Speaker Information

Dr. Whittemore received a B.S. in zoology from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, MN. She did post-doctoral training at the University of California, Irvine, and at the Karolinska Institute. She was on the faculty of the University of Miami School of Medicine before turning to work with non-profit organizations in 1994 including the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, Genetic Alliance, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), and the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics. Dr. Whittemore joined the staff of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health in August 2011 where she oversees a grant portfolio focused on the underlying mechanisms of the epilepsies, including the genetic causes of the epilepsies, animal models, translational and clinical epilepsy studies, and SUDEP.

Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., was selected Director of NINDS on June 11, 2015. Dr. Koroshetz joined NINDS in 2007 as Deputy Director, and he served as Acting Director from October 2014 through June 2015. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of NINDS under Dr. Story Landis. Together, they directed program planning and budgeting, and oversaw the scientific and administrative functions of the Institute. He has held leadership roles in a number of NIH and NINDS programs including the NIH’s BRAIN Initiative, the Traumatic Brain Injury Center collaborative effort between the NIH intramural program and the Uniformed Health Services University, and the multi-year work to develop and establish the NIH Office of Emergency Care Research to coordinate NIH emergency care research and research training.

Jessica Maya is a dedicated research scientist with a diverse range of interests, recently specializing in immune cell dysfunction in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). With a solid foundation in Molecular Biology and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she previously conducted research in the field of cystic fibrosis. During her Ph.D. in Genetics, Genomics, and Development at Cornell University, Jessica delved into the intricate mechanisms contributing to ME/CFS disease onset and progression. Alongside her research, she has diligently cultivated her science communication and presentation skills to convey the complexities of her work to all audiences effectively.

Brent L. Williams, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Pathology & Cell Biology at Columbia University Medical Center in the Center for Infection and Immunity. Dr. Williams has conducted microbiology and epidemiology research for the past 25 years. His research broadly investigates the relationship between the microbiome and human disease, with a focus on the role of the microbiome in the gut-brain and gut-immune axes and its influence on neurodevelopment, behavior, gastrointestinal dysfunction, infection, and cancer. He has led microbiome research efforts for two multi-institutional studies of ME/CFS patients in the U.S.; the Chronic Fatigue Initiative Pathogen Discovery and Pathogenesis Program and the Center for Solutions for ME/CFS. His and his colleagues’ recent research, published earlier this year in Cell Host & Microbe, investigated the gut microbiome of ME/CFS patients compared to healthy individuals in the largest multi-site, case-control study to date. Employing a multi-omics approach, his findings demonstrated substantial gut microbiome dysbiosis in ME/CFS; evidenced by compositional, ecological, and metabolic abnormalities. His findings also demonstrated an intriguing association between gut bacteria and the severity of fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS patients. Dr. Williams’ future research aims to investigate causal relationships between the microbiome and ME/CFS symptoms and to further characterize and validate optimal microbiome-derived biomarkers for ME/CFS.

Joseph Breen, PhD, is the Immunoregulation Section Chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAIDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland. Dr. Breen has been a member or the Trans-NIH Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Working Group.

Richard Simpson is a parent of two children living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Richard works at the UK charity, Invest in ME Research. The organization concentrates on three key areas in order to facilitate and fund biomedical research – research, education and advocacy. Every year since 2006, Invest in ME Research has arranged the International ME Conference and Research Colloquium events that attract world renowned presenters.

Jamie Seltzer is the Director of Scientific and Medical Outreach for the infection-associated neurological illness, ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome). Jamie is responsible for fostering communication between research scientists, clinicians, and people with myalgic encephalomyelitis. Ongoing projects include: Symptom Cluster Characterization in Complex Chronic Disease (#SC4D); Postcards to Doctors; and a seminar series on Long COVID.

Linda Tannenbaum is Founder and CEO of Open Medicine Foundation (OMF). Linda is a clinical laboratory scientist with a degree in bacteriology from UCLA. Prior to founding OMF, she ran and co-owned a clinical laboratory for over two decades. Linda established OMF in 2012 to raise funds and facilitate large-scale collaborative research with the goal of developing diagnostic tools, effective treatments, and prevention strategies for ME/CFS and related diseases.