James Allison, Ph.D.

2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology
2017 Wolf Prize
2014 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
Regental Professor and Chair, MD Anderson Cancer Center

James Allison, Ph.D., is a professor of immunology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Dr. Allison received the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for his discovery of a breakthrough therapy in the fight against cancer. By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumor cells Dr. Allison established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy. In 1994–1995, Dr. Allison studied a known protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. He realized the potential of releasing the brake and thereby unleashing our immune cells to attack tumors. He then developed this concept into a new approach for treating patients. His discoveries have led to new treatments for even the deadliest of cancers.

Gary Kaplan, D.O.

Founder, Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine
Chronic Pain and Illness Specialist

A pioneer and leader in integrative medicine, Dr. Kaplan is often regarded as the “physician of last resort.” He successfully treats patients from around the world who have run out of options and second opinions.

Dr. Kaplan is the founder and medical director of the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine and author of Total Recovery: A Revolutionary New Approach to Breaking the Cycle of Pain and Depression.

He is one of only 19 physicians in the country to be board-certified in both Family Medicine and Pain Medicine and is board-certified in Medical Acupuncture. He has been a consultant at NIH and from 2013–2018 served on the Advisory Committee to the Health and Human Services on ME/CFS.

A clinical associate professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Kaplan chaired a program on Autoimmune Encephalopathy of Infectious Etiology in conjunction with Georgetown in June 2019.

He is currently working on a book for patients and practitioners on the role of the immune system in chronic pain, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and post-treatment Lyme disease.

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D.

2009 Presidential National Medal of Science
Decoded the Human Genome

James P. Rathmell, M.D.

Department Chair for Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Health Care
Harvard Medical School Professor of Anesthesia

Dr. Rathmell is a nationally-recognized pain medicine expert who devotes his time to his clinical practice, research, education, as well as trials examining the effectiveness of new and emerging treatments for pain. He lectures widely internationally to students, medical professionals, and members of the public. Dr. Rathmell currently serves as President of the American Board of Anesthesiology and an Executive Editor for Anesthesiology. He has published extensively, including the second edition of his Atlas of Image-Guided Intervention in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.

Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D.

1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
1996 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research

Michael Sasevich, M.D.

Chairman Cardiothoracic Surgery at Doctors Medical Center, Modesto, CA

Dr. Sasevich is a board-certified heart surgeon who specializes in heart surgery, heart transplants, and artificial hearts. In his daily practice as a heart surgeon, he frequently sees cases dealing with heart transplants, heart disease, coronary artery disease, heart valve blockages, and heart failure. He received his MD from the University of Arizona and soon after began an advanced fellowship at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. He later moved to Oklahoma City, where he served as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon for many years. He now practices in Southern California, Dr. Sasevich is the proud father of a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in 2019 and an Alumni Delegate in 2020.

Lauren Carson

Executive Director at Black Girls Smile Inc.
2017, 30 under 30 Nonprofit Leaders, Young Nonprofit Professional Network

David Roberts, M.D.

Dean of External Education, Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School alumnus, Dr. Roberts completed his internal medicine training at Massachusetts General Hospital and a pulmonary and critical care fellowship in the Harvard Combined Program. Building his career as a pulmonologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, much of Dr. Roberts’ work has focused on the intersection of medicine and medical education, earning him a national reputation as a highly collaborative and innovative medical educator.

At Harvard Medical School, Dr. Roberts’s role includes defining and implementing a strategic vision to advance HMS’s educational goals throughout the world, guiding initiatives to produce a range of educational programs that incorporate the latest technologies. His responsibilities include developing and enhancing existing non-degree offerings to create a unified and inspiring vision for the future of external education, bringing the extraordinary Harvard Medical School education to new and expanded categories of learners, both locally and around the globe.

Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D., M.H.S.

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Community Engagement Co-Director, Baltimore Breathe Center

Dr. Galiatsatos is the co-director/co-founder of Medicine for the Greater Good, a novel medical initiative impacting the lives of more than 10,000 residents of Baltimore, Maryland, and the director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 30 research articles, with a focus on health equity and community engagement to impact health outcomes. He co-authored a book series, Building Healthy Communities, that the Journal of the American Medical Association noted, “literally has the potential to save lives.” He completed his undergraduate studies at Temple University, his medical schooling at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, his internal medicine and pulmonary training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and his critical care medicine training at the National Institutes of Health.

Sidney Altman, Ph.D.

1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Dr. Altman is a molecular biologist who received the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery that certain RNAs, now known as ribozymes, showed enzymatic activity. The old belief was that enzymatic activity – the triggering and acceleration of vital chemical reactions within living cells – was the exclusive domain of protein molecules. Dr. Altman’s revolutionary discovery was that RNA, traditionally thought to be simply a passive carrier of genetic codes, could also take on active enzymatic functions. This knowledge opened up new fields of scientific research and biotechnology and caused scientists to rethink old theories of how cells function.