Australian, CPT Fletcher moved to the US to complete his undergraduate degree in Biological Anthropology at Boston University where he focused on the effects of medical and environmental substances on bone mineral density. Afterwards, CPT Fletcher completed his master’s in public health at Boston University in International Health and Health Law, focusing his studies on the spread of H5N1 avian influenza and the development of legislative language to minimize medical drug antitrust to allow generic drugs to come to market earlier.
Upon completion of his master’s in public health, CPT Fletcher commissioned with the US Army as a MAVNI Medical Officer, where he began as a MEDO with the 2-381st doing a counter IED and EOD mission. He then worked as a Medical OC/T with the 75th Training Command focusing on medical operations in insurgent environments.
During this time, CPT Fletcher worked on completing his PhD at the University of Texas/MD Anderson where he focused on the genetics of organ specific responses to varying diseases. After completing his PhD, CPT Fletcher conducted post-doctoral research in radiation biology for the DOD and NASA at the University of Texas Southwestern where he worked towards a better understanding of galactic cosmic radiation on neurobiology and showed the efficacy of radiation exposure countermeasures for both clinical and cosmic radiation exposure. At the conclusion of his post-doctoral research CPT Fletcher transferred to the Army Public Health Command to conduct weapons sourcing research.
After finishing his tenure with Army Public Health Command, he was the Aide-de-Camp to Brigadier General Swanson focusing on medical operations in large scale combat and multi-domain operations. Afterwards, CPT Fletcher was selected to take company command of the 491st Medical Company for the Command and Control of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Enterprise (C2CRE) mission, focusing on medical response to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents. CPT Fletcher recently concluded his company command with the end of the C2RE mission on May 31st, 2023 and has since joined the Consequence Management Unit with the 20th CBRN and 76th Operational Response Command.
In his civilian career, CPT Fletcher currently works advising the legislative branch on matters of scientific concern with the Government Accountability Office as a Senior Biological Scientist.
Dr Phil Gomez, BS, MS, MBA, PhD
CEO, SIGA Technologies Inc (USA)
Phil Gomez has served as SIGA’s Chief Executive Officer since 2016. Dr. Gomez brings more than 25 years of experience in infectious disease and pharmaceutical business. Prior to joining SIGA, Phil was a Principal in the Pharma & Life Sciences Management Consulting Practice at PwC and PRTM Management Consultants, where he led development and execution of business strategies for leading pharmaceutical companies, governmental agencies, academic medical centers, and foundations. Dr. Gomez joined PRTM from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, where he established the Vaccine Production Program against HIV, SARS, Ebola, West Nile Virus, and Influenza. Prior to that, he spent more than nine years in the pharmaceutical industry at Abbott Laboratories, Sanofi Pasteur, and Baxter in positions of increasing responsibility, leading process/product development initiatives for the development of multiple biologics. Dr. Gomez holds a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, a M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Lehigh University, and an M.B.A. from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Eric Darois BS, MS
Executive Director, Radiation Safety & Control Services (USA)
Mr. Darois is a founder of Radiation Safety & Control Services, a US company formed 30 years ago dedicated to radiation safety support to all industries. Mr. Darois is certified by the American Board of Health Physics and has over 40 years’ experience as a Health Physics professional in various technical and managerial positions in nuclear power facilities, decommissioning sites, environmental laboratories, and NORM facilities. His expertise includes radiological controls, dosimetry, groundwater contamination investigations, instrumentation applications, statistical analysis, statistical risk analysis, and decommissioning cost estimation. Mr Darois has authored many professional papers and presentations and has provided his experience as a consultant to many clients dealing with decommissioning, radiation exposures, radiation detection and regulatory compliance, for both US and international clients. He is an independent member of ANSI N13, a member of the working group for N13.1, and the working group chair of N13.32. He has a BS and MS in radiological science from UMass Lowell.
David DiGregorio, BS, MS
Vice President Hazard3, LLC
David DiGregorio served as the director for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials Emergency Response/Special Operations Division from September of 2016 through April of 2023 after holding the position of deputy director for two years. He retired from the US Army and Massachusetts Army National Guard after 32 years of service in 2014. Amongst his duty assignments, David served as a non-commissioned and commissioned officer with the 1st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team in the positions of Medical NCO, Physician Assistant and Deputy Commander. Prior to retiring, he held the position of Deputy State Surgeon for the Massachusetts National Guard, earning the Legion of Merit Award, Meritorious Service Medal and several Army Commendation and Army Achievement Medals. He has earned a MS degree in Emergency Management from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy as well as a BS degree and MS degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He served on the faculty of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy as a capstone advisor for the graduate level Emergency Management course from January 2015-August 2021.
David currently contributes on the advisory board for First Line Technology and is vice president for Hazard 3, LLC. He serves as faculty for the Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School Disaster Medicine Fellowship. He has recently started his own consulting business, D2 Emergency Management Consulting. David is married with 3 children and resides in Hopkinton, MA.