2023 Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference Honorees and Keynote Speaker - ADAO

Posted on August 9, 2023

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is proud to release the list of honorees for our upcoming 18th Annual International Asbestos Awareness & Prevention Conference. The ADAO conference, which will take place in Washington, D.C. on September 9, 2023, combines expert opinions, victims’ stories, and new technological advancements from 5 countries across the globe into one united voice raising awareness about asbestos. ADAO is the only U.S. nonprofit that organizes annual conferences dedicated solely to preventing asbestos exposure and eliminating asbestos-caused diseases.

2023 Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference Honorees and Keynote Speaker

Kathleen McGrory, Investigative Journalist, from ProPublica will deliver the Andrew Schneider Memorial Lecture
AFL-CIO will be recognized with The Tribute of Inspiration Award for their unwavering commitment to ending the scourge of asbestos in the United States.
International Association of Fire Fighters will be recognized with The Tribute of Unity Award for their steadfast commitment to awareness, prevention, and policy to eliminate asbestos-related diseases.
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network will be recognized with The Tribute of Hope Award for their steadfast commitment to awareness, prevention, and policy to eliminate asbestos-related diseases.
Dr. Henry Anderson will be honored with The Dr. Irving Selikoff ] Award in honor of his tireless dedication to increasing awareness and prevention efforts to eliminate asbestos-caused diseases.
Chris Carberg will be recognized with The Alan Reinstein Award for his commitment to education, advocacy, and providing support to countless patients and families.
Martin Ditkof will be recognized with The Alan Reinstein Award for his commitment to education, advocacy, and providing support to countless patients and families.

Keynote Speaker and Honoree Bios

The Andrew Schneider Memorial Lecture

Kathleen McGrory, Investigative Journalist, ProPublica

Kathleen McGrory is a reporter on ProPublica’s national staff. She and colleague Neil Bedi won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for an investigation that found a Florida sheriff’s office had harassed residents and profiled schoolchildren. The series prompted two federal reviews of the agency and the formation of a community coalition. Before that, McGrory and Bedi were finalists for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for their articles about patient fatalities at a Johns Hopkins children’s hospital. That body of work led to the resignation of the hospital’s CEO and other top executives, as well as more than $40 million in settlements for affected families. McGrory began her career at the Miami Herald and later became an investigative reporter and editor at the Tampa Bay Times. She holds degrees from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and she is an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. She and her husband are the proud parents of a toddler.

The Tribute of Inspiration Award

AFL-CIO

The Tribute of Unity Award

International Association of Fire Fighters

Edward A. Kelly is a third-generation fire fighter and 10th General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters. As General President, he has prioritized the needs of rank-and-file members and ensured the union is focused on protecting the health and safety of fire fighters, emergency medical, and rescue workers. Kelly was elected at the IAFF’s 55th Convention in March 2021. He was previously the union’s General Secretary-Treasurer from 2016-2021.

The grandson, son, and brother of fire fighters, Kelly joined the Boston Fire Department in 1997, assigned to Ladder Company 17. He has been involved in several high-profile responses, including working on the Technical Rescue Team that assisted at the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire, the attacks on the World Trade Center, and the Boston Marathon bombing.

Kelly rapidly climbed the ranks of organized labor, serving as president of Local 718 before becoming president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts in 2011. He held that role until he was elected IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer.

A proud military veteran, Kelly served as a fire fighter in the U.S. Air Force before joining the Boston Fire Department.

The Tribute of Hope Award

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and ACS Cancer Action Network, is an esteemed cancer leader, researcher, and advocate. Her commitment lies in ensuring everyone benefits from ACS’s work in eradicating cancer.

Previously, as EVP of Oncology Services and enterprise director at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, she made impactful contributions to cancer outcomes. As a National Cancer Institute-funded researcher and former AACI president, she understands the government’s critical role in cancer-related life-saving efforts.

Currently, she holds leadership roles with nationally important cancer entities, serving on multiple advisory boards including the NCI and ASCO. She’s also an ex-president of AACI and former board member of AACR.

With academic qualifications from George Washington University, UC San Diego, and Temple University, Dr. Knudsen lives in Philadelphia with her family.

The Dr. Irving Selikoff Award

Dr. Henry Anderson

Henry A. Anderson, MD, received his M.D. degree in 1972 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; certified in 1977 by the American Board of Preventive Medicine with a sub-specialty in occupational and environmental medicine; became a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (1983) and elected a Collegium Ramazzini Fellow (1990). His research (1972-1980) began with Dr. Selikoff investigating household and environmental asbestos exposure. He served as Wisconsin Chief Medical Officer and Environmental and Occupational Disease Epidemiologist, establishing mesothelioma and asbestosis surveillance and asbestos exposure studies of school teachers and building maintenance workers (1980-2016). He holds adjunct professorships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, and the Institute for Environmental Studies, Center for Human Studies. Throughout his career he served on many US EPA and HHS committees that addressed asbestos. He works closely with volunteer advocacy organizations.

The Alan Reinstein Award

Chris Carberg

Chris Carberg is a passionate digital health advocate and the founder of Mesothelioma Hope. He used the heart-wrenching experience of caring for his father during a service-related cancer battle to fuel his mission: providing a beacon of hope for families fighting mesothelioma.

To create a supportive online space, Chris bridged talent and technology, developing essential resources that educate readers about their options, maximize the precious time families have left, and uplift those battling mesothelioma.

Through digital advocacy, Chris has aimed to transform the journey for so many in the mesothelioma community, providing solace and a sense of belonging during their most challenging times. His deep-rooted dedication enables him to form personal connections with patients, amplifying their stories and preserving their legacies for years to come.

Martin Ditkof

Martin Ditkof has been involved in asbestos related issues since losing his father to Mesothelioma in 1981 and then, later in his career, working as an inhouse attorney for corporations. His goal is public education focused on asbestos history. In reaching for this goal, he is currently attending the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Master of Arts in History program where his research involves asbestos history, runs his website at www.TheAsbestosBlog.com, writes weekly asbestos-related blogs posted on that website, provides historical asbestos documents to an international network of friends, and focuses on asbestos issues affecting workers in underdeveloped countries such as Bangladesh. He is married with four adult children.