Meet the 2015 ADAO Science Advsiory Board and Conference Committee Members - ADAO

11th Annual ADAO International Asbestos Awareness Conference

“Where Knowledge and Action Unite”
April 17 – 19, 2015
Washington, D.C.

Posted on April 13, 2015

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is proud to present a new weekly series” Meet the Speakers, Honorees, and Leadership,” highlighting one or several attendees at our highly-anticipated 11th Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference! The ADAO Conference, which will take place on April 17-19, 2015 in Washington, DC, combines over 30 expert opinions, victims’ stories, and new technological advancements from more than 10 countries into one united voice raised for asbestos awareness. ADAO is the only U.S. nonprofit that organizes annual conferences dedicated solely to preventing exposure and eliminating asbestos-caused diseases. Register today! This week, we are featuring our :

ADAO Science Advisory Board: Dr. Brad Black, Barry Castleman, ScD, Dr. Raja Flores, Dr. Arthur Frank, Dr. Michael Harbut, Dr. Hedy Kindler, Richard Lemen PhD, MSPH, Dr. Christine Oliver
ADAO Conference Committee: Marilyn Amento, Kimberly Cecchini, Ellen Costa, Herman Hamilton, Jessica Mattmuller, Celeste Monforton, DrPH, Emily Reinstein, Tony Rich, Ann Samuelson, Sue Ann Taylor, Ellen Tunkelrott, Jasmine Uysal, Zeel TV, Jordan Zevon

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Science Advisory Board Members

Brad Black, PhD has been the Medical Director and CEO for the Center for Asbestos and Related Disease in Libby, Montana since 2000. He has been a physician in the Libby medical community since 1977 and became the Lincoln County Health Officer in 1984. Beginning in 1999, he worked closely with Dr. Alan Whitehouse, a Spokane, WA pulmonologist, for 9 years. Since 2000, Dr. Black has had the opportunity to care for thousands of patients and this longitudinal observation of progressive pleural fibrosis has led to a clear characterization of Libby amphibole asbestos disease. CARD continues to provide asbestos health screening and care to a population with significant Libby Amphibole exposure and related diseases. In 2008 he presented at the National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute about the progressive pleural fibrosis and mesothelioma identified in those exposed to Libby amphibole asbestos. He was instrumental in initiating research on Libby amphibole asbestos health effects. His work has expanded into research leading to an association with pulmonologists and occupational medicine specialists from multiple academic centers around the U.S. In 2010, Dr. Black became an adjunct professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He has collaborated on a number of professional journal publications, and most recently he participated in a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences working group that developed a publication on the non- neoplastic, pleural endpoints. Today, Dr. Black continues his dedicated efforts to providing excellent healthcare, outreach, and research for asbestos related diseases.

Barry Castleman, ScD is an Environmental Consultant trained in chemical and environmental engineering. He holds a Doctor of Science degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He has been a consultant to numerous agencies of the US government and other governments, international bodies, and environmental groups dealing with a wide range of public health issues. He has testified as an expert in civil litigation in the US on the history of asbestos as a public health problem and the reasons for failure to properly control asbestos hazards. Dr. Castleman has spent the past 40 years working on asbestos as a public health problem.

Raja Flores, MD, is the Chairman of Thoracic Surgery, Ames Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Flores helped pioneer the use of intraoperative chemotherapy for mesothelioma. He led a multi-center trial designed to improve patient outcomes. In addition, he changed the surgical management of pleural mesothelioma cancer with a landmark study comparing extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication. With over 100 related publications to date, his energies and commitment to the plight of mesothelioma patients remains paramount.

Arthur L. Frank, PhD, MD is a physician board certified in both internal medicine and occupational medicine and currently serves as Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia. He is also a Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary) at the Drexel College of Medicine. He also holds a position at Drexel as Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. A life-long academic, Dr. Frank has previously taught at Mount Sinai, the University of Kentucky and in the University of Texas System. He has served many governmental agencies in the US and has carried out research and has been a governmental advisor internationally. His research interests have been in the areas of occupational cancers and occupational lung diseases, as well as agricultural safety and health. For thirty-seven years he held a commission in the U S Public Health Service (active and inactive) and served on active duty both at the NIH and at NIOSH.

Dr. Michael Harbut is Chief of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine: Clinical Assistant Professor, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan. An internationally known expert in the diagnosis and treatment of environmental and workplace diseases, Dr. Harbut has been named co-Director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos Related Cancers. He is the co-author of the American Thoracic Society’s 2004 Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-Malignant Disease Caused by Asbestos Exposure. Dr. Harbut is a past chair of the occupational and environmental health section of the American College of Chest Physicians, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. Dr. Harbut brings his expertise to address the need for early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of asbestos related diseases.

Hedy Lee Kindler, MD, an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center, is an internationally recognized cancer expert on new drug development for malignant mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen that is caused by asbestos), gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Kindler is the immediate past-president of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group. She is an active member of several committees and boards, including the Science Advisory Board of the Mesothelioma Foundation, the NCI Pancreatic Cancer Task Force, and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. She is also the President of the Mesothelioma Cadre Leader in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, a national cooperative cancer research clinical trials group. Dr. Kindler has been listed repeatedly in Best Doctors in America, America’s Top Physicians, and America’s Top Doctors for Cancer, Top Doctors in Chicago, and was recently awarded the Selikoff Lifetime Achievement Award by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.

Richard Lemen, PhD, MSPH, is a former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States and also served as the Acting Director and the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health before his retirement. He has been a practicing epidemiologist for more than forty years, and has taught graduate level courses on environmental and occupational health issues, including asbestos, at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He has also testified on behalf of asbestos victims; Dr. Lemen is a world-renowned author, speaker, and lecturer on this topic.

Dr. Christine Oliver, MD, MPH, MS, FACPM is President of Occupational Health Initiatives, Inc. She is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician in the Department of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care Division) at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Board certified in internal medicine and in preventive (occupational) medicine, Dr. Oliver’s primary specialty is Occupational and Environmental Medicine, with an emphasis on occupational lung disease. She is the Co-Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. There she evaluates and cares for patients with a variety of occupational and environmental diseases, including occupational asthma, interstitial lung disease associated with exposure to asbestos and beryllium, and building-associated illness. Dr. Oliver has done research and published in the area of occupational lung disease. An important focus of her research and clinical activities has been asbestos-related disease. She has lectured frequently on this topic. Dr. Oliver is responsible for medical surveillance of a group of public school custodians employed by the City of Boston and previously exposed to asbestos during the course of that work. She consults on medical-legal issues and provides expert witness testimony. Dr. Oliver has testified before Congress and OSHA on issues related to workplace exposures and related disease. She was an active participant in the implementation of medical aspects of the 1991 Workers’ Compensation Reform Act signed into law in Massachusetts.

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ADAO Conference Committee Members

Marilyn Amento, has been involved with ADAO in various capacities since before the first Asbestos Awareness Conference in Washington, DC in 2005. Marilyn is the widow of Joe Amento, Jr. who died of mesothelioma at the age of 53, only 6 months after his first symptom. Joe was exposed to asbestos approximately 40 years prior while visiting his father at one of the several asbestos plants, and playing on asbestos scrap piles in the small borough of Ambler, a Philadelphia suburb. Marilyn has a Master’s Degree in Human Services Management from The Heller School of Brandeis University, and is the proud Mom of two college students, Joe and Julie. She channels her grief and anger with the asbestos industry by working with ADAO and educating the public about asbestos through her strong Facebook presence.

Kimberly Cecchini, has been a volunteer with ADAO since its inception in 2004, having lost her beloved stepfather, William Shields, to mesothelioma. As a passionate communications professional, she lends her expertise to help ADAO in its efforts to publicize important information about asbestos disease prevention and ban advocacy efforts. She currently serves as Visionary Integration Professionals’ (VIP’s) Vice President of Marketing. Prior to that, she spent more than two decades providing strategic communications to high-growth companies, and has helped to generate five successful acquisitions by Fortune 500 companies. Her vast industry experience encompasses federal contracting, emerging technology, healthcare, policy communications, and a variety of commercial and trade association verticals. Kim is a recognized industry writer, speaker, and thoughtful leader.

Ellen Costa, has been a volunteer with ADAO since 2012 and is honored to be of service to this very special organization; its mission, founders and supporters. Professionally, she has been in the financial services industry for over 25 years and has served firms in marketing, communications, product management and strategic planning. Her current position at Wells Fargo Home Lending is as a strategy consultant in the financial reform regulatory environment. Inspired by Linda Reinstein’s commitment and passion in making change, influencing political policy and advocating for practical issues on a global level, she got involved with the organization. The awareness, family support and leadership ADAO provides in creating the change needed in this world is truly powerful. Most importantly, she believes in Linda Reinstein and is truly privileged to serve the mission of ADAO.

Herman Hamilton, is the Executive Assistant with ADAO. After becoming familiar with the medical and legal aspects of asbestos through his neighbor and longtime friend of 30 years, Dr. Barry Castleman, Herman joined ADAO in January of 2005 as the Veterans Representative. Presently, Herman assists Linda in the day-to-day operations of ADAO and, amongst his many duties, he has been a liaison for other like-minded asbestos groups. He also works with Congressional staffers to set up meetings regarding ongoing legislation. His proudest accomplishment has been his work to defeat the Asbestos Trust Fund. The goal he would like to achieve the most is the passage of legislation for a total ban of asbestos. Outside of ADAO, Herman has served on the Board of Directors of Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland for the past 13 years and counting.

Jessica Mattmuller, grew up in Pennsylvania, but eventually moved to Baltimore, Maryland to attend college. She began dating her husband, Mike in 2007 and married in 2010. But in November of 2012, at the age of 29, their lives took an unexpected turn: Mike was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He received chemotherapy and surgery, and today he is almost a 3 year cancer survivor. Jessica is a creative designer for a home decor company and also creates visual graphics for ADAO and Linda. Due to her personal experience with mesothelioma, Jessica feels a deep responsibility to make a difference and anger that asbestos is not banned. She and her husband hope to keep attending future conferences and continue learning about how they can make a difference.

Celeste Monforton, DrPH is a professorial lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Her research includes assessment of worker health and safety laws and policies, and their effectiveness in protecting workers from illnesses, disability and death. She has published articles on strategies used by economic interests, including the asbestos industry, to manipulate scientific evidence to create uncertainty about health risks in order to delay protective regulatory action and compensation. Prior to her academic appointment, Dr. Monforton was a federal employee at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, 1991-1995) and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA, 1996-2001). Dr. Monforton served on the special panels appointed by the West Virginia Governor to investigate the January 2006 Sago coal mine disaster that took the lives of 12 workers, and the April 2010 disaster at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine that killed 29 workers. Dr. Monforton is an active member of the American Public Health Association, and serves in a leadership position with the organization’s Occupational Health and Safety Section.

Emily Reinstein, is the daughter of ADAO Co-Founder, Linda Reinstein, and is currently a senior at the University of Southern California studying International Relations and minoring in Social Entrepreneurship. Since the age of ten, Emily has worked with her mother and other volunteers to expand ADAO. After helping to build ADAO’s social media network through Facebook and other platforms, as well as co-founding the Emerging Leaders Program, she has seen the importance of international cooperation and the involvement of the younger generation in future endeavors. She currently serves as the Co-Director of Strategic Communications and looks forward to continuously working with the leadership and volunteers to further ADAO’s mission.

Tony Rich, has literally served “in the trenches” as an industrial hygienist and environmental technician in the consulting field for the past 20 years, specializing in asbestos-related work, including: inspection surveys, abatement monitoring/sample analyses, project management, regulatory compliance, and worker training. He has also received microscopy training from McCrone Research Institute for identification of bulk asbestos via polarized-light microscopy (PLM). Through the course of his occupation and personal endeavors, Tony has developed an extensive and compelling collection of asbestos-related photographs, product materials, artifacts, historical books, industry documents, film archives, and other related media which have been utilized in a multitude of applications for various organizations worldwide, including, but not limited to: product and material research, asbestos awareness education blogs, informational presentations, corporate and governmental training programs, regulatory guidance documents, science and trade publications, university textbooks, museum exhibits, and even legal evidence.

Ann Samuelson, is from Seaside, OR. Her father, Stan Grimberg, lost his battle with mesothelioma 32 years ago, ADAO has given Ann an opportunity to volunteer, work with others, and make a difference. She has served as a County Commissioner, is a Director on NW Regional Education Service District Board, and is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the state of Oregon. She holds steadfast in the hope that elected officials will listen and stop this man-made disaster. Ann advocates to ban asbestos in the USA and worldwide and provide compensation for victims, and is proud to be a part of the global growth ADAO has developed through social media, advocacy, and our partners around the world. This is Ann’s second year as a presenter at the ADAO conference.

Sue Ann Taylor – Bio coming soon

Ellen Tunkelrott, Member of the ADAO Board of Directors, is a Senior Contracts Administrator, MBA, CFCM for a small aerospace and defense company in Los Angeles. She resides in Redondo Beach, California. She became friends with Linda and Alan Reinstein through local community volunteer activity. Linda and Ellen collaboratively brainstormed the virtual non-profit site www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org, and Ellen developed the original site based on the concepts and direction from those sessions. She has a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA from Loyola Marymount University. She is a Certified Paralegal and is licensed by the County of Los Angeles as a Legal Document Assistant. Ellen is also a commissioned Notary Public for the State of California. She is self-taught in web design and development. In her spare time, Ellen is an avid photographer, gardener and is a magician member of the prestigious Academy of Magical Arts, located in the world-renowned Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.

Jasmine Uysal, University of Southern California, B.A. Health & Humanities: Global Health, is an ADAO Communications Coordinator Intern, working under President and CEO Linda Reinstein. During her undergraduate studies, Jasmine was involved in a number of health related projects including interning at St. Francis Medical Center and USC Keck Research Lab working on cancer toxicity cell lines. In her free time she enjoys writing, reading, traveling, blogging and photography. Next year, Jasmine will be pursuing a M.P.H. degree in Community Health Sciences – Global Health at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), Fielding School of Public Health. In the future, she intends to focus on implementing sustainable grassroots public health systems in underdeveloped countries within rural communities.

Zeel TV – Bio coming soon

Jordan Zevon, ADAO’s tremendous National Spokesperson is a teacher, singer, and songwriter. Jordan was executive producer for his father, Warren Zevon’s, final album The Wind. He also co-produced Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon, which features an all-star cast of singers and musicians. Jordan recently released his own EP entitled Jordan Zevon which is available from CDBaby.com. Jordan’s immeasurable commitment to asbestos victims and concerned citizens has provided a united voice that will continue to help ensure that their rights are fairly represented and protected, while raising public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and often deadly asbestos related diseases.

Check back next week for the upcoming“Meet the Speakers, Honorees, and ADAO Leadership” blog featuring to our amazing Senate Asbestos Awareness Week Resolution Champions: Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Ed Markey!

In unity,

Linda

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The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, does not make legal referrals.