Roundtable for the Scientific Community
Date: September 13, 2004
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Place: Natcher Conference Center, NIH Bethesda
Speaker Bios
 Anna D. Barker, Ph.D.
Vicki Colvin, Ph.D.
Gregory J. Downing, D.O., Ph.D.
Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D.
Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D.
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.
Samuel A. Wickline, M.D.
Janet Woodcock, M.D.
Anna D. Barker, Ph.D.
Dr. Barker serves as Deputy Director for Advanced Technologies and Strategic Partnerships of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health. In this role, she develops and implements programs to specifically accelerate the movement of laboratory discoveries through development into new interventions to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. Dr. Barker completed her Ph.D. degree at Ohio State University, where she trained in immunology and microbiology. Her research interests include experimental therapeutics, tumor immunology, and free-radical biochemistry in cancer etiology and treatment.
Dr. Barker has a long history in research and the leadership and management of research and development in the academic, nonprofit, and private sectors. She served as a senior executive at Battelle Memorial Institute for 18 years, where she developed and led a large group of scientists and technical staff working in areas such as drug discovery and development, pharmacology, and biotechnology, including several NCI-sponsored research programs. She is a cofounder of OXIS International Inc. and BIO-NOVA, Inc., focused in experimental therapeutics development and cancer technology development, respectively. She is a member of the Steering Committee of C-Change (formerly the National Dialogue on Cancer) and chairperson of the C-Change Cancer Research Team. She is a member of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Integration Panel and a past chairperson of the BCRP Integration Panel.
Dr. Barker has served in several capacities for the American Association for Cancer Research, including as a member of the Board of Directors and as chairperson of the Public Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee. At NCI, Dr. Barker has been a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Division of Cancer Etiology and Chairperson of the Cancer Center Support Review Study Section.
Dr. Barker has received a number of awards for her contributions to research, cancer patients, professional and advocacy organizations, and the ongoing national effort to prevent and cure cancer.
Vicki Colvin, Ph.D.
Dr. Colvin received her Bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics from Stanford University in 1988, and in 1994 obtained her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked under the guidance of Dr. Paul Alivisatos. During her time at the University of California, Berkeley, Colvin was awarded the American Chemical Society's Victor K. LaMer Award for her work in colloid and surface chemistry. Colvin completed her postdoctoral work at AT&T Bell Labs.
In 1996, Colvin was recruited by Rice University to expand its nanotechnology program. Today, she serves as Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, as well as Rice’s Director for the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN). CBEN is one of the nation's eight Nanoscience and Engineering Centers funded by the National Science Foundation. One of CBEN's primary areas of interest is the application of nanotechnology to the environment.
Colvin has received numerous accolades for her teaching abilities, including Phi Beta Kappa's Teaching Prize for 1998-1999 and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award in 2002. She was also named one of Discover Magazine's "Top 20 Scientists to Watch" in 2002. She received an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship.
Colvin is also a frequent contributor to Advanced Materials, Physical Review Letters, and other
peer-reviewed journals, and holds patents to four inventions.
Gregory J. Downing, D.O., Ph.D.
Dr. Downing is Director of the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (OTIR) in the Office of the Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health. In this role, he facilitates the collaboration among Federal, academic, and private biomedical research sectors to support technology development that will yield innovative diagnostic, detection, and targeted treatment strategies for cancer. Through the OTIR, he supervises the administration of grants and contracts for programs in nanotechnology, biosensors, therapeutic delivery systems, and new technology platforms and imaging systems. He currently serves on several committees, including the NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force and the Biomedical Information Science and Technology Consortium.
Dr. Downing began his career at the NIH in 1994 as a fellow at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and subsequently served in the Office of Science Policy and Planning as a health science policy analyst and deputy director. Today, he continues to lead the implementation of training and programs that support the research policy goals of the NIH.
Dr. Downing earned his medical degree from Michigan State University and his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Kansas. He completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship in neonatology before joining the faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the Department of Neonatology at The Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Dr. Downing is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in pediatrics and neonatology— perinatal medicine. He sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Maternal-Fetal Investigation and is Associate Editor of Disease Biomarkers. He has published numerous articles and research in the fields of pharmacology and medicine and has contributed to three books.
Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D.
Dr. Ferrari is a founder of the field of biomedical micro/nanotechnology, especially as it pertains to drug delivery, cell transplantation, implantable bioreactors, and other innovative therapeutic modalities. In these fields, he has published more than 100 papers and 2 books. Dr. Ferrari is the inventor of more than 15 issued patents, with about 30 more pending in the United States and internationally. His contributions have received a variety of accolades, including the National Young Investigator Award of the National Science Foundation, a Shannon Director’s Award of the National Institutes of Health, and the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Dr. Ferrari earned his degree of Dottore in Matematica at the University of Padova, Italy (1985), and then completed M.S. (1987) and Ph.D. (1989) degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He started his academic career at Berkeley, where he was awarded tenure as Associate Professor of Materials Science, Civil Engineering, and Bioengineering. He moved to the Ohio State University in 1999, where his current appointments include serving as Edgar Hendrickson Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Internal Medicine, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science. Dr. Ferrari is also Associate Vice President, Health Science Technology and Communications, and Associate Director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. He currently advises the National Cancer Institute as a Special Expert on Nanotechnology.
Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D.
Professor Smalley received his B.S. degree in 1965 from the University of Michigan. He earned his Master’s Degree (1971) and Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1973, with an intervening four-year period in industry as a research chemist with Shell. During a postdoctoral period with Lennard Wharton and Donald Levy at the University of Chicago, he pioneered what has become one of the most powerful techniques in chemical physics; supersonic beam laser spectroscopy.
After coming to Rice University in 1976, Dr. Smalley was named to the Gene and Norman Hackerman Chair in Chemistry in 1982. He was a founder of the Rice Quantum Institute in 1979, and served as the Chairman from 1986 to 1996. In 1990 he became a Professor in the Department of Physics and was appointed University Professor in 2002. He was the founding director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice in 1996 and is now Director of the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory at Rice University.
Dr. Smalley is the recipient of numerous awards – 1990 National Academy of Sciences; 1991 American Academy of Arts and Sciences; 1991 Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics; 1992 International Prize for New Materials; 1992 E.O. Lawrence Award of the U.S. Department of Energy; 1992 Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry; 1993 William H. Nichols Medal of the American Chemical Society; 1993 John Scott Award of the City of Philadelphia; 1994 Europhysics Prize; 1994 Harrison Howe Award; 1995 Madison Marshall Award; 1996 Franklin Medal; 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; 1997 Distinguished Public Service Medal from the U.S. Department of the Navy; 2002 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal; 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award of Small Times Magazine. He received two honorary degrees in 2004 – Honorary Doctorate from the University of Richmond and Doctor Scientiarum Honoris Causa from Technion Israel Institute of Technology.
Dr. Smalley is widely known for the discovery and characterization of C60 Buckminsterfullerene a/k/a “buckyball”), a soccerball-shaped molecule, which together with other fullerenes such as C70, now constitutes the third elemental form of carbon (after graphite and diamond). His current research is on buckytubes, elongated fullerenes that are essentially a new high-tech polymer, following on from nylon, polypropylene, and Kevlar. But unlike any of these previous wonder polymers, these new buckytubes conduct electricity. They are likely to find applications in nearly every technology where electrons flow.
In February of 2000, this research led to the start up of a new company, Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. which is now developing large-scale production and applications of these miraculous buckytubes.
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., is the 12th director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a federal agency of over 4,000 employees and a fiscal year 2003 budget of nearly $4.7 billion. A nationally recognized urologic surgeon, Dr. von Eschenbach has dedicated his professional life and administrative expertise to eliminating the suffering and death due to cancer. His distinguished career as a key leader in the fight against cancer spans three decades and is fueled by a passionate commitment to rapidly translate the fruits of scientific discovery to all who are in need.
Prior to accepting the appointment to lead NCI in January 2002, Dr. von Eschenbach directed both the Genitourinary Cancer Center and the Prostate Cancer Research Program at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation's top scientific research institutions. As the founder and driving force behind the center's Prostate Cancer Research Program, his dynamic leadership is credited with fostering model integrated research programs in the biology, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of prostate cancer.
From 1997 to 1999, Dr. von Eschenbach served as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, leading a faculty of approximately 1,000 cancer researchers and clinicians. In addition, he held the distinguished Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Clinical Research Distinguished Chair in Urologic Oncology.
Dr. von Eschenbach arrived at M. D. Anderson as a urologic oncology fellow in 1976 and was invited to join the faculty a year later. In 1983, just six years after joining the staff, he was named chairman of the Department of Urology. Other positions he held include Consulting Professor of Cell Biology and Professor of Urology.
Dr. von Eschenbach, himself a cancer survivor, has had an impact on the fight against cancer that extends beyond the research, clinical, and academic communities. He is a founding member of C-Change and was president-elect of the American Cancer Society at the time of his appointment to NCI. In addition, he has contributed more than 200 articles, books, and book chapters to the scientific literature. Dr. von Eschenbach has also served as an editorial board member of several leading journals and on a number of organizational boards.
Dr. von Eschenbach has been widely recognized for his leadership in the fight against cancer by many influential organizations. Earlier this year, Dr. von Eschenbach was selected to deliver the American Urological Association's prestigious Ramon Guiteras Lecture at its annual meeting in Chicago. He was also awarded an honorary degree from his medical school alma mater, Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. von Eschenbach has also received the Julie Rogers "Spirit of Love" award for exemplary dedication, commitment, and spirit in the fight against cancer; the Achievement Award in Prostate Cancer from Partners in Courage for outstanding support and leadership; the Medical Award of Excellence from Cancer Counseling; and the Certificate of Meritorious Service for Outstanding Contributions to Prostate Disease Research from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
A native of Philadelphia, Dr. von Eschenbach earned a B.S. degree from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1963 and his medical degree from Georgetown University Medical School in 1967. Dr. von Eschenbach completed residencies in general surgery and urology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia before becoming an instructor in urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps.
Samuel A. Wickline, M.D.
Dr. Wickline is Professor of Medicine, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, and Cell Biology and Physiology at Washington University in St. Louis. He received a B.A. degree from Pomona College in 1974 and an M.D. degree from the University of Hawaii School of Medicine in 1980. He completed postdoctoral training in internal medicine and cardiology at Barnes hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1987 and joined the faculty of the School of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division before becoming Director of the Cardiovascular Division at Jewish Hospital and subsequently Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Division at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Wickline is Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Bioengineering graduate Program at Washington University and a member of the executive faculty of the Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering.
Dr. Wickline initiated the Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory in 1987 and the Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Laboratories in 1995 at Washington University School of Medicine. These laboratories are devoted to both basic and translational clinical research focused on image-based detection and quantification of physiologic and pathologic structure and function of heart and vascular tissues. He also initiated a program in molecular imaging in 1994 following the development of a novel nanoparticulate contrast agent useful for multiple imaging modalities that can be targeted to molecular ligands for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Dr. Wickline has served as an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, for which he served as Chairman for its Annual Scientific Program in 1999 and 2000. He is a founder of Kereos, Inc., a biotechnology start-up company devoted to molecular imaging and targeted therapeutics, and serves as a Director and
Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Wickline is the author of more than 140 research papers in these and related fields. He holds 3 R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health, 7 issued patents, and more than 20 filed
U.S. patent applications.
Janet Woodcock, M.D.
Currently Acting Deputy Commissioner for Operations at FDA, Janet Woodcock, M.D. has served as Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at FDA since 1994. She previously served in other positions in FDA including Director, Office of Therapeutics Research and Review and Acting Deputy Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Dr. Woodcock received her M.D. from Northwestern Medical School, and completed further training and held faculty appointments at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of California in San Francisco. She joined FDA in 1986.
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