University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Kain Capital-Backed PERA Holdings Hires Julia Rosen as CIO

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Finance, Hospitals, Consulting, Health Technology, Professional Services, Other Health, Managed Care, Health, General Health, University, MBA, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Organization, Patient, Architecture, Growth, Slalom, Family, Williams College, Nursing, Management

PERA Holdings (“PERA” or “the Company”), a national manager of mid-sized regional hospice and palliative care providers, today announced it has hired Julia Rosen as Chief Information Officer.

Key Points: 
  • PERA Holdings (“PERA” or “the Company”), a national manager of mid-sized regional hospice and palliative care providers, today announced it has hired Julia Rosen as Chief Information Officer.
  • PERA is a portfolio company of Kain Capital, a New York-based private equity firm focused on the technology enablement of healthcare services companies.
  • “We’re delighted to welcome Julia to the PERA family,” said Kris Stice, CEO of PERA.
  • “We are excited to see Julia join the management team at PERA,” said Steven Yecies, Managing Partner at Kain Capital and Co-Chairman of PERA Holdings.

Sean Leighton Assumes Role of Board President at Institute of Food Technologists

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Technology, Fitness & Nutrition, Food, Beverage, Health, Agriculture, Retail, Natural Resources, Science, Other Science, Food Tech, Land, Leighton, Emory University, Bacteriology, CFI, Partnership for Food Safety Education, University, Food safety, MBA, The Coca-Cola Company, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Coca-Cola Starlight, Institute of Food Technologists, Cargill, Partnership, Management

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system, is proud to announce that Sean Leighton has officially assumed the role of Board President succeeding Christopher Downs, PhD.

Key Points: 
  • The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system, is proud to announce that Sean Leighton has officially assumed the role of Board President succeeding Christopher Downs, PhD.
  • Leighton is the global vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory at Cargill.
  • In addition to IFT, Leighton sits on numerous advisory boards, including The Center for Food Safety (University of Georgia), The Center for Food Integrity (CFI), Partnerships for Food Safety Education, and the Food Fraud Think Tank (Michigan State University).
  • “I am incredibly humbled and excited to step into the role of IFT president,” Leighton said.

Experts alone can't handle AI – social scientists explain why the public needs a seat at the table

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Technology, DNA, CRISPR, Industry, University, Interview, Policy, Society, Research, Tech, Asilomar, Government, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Science, Congress, Pandemic, Trust, Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA, Supreme court, Artificial intelligence, Ethics, AI, Hunger, Environment, Asilomar Conference on Beneficial AI, Conference, Medical device, Vaccine, Sales, Facebook

Are democratic societies ready for a future in which AI algorithmically assigns limited supplies of respirators or hospital beds during pandemics?

Key Points: 
  • Are democratic societies ready for a future in which AI algorithmically assigns limited supplies of respirators or hospital beds during pandemics?
  • Or one in which AI fuels an arms race between disinformation creation and detection?
  • Or sways court decisions with amicus briefs written to mimic the rhetorical and argumentative styles of Supreme Court justices?

Ready or not, unintended consequences

    • Striking a balance between the awe-inspiring possibilities of emerging technologies like AI and the need for societies to think through both intended and unintended outcomes is not a new challenge.
    • Societies are severely limited in their ability to anticipate and mitigate unintended consequences of rapidly emerging technologies like AI without good-faith engagement from broad cross-sections of public and expert stakeholders.
    • AI runs a very real risk of creating similar blind spots when it comes to intended and unintended consequences that will often not be obvious to elites like tech leaders and policymakers.
    • Nine in 10 (90.3%) predicted that there will be unintended consequences of AI applications, and three in four (75.9%) did not think that society is prepared for the potential effects of AI applications.

Who gets a say on AI?

    • Industry leaders, policymakers and academics have been slow to adjust to the rapid onset of powerful AI technologies.
    • In 2017, researchers and scholars met in Pacific Grove for another small expert-only meeting, this time to outline principles for future AI research.
    • Meanwhile, there is a hunger among the public for helping to shape our collective future.
    • Only about a quarter of U.S. adults in our 2020 AI survey agreed that scientists should be able “to conduct their research without consulting the public” (27.8%).

A healthy dose of skepticism?

    • Industry leaders have had a hard time disentangling their commercial interests from efforts to develop an effective regulatory system for AI.
    • Much more urgently, societies need to figure out what types of applications AI should be used for, and how.
    • AI might not wipe out humanity anytime soon, but it is likely to increasingly disrupt life as we currently know it.

Trend Innovations Holding, Inc. Appoints Paul Averill as Chief Operating Officer

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Master of Arts, Partnership, University, WebMD, OTCQB, Information technology, Bachelor of Economics, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, School, Hospital, Acquisition, Patient, Engineering, PBM, Artificial intelligence, Growth, Government, AI, Health information exchange, Management, Economics

Mr. Averill has extensive experience in building and managing high performance teams that approach market challenges in creative and innovative ways.

Key Points: 
  • Mr. Averill has extensive experience in building and managing high performance teams that approach market challenges in creative and innovative ways.
  • Trend’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kenneth L. Waggoner, said of the appointment, “Paul is an accomplished technology and operations entrepreneur who excels at developing and executing growth strategies at the highest levels.
  • Mr. Averill said of his appointment as COO, “I am very fortunate and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the Trend Innovations team.
  • Paul Averill received his Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics also from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Colorblind Mississippi State University Students Gain Access to Specially Engineered EnChroma Glasses

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Learning, UCPH Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, MSU, Mississippi State University, College, Fox, Teaching, CVD, Orientation, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Student, Soil science, Illinois State University College of Arts and Sciences, Faculty, Science, Empathy, Nursing, Interior design, EnChroma

STARKVILLE, Miss. and BERKELEY, Calif., April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Distinguishing red and green traffic lights. Determining the correct orientation of a drone from color cues and markings. Discerning color-coded topography lines on maps. These are just some ways colorblindness affects more than 350 million individuals globally, including an estimated 1,200 of the nearly 28,000 Mississippi State University students, faculty and staff who are Color Vision Deficient (CVD) across every discipline.

Key Points: 
  • Mississippi State faculty members in the plant and soil sciences and geosciences departments have partnered with EnChroma, makers of specially engineered glasses that can alleviate obstacles to improve learning and support for colorblind students.
  • EnChroma will provide the glasses—for indoor and outdoor use—for all colorblind MSU students and staff to borrow from the Department of Geosciences.
  • Mississippi State faculty members in the plant and soil sciences and geosciences departments have partnered with EnChroma , makers of specially engineered glasses that can alleviate CVD obstacles, to improve learning and support for colorblind students.
  • Together they gathered support to make EnChroma glasses for colorblindness available for loan to CVD students and staff on campus.

Scientists Discover Volcanic Microbe That Could Unlock New Frontier in Carbon Capture Technology

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Hot, Cyanobacteria, DNA, Communication, Metadata, United Nations, University, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Exploration, Culture, Colorado State University, Carbon dioxide, Research, Carbon, Harvard University, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Biodiversity, Philosophy, University of Palermo (Buenos Aires), Climate change, PHA, IPCC, Machine learning, Water, Biology, Growth, United, LOS, Bacteria, Ecosystem, Health, Environment, CO2, PCR, Agriculture, Sulfur, Rocky Mountains

LOS ANGELES, April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seed Health, a microbiome science company, today announced its latest environmental research collaboration, led by Dr. Braden Tierney and his team at The Two Frontiers Project (2FP), to discover microorganisms that thrive in extreme, CO2-rich environments, empowering novel solutions for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction. Utilizing state-of-the-art scientific methods, the research team has already discovered novel cyanobacteria so efficient at consuming carbon dioxide that they appear to outperform other best-in-class carbon-capturing microbes. The group has already completed the first two expeditions, one off the coast of Sicily and the other in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Funded by Seed Health's environmental division, SeedLabs, this research could help power next-generation carbon sequestration technology.

Key Points: 
  • Funded by Seed Health's environmental division, SeedLabs , this research could help power next-generation carbon sequestration technology.
  • Fossil fuel consumption, deforestation, and industrial activities persistently raise atmospheric CO2 levels, fueling climate change and unprecedented ocean acidification.
  • 2FP's innovative, data-driven approach to studying Earth's CO2-rich environments is uniquely positioned to discover microbes ideal for carbon capture, propelling the development of advanced carbon sequestration technologies.
  • "With SeedLabs, we've already made groundbreaking progress and can continue to mine this research for applications in carbon capture and beyond."

Craig J. Christianson Joins Water Street Healthcare Partners

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, 55 Water Street, Terso Solutions, Water, IBM, Growth, Promega, University, Water Street, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Investment, Pharmaceutical industry

CHICAGO, April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Water Street Healthcare Partners , a strategic investor focused exclusively on the health care industry, announced today that Craig J. Christianson has joined the firm as an executive advisor.

Key Points: 
  • CHICAGO, April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Water Street Healthcare Partners , a strategic investor focused exclusively on the health care industry, announced today that Craig J. Christianson has joined the firm as an executive advisor.
  • He will work with Water Street's team of health care executives and investment professionals to identify and pursue growth opportunities in life sciences businesses.
  • I'm excited to work with Water Street on building businesses that can make a positive impact in life sciences.
  • Water Street is actively pursuing opportunities to grow companies in three key health care sectors: health care services, medical products and diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

Propane Industry Innovations Network, Investments Accelerate Pursuit of Net Zero

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Carbon, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University, Sustainability, Education minister, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Siemens Building Technologies, Clean Cities Coalition Network, Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions, PERC, Micro combined heat and power, Kelp, Colorado State University, Propane, Funding of science, Partnership, Doe, Propane Education and Research Council, WMI, Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, Investment, Climate change, Central Florida, U.S. Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, Houston Advanced Research Center, CCHP, Industrial, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, CHP, Southwest Research Institute, Renewable energy, Pharmaceutical industry, Natural gas, Research

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The propane industry, through its nonprofit the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC), has announced its engagement with nearly a dozen universities, national and private laboratories, and businesses to drive clean energy innovation.

Key Points: 
  • "Propane is paving a wider path toward a net zero future today," said PERC President and CEO Tucker Perkins.
  • "The industry's research and roadmap make it clear that propane is paving a wider path toward a net zero future today," said PERC's President and CEO, Tucker Perkins.
  • "These investments address both efficiency and emissions challenges, a combination we don't always see in other energy solutions being discussed.
  • The journey to net zero is going to take an all of the above approach, and our industry, along with an amazing network of partners, is going to make a clean energy future possible."

Homeward Leader Launches Rural Health Scholarship in Partnership with the American Medical Association Foundation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Nursing, Health Technology, Telemedicine, Virtual Medicine, Other Health, Managed Care, General Health, University, Pharmaceutical, Health, Education, DREAM, AVP, Happiness, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Physician, Health equity, General counsel, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, American Medical Association, Nurse education, DACA, Grave, Pharmacist, Lyle, Rural health, University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, Patient, Pharmacy school, Public, Student, Partnership, Public health, Army, FACS, United States Army, School, Multimedia, Deferred action, American Center, MD, Hospital, Pharmacy, Homeward

Homeward , a company committed to rearchitecting the delivery of health and care in partnership with communities everywhere, starting in rural America, today announced that Homeward General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer Brian Vandenberg has established a new rural health scholarship in partnership with the American Medical Association Foundation (AMAF) and the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association .

Key Points: 
  • Homeward , a company committed to rearchitecting the delivery of health and care in partnership with communities everywhere, starting in rural America, today announced that Homeward General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer Brian Vandenberg has established a new rural health scholarship in partnership with the American Medical Association Foundation (AMAF) and the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association .
  • The rural health scholarship honors Brian Vandenberg’s late father Lyle Vandenberg, a University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy alumnus and community pharmacist who spent over four decades serving Wisconsin residents before passing away in November 2021.
  • Rural communities face complex healthcare challenges, including increasing hospital closures , physician shortages , and limited access to high-quality care.
  • Lyle L. Vandenberg Rural Health Scholarships awarded to medical school students will be underwritten by the Vandenberg Health Equity Fund at the AMAF.

Global Search Firm Calibre One Opens its First Boston Office

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 30, 2023
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BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Calibre One, a leading global executive search boutique specializing in building leadership teams for innovators, entrepreneurs and companies undergoing technology or digital transformation, announces its new Boston location. Molly A. Robb, who will head this new northeast office, has been added as partner specializing in the company's healthcare and life sciences practice working closely with Christos Richards who leads the practice from the west coast.

Key Points: 
  • BOSTON, Jan. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Calibre One, a leading global executive search boutique specializing in building leadership teams for innovators, entrepreneurs and companies undergoing technology or digital transformation, announces its new Boston location.
  • "We're very happy to have Molly join our Calibre One family and to spearhead our newest East Coast presence in the beautiful and historic city of Boston," said Tom Barnes, managing partner.
  • And Molly's additional expertise in the healthcare investment sector will be instrumental in adding value to our already successful healthcare and life sciences practice."
  • She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double emphasis on advertising and mass communications.