About the speakers/moderators


ABOUT THE SPEAKERS/MODERATORS
Partial-Body Radiation Diagnostic Biomarkers and Medical Management of Radiation Injury Workshop (PB-Rad-Injury 2008 Workshop)
May 5–6, 2008
Jean-Marc Bertho, PhD, HDR Senior Scientist, IRSN, Fontenay aux Roses, France
Jean Marc Bertho has an initial formation in immunology and hematology. He joined IRSN in 1991, and started experimental studies on the radiation-induced hematopoietic syndrome, both in mice, in non human primates and in humans. These studies lead to the development of a new biological indicator of radiation-induced damage to the hematopoietic system, the blood Flt3-ligand concentration. He also developed studies about the use of hematopoietic stem cell expansion and cytokine injection in the treatment of the hematopoietic syndrome. He is a radiopathologist strongly implicated in the follow-up of radiation accident victims that are treated in France. Recently, he is working in radiation toxicology, on the effects of chronic contamination through ingestion of radionuclides.

William F. Blakely, PhD Senior Scientist, Scientific Advisory Board Member/Biological Dosimetry Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), USA
Dr. Blakely received his PhD in 1980 at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign in radiation biology; his doctoral advisor was Dr. Howard S. Ducoff. He completed his postdoctorate study on DNA radiation chemistry in Dr. John F. Ward's laboratory at the University of California, San Diego. In 1983 he joined the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, his present affiliation. Dr. Blakely's research activities have focused on molecular mechanisms of radiation sensitivity, cell cycle effects, DNA damage and repair, and biological dosimetry. He presently is the Biodosimetry Research Group Advisor for his Institute, which is a component of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He also serves as a U.S. representative on the ISO TC85/SC2 (Radiation Protection) Working Group 18 (Performance Criteria for Service Laboratories Performing Biological Dosimetry by Cytogenetics), Chair of a NATO Research Study Group-Radiation Bioeffects and Countermeasures (RTG-033), and on Council for the National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements (NCRP). Additional information can be obtained online at his website http://myprofile.cos.com/wfblakely

Doran M. Christensen, DO Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), USA
Dr. Doran Christensen hails from the state of Iowa. He was a U.S. Army Medic in the late 1960s and served in France, Belgium and the Republic of Viet Nam. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a baccalaureate degree, he worked as a graduate teaching assistant in physiology and genetics while working on a master’s degree at the University of Iowa. He was awarded a U.S. Navy Health Professions Scholarship to attend the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, from where he graduated in 1975 with his DO degree. His post-graduate training in medicine was at the Philadelphia Naval Regional Medical Center. Subsequently, he served at the Portsmouth NRMC and aboard the USS Guam, LPH9. Dr. Christensen has spent almost 30 years in the practice of Emergency Medicine and Occupational Medicine and most recently spent 12 years as Medical Director at the U.S. DOE Fernald Environmental Management Project outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. He was trained in Aerospace Medicine in the U.S. Air Force and served on active duty with the 906th Tactical Fighter Group during Operation Desert Storm. He became the Associate Director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS), Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in 2004.

John P. Chute, MD Duke University Durham, NC, USA
Dr. John Chute is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Chute received his medical degree at Georgetown University and completed his training in Internal Medicine at the National Naval Medical Center. He subsequently completed training in medical oncology and hematology at the National Naval Medical Center and National Cancer Institute. Dr. Chute directs a laboratory in stem cell biology at Duke University and his research focuses on characterizing the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways which regulate hematopoietic stem cell fate. His current research focuses on the role of the bone marrow vascular niche in controlling hematopoietic response to myelotoxicity and in the development of peripheral blood signatures of radiation response.

Eric P. Cohen, MD Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Milwaukee, WI, USA
Eric P. Cohen, MD, is a Nephrologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has studied radiation nephropathy, experimental and clinical, for over 15 years, in collaboration with John Moulder, PhD. Their studies have shown that radiation injury may be mitigated by antagonists of the renin-angiotensin system. Current studies have focused on persistent oxidative stress in this model, its measurement and its treatment.

Ronald E. Goans, PhD, MD, MPH Senior Medical Consultant, MJW Corporation, USA Clinical Associate Professor, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Affiliate Faculty, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS), USA
As Senior Medical Consultant to MJW Corporation, Dr. Goans provides radiation medicine consultation to the NIOSH dose reconstruction project operated under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. He also provides radiation accident consultation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site. A member of the faculty of Tulane University, Dr. Goans teaches courses in health physics and the pathological basis of disease. He developed two of the clinical tests commonly used in early evaluation of radiation injuries. His current research interests include mathematical modeling of radiation accidents, early radiation accident triage techniques, and ultrasound techniques for the evaluation of acute local radiation injury. Dr. Goans is an Associate Editor of the Health Physics Journal. He is on the Council of the NCRP. Most recently, he participated in writing NCRP Commentary 19, “Key Elements of Preparing Emergency Responders for Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism,” and the report of Committee SC 4-1, “Management of Persons Contaminated with Radionuclides.”

Marcy Beth Grace, PhD Research Biologist/Biodosimetry Group Research Assistant Professor/Uniformed Services University (USU) Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), USA
Dr. Grace is a Research Biologist at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute and an Assistant Professor of Radiobiology in the School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. She earned her PhD in Genetics from George Washington University (1996) where her research was based on identifying the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with functional gene mutations. Starting from January 2000, Dr. Grace's research goals at AFRRI include the development of rapid, noninvasive techniques that use peripheral whole blood to establish radiation-responsive DNA damage and gene expression biomarkers. Utility of these biomarkers for biodosimetry applications are based on elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of radiation sensitivity, regulation of cell-cycle checkpoints, and integration of DNA damage/repair circuitry associated with cellular responses to ionizing radiation. The ultimate intention of her research is to develop forward deployable molecular biodosimetry tools of practical use to the military.

P. Richard Hill, PhD Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI)/Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Canada
Dr. Hill’s research program focuses on laboratory and translational research studies in tumour and normal tissue radiobiology, metastasis and aspects of the tumour microenvironment, notably tumour hypoxia. Dr. Hill trained in Physics at St John’s College, Oxford, and in Radiation Biology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College in London. He has been a member of the senior scientific staff of Ontario Cancer Institute/Princess Margaret Hospital (OCI/PMH), which is part of the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto since 1973. He is currently a Professor in the Departments of Medical Biophysics and Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. His research is funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada with funds raised by the Terry Fox Run, by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and by NIH/NIAID (grant numbers U19 AI067734 and U19 AI067733).

Patricia K. Lillis-Hearne, MD, MHA Director Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), USA
COL Lillis-Hearne was selected to be the 15th Director of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute after completing the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL. Immediately prior to that, she was Commander of the 67th Combat Support Hospital and Wuerzburg MEDDAC in Wuerzburg, Germany. During that assignment, she commanded Medical Task Force 67 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). COL Lillis-Hearne received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Biology from the University of South Carolina, and her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. Her residency training in Internal Medicine and subsequent fellowship in Hematology/Oncology were completed at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. She trained in Radiation Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). COL Lillis-Hearne is board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology. She also holds a master's degree in Health Care Administration from Seton Hall University. Other key assignments have included serving as Deputy Commander, Europe Regional Medical Command, and Deputy Commander for Clinical Services at WMEDDAC in Germany. She served as Chief of Radiation Oncology at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) and also as Chief of Medical Oncology at Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC). As Staff Internist with the 121st Evacuation Hospital in Korea, she served as Chief of Pulmonary Medicine. COL Lillis-Hearne's awards include, among others, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, a Joint Meritorious Unit Citation, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

David C. Lloyd, PhD Senior Group Leader, Cytogenetics Health Protection Agency, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (HPA-CRCE), UK
David Lloyd trained as a zoologist in the University of Wales. In 1971 he joined the UK National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) as leader of the Cytogenetics Group. This institute, located close to Oxford, was incorporated in 2005 into the Radiation Protection Division of the UK Health Protection Agency. For the past 38y David has specialised in biological dosimetry, undertaking an extensive research programme in the field (in excess of 250 publications) and providing a biological dosimetry service for the UK and several other countries. He has undertaken numerous consultancies with IAEA, WHO and ISO promoting the introduction and spread of biological dosimetry capabilities worldwide. He is currently involved with programmes for evaluating and improving the UK preparedness for responding to large scale radiological events.

Ludy C.H.W. Lutgens, MD, PhD Maastricht Clinic, Netherlands
Ludy C.H.W. Lutgens, MD, PhD, is a radiation oncologist at the Maastricht Radiotherapy and Oncology Clinic, Maastricht, the Netherlands. He is specialized in treating patients with gynaecologic, urologic and gastrointestinal cancers. His research focuses on small bowel radiation damage. He coordinated a collaborative research project at the Maastricht University. Expertise on clinical radiation toxicity, experimental radiation toxicity, inter-organ metabolism and digitised imaging techniques were thus joined. The project group has demonstrated citrulline as a biomarker for measuring and monitoring cytotoxic treatment-induced small bowel functional epithelial cell loss.

Viktor Meineke, MD Director Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology, affiliated to the University of Ulm
COL Prof. Dr. Viktor Meineke is the Director of the Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology, affiliated to the University of Ulm and liaison institute to WHO REMPAN since 2004. He is a dermatologist and radiobiologist and his special expertise is in the field of cutaneous radiation injury as well as radiation-induced multi-organ interactions and failure. COL Meineke was appointed as a senior lecturer at the Technical University of Munich in 2004. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, since 2006 and Adjunct Professor of the University of Ulm since 2007. COL Meineke has been a member of different expert groups of IAEA and WHO and among other commitments he currently is a member of the subgroup radiation protection in medicine within the German Federal Radiation Protection Board as well as the Bavarian Commission for Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy.

Natalia I. Ossetrova, PhD Research Assistant Professor Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute/HMJF, USA
Dr. Ossetrova is a Research Assistant Professor at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. She has received her PhD in Experimental Particle Nuclear Physics at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INR), Moscow, Russia, in 1999. In 2002 she joined BioTraces, Inc., Herndon, Virginia. Her research activities have focused on the development and optimization of immunoassays and the development of improved methods in proteomics. Dr. Ossetrova has extensive research experience in algorithm design; mathematical modeling and Monte Carlo simulations of the nuclear physics processes; investigation and application of electron, gamma and neutron detectors; development of Multi Particle Detection (MPD) technology instrumentation for biology and medicine. In 2005 Dr. Ossetrova joined the Biodosimetry research group at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. Her research activities have focused on the validation of radiation-responsive protein biomarkers for biodosimetry applications in order to evaluate their utility as diagnostic biomarkers for early dose and injury assessment.

Terry C. Pellmar, PhD Scientific Director Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), USA
Dr. Pellmar is Professor and Chair of the Radiation Biology Department at the Uniformed Services University. In addition, she is Scientific Director at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute at the Uniformed Services University, where she oversees the institute's various research programs. Dr. Pellmar has extensive research experience in radiation biology, depleted uranium toxicity, free radical effects in neural systems, medical countermeasures for radiological/nuclear threats, and behavioral health policy. She has recently established a Doctoral Program in Radiation Biology at the Uniformed Services University. Currently she is serving on the Radiological/Nuclear Threat Countermeasures Working Group (a US government advisory panel); NATO Research Task Group 033 (co-chairing Subpanel 4: Combined Injuries and Treatment); the CANUKUS Radiation Medicine Subgroup of the Medical Countermeasures Coordinating Team; Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Medical Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense; and external advisory panels for a number of academic research programs.

Pataje G.S. Prasanna, PhD Research Biologist Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), USA
Dr. Prasanna is a Research Biologist at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute and an Assistant Professor of Radiobiology in the School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD. He has been studying the effects of ionizing radiation on mammalian systems beginning with his thesis work in India for over 15 years. He has participated in several national and international research efforts in biological dosimetry by cytogenetics and harmonization of cytogenetic biodosimetry methods for radiation dose assessment (e.g., ISO TC85/SC2 Working Group 18, Performance Criteria for Service Laboratories Performing Biological Dosimetry by Cytogenetics). His laboratory's current focus is on the automation of cytogenetic methodologies for radiation dose assessment in radiation mass casualties.

Alexander Romanyukha, PhD Technical Manager Naval Dosimetry Center, USA
Dr. Romanyukha is a Technical Manager of the Naval Dosimetry Center and an Assistant Professor of Radiology and Preventive Medicine and Biometrics in the School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD. He has been working in the field of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) retrospective dosimetry since 1992. He served as a Chief Scientific Investigator of the IAEA research project Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Biodosimetry, a member of the ICRU Report Committee for Retrospective Assessment of Exposures to Ionizing Radiation, co-authored the IAEA-TECDOC-1331, ICRU report 68. Currently his research is focused on the EPR dosimetry in tooth enamel, bone and fingernails, TLD and OSL dosimetry.

Julie D. Saba, MD, PhD Senior Scientist, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), USA Co-Medical Director, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Cryopreservation Laboratory Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, USA
Dr. Saba received her MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1985, completed a residency in pediatrics (1989) and a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology (1993), both at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC). She simultaneously initiated graduate studies in the area of sphingolipid metabolism and signaling under the mentorship of Yusuf Hannun, MD. She became Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Duke in 1994 and completed her PhD there in 1996. In 1996, Dr. Saba initiated an independent research career at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute. Her studies focus on the role of sphingolipid metabolism and signaling in the regulation of cell growth and death pathways, DNA damage and stress responses, immune cell trafficking, and in the biology and treatment of cancer. She was the first to clone and characterize the enzyme sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (S1P lyase), which is responsible for catabolism of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), an endogenous lipid metabolite that acts as a radioprotectant. Her current studies are focused on targeting S1P lyase for protection of normal tissues from various stresses and insults, including radiation injury. Dr. Saba is the recipient of an NIAID award under the program “Medical Countermeasures to Restore Gastrointestinal Function After Radiation.”

Daniel Weisdorf, PhD Director, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program University of Minnesota, USA
Dr. Daniel Weisdorf is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Minnesota. He had Internal Medicine training in Chicago and subsequent Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Minnesota where he remained on the faculty. He also serves as Scientific Director of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and Senior Research Advisor of the CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research). His research interests include complications of hemopoietic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy for hemalogic malignancies. He serves on the Executive Committee of RITN (Radiation Injury Treatment Network) sponsored by the ASBMT (American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation) and NMDP.

Andrzej Wojcik, PhD Professor, Stockholm University Dept. of Genetics, Microbiology and Toxicology, Sweden
Andrzej Wojcik has since 1984 worked in the field of radiation biology in Austria (Forschungzentrum Seibersdorf), Germany (University Clinics Essen), Netherlands (EC Joint Research Centre—Institute for Energy, Petten) and Poland (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology). Starting from April 1, 2008, he moved to the GMT Department of Stockholm University, where he leads a radiobiology research group. Dr. Wojcik has been active for many years in the field of biological dosimetry. While working in Poland he was involved in the follow up and assessment of doses absorbed by radiotherapy patients during the Bialystok accident in 2001. He conducted a number of research projects, among others one on the analysis of individual radiosensitivity of human chromosomes 2, 8 and 14 (assessed in human peripheral blood lymphocytes by chromosome painting) for the purpose of biological dosimetry. In addition, a number of research topics relevant to biological dosimetry were carried out in collaboration with medical clinics. These include the analysis of micronuclei in lymphocytes of patients with thyroid cancer undergoing radiotherapy with I-131 or the analysis of micronuclei in lymphocytes of patients with restenosis undergoing brachytherapy with P-32, and the analysis of markers of individual sensitivity in lymphocytes of radiotherapy patients. He also participates in the normalization of cytogenetic techniques for biological dosimetry (19238 ISO recommendation, coordinated by P. Voisin of IRSN). Recently he coordinated the development of a statistical software dedicated to biological dosimetry.

Eduardo G. Yukihara, PhD Assistant Professor, Physics Department Oklahoma State University, USA
Dr. Yukihara has been involved in research on thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) since 1996. He received his PhD in 2001 at the University of São Paulo under the supervision of Dr. Emico Okuno, and in the same year joined Dr. Steve McKeever’s group at Oklahoma State University as a postdoctoral fellow. Since 2004 he holds an Assistant Professor position at Oklahoma State University, where he has been developing the OSL technique to address challenges in radiological/nuclear accidents, neutron dosimetry, space dosimetry, and medical dosimetry. The OSU group is currently collaborating with the U. S. National Cancer Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop the technology to use the OSL from dental enamel in medical triage in the aftermath of a radiological/nuclear accident.

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Address all correspondence to:
Program Committee, e-mail: PB-Rad-Injury-2008@afrri.usuhs.mil; fax: 301-295-1863

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