Biographies

Robert Buchanan, FDA/CFSAN

Robert Buchanan received his B.S, M.S. M.Phil, and Ph.D. degrees in Food Sciences from Rutgers University, and post-doctoral training in mycotoxicology at the University of Georgia. Dr Buchanan spent 25 years teaching and conducting research in food safety, first in academia, then with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and most recently as the Lead Scientist for the FDA Food Safety Initiative.

His scientific interests are diverse, and include extensive experience in predictive microbiology, quantitative microbial risk assessment, microbial physiology, mycotoxicology, and HACCP systems.

He also has an ongoing interest in the development of science-based public health policy.
In addition to currently serving as the FDA CFSAN Senior Science Advisor, he also served as Deputy administrator for Science with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Dr. Buchanan is a member of the National Academy of Sciences's Institute of Medicine Committee on Emerging Microbiol Threats, and is on the editorial boards of several journals.

He has published approximately 300 manuscripts, book chapters and abstracts on a wide range of subjects related to food safety, and is one of the co-developers of the widely used USDA Pathogen Modeling Program.

Philip DeShong, University of Maryland, College Park

Phil DeShong is a Professor and former Chair of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park. He obtained an undergraduate education at the University of Texas, Austin and was a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following postdoctoral studies in bio-organic chemistry and biochemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Techology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the Pennsylvania State University as a faculty member, then moved to the University of Maryland in 1987. In addition, he has held adjunct faculty positions at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Wurzburg, the University of Zurich, Changwon University (Korea) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

Dr. DeShong's research interests include the development of synthetic methodology and total synthesis of biologically active substances, the synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoproteins, and development of new sensors based on nanotechnology and cell biology. In this last area, he is a member of a highly a collaborative network that includes chemists, cell biologists and microbiologists, and physicists. He has published >75 papers in refereed journals and numerous chapters in books and monographs.

Over the past decade, Dr. DeShong has served many times on a variety of NIH Study Sections, NSF panels, was a member of the Advisory Board for the Journal of Organic Chemistry, and is currently the Chemistry Judge for the Intel Science Talent Search.

Caroline Smith DeWaal, Center for Science in the Public Interest

Caroline Smith DeWaal is the director of the food safety program for the Center for Science in the Public Interest and co-author of Is Our Food Safe? A Consumer’s Guide to Protecting Your Health and the Environment (Three Rivers Press, 2002). She represents CSPI in Congress and in the regulatory arena on such issues as meat and poultry safety, seafood safety, food additives, pesticides and sustainable agriculture, and animal drugs. She also has extensive media exposure on these issues, including appearances on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Nightline, Dateline, and regular coverage on evening network news shows, and in national newspapers, like the Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today.

Ms. DeWaal is the leading consumer analyst on reform of laws and regulations governing food safety. Since 1999, she has maintained and annually published a listing of foodborne illness outbreaks organized by food source that now contains over ten years of outbreaks reports. She has presented CSPI’s outbreak database at numerous scientific conferences, including the American Public Health Association, International Association for Food Protection, and the American Society for Microbiology.

Over the years, Ms. DeWaal has testified before numerous committees of Congress, including the House Committee on Government Operations, House Committee on Commerce, Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. She has presented papers on food safety at over 50 scientific and public policy conferences. She participated in the World Health Organization Strategic Planning on Food Safety and other international meetings. She represented the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations at the 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Meat and Poultry Hygiene in New Zealand. She was a member of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection from 1997-2000. She is currently on the Editorial Board of the Food and Drug Law Journal and a member of the International Association of Food Protection.

Prior to coming to CSPI, Ms. DeWaal was Director of Legal Affairs for Public Voice for Food and Health Policy, where she spearheaded Public Voice's lobbying effort on seafood safety in Congress, at the FDA, and in the media. Ms. DeWaal graduated from the University of Vermont and Antioch School of Law. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.

Heather Douglas, University of Puget Sound

Heather Douglas is currently the Philip M. Phibbs Assistant Professor of Science and Ethics at the University of Puget Sound. Her research focuses on the relationships among science, values, and policy-making, and has been supported by the National Science Foundation. Her work has been published in Philosophy of Science, American Philosophical Quarterly, and Synthese (a journal of epistemology and methodology). She is a member of the Society for Risk Analysis’ Conference and Workshops Committee, and was a co-organizer of the May 2002 forum on regulatory peer review, “Conflict, Consensus, and Credibility.” She received her Ph.D. from the History and Philosophy of Science Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

Leslie Hushka, Ph.D., ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc.

Dr. Hushka holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Toxicology from Northeastern University and a Doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Purdue University. Prior to joining ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc. (EMBSI), she held research and program management positions with the Naval Blood Research Laboratory, General Electric Plastics, and the Chemical Manufacturers Association (now the American Chemistry Council). At EMBSI, Dr. Hushka currently holds the position of Scientific Associate and serves as a science advisor to ExxonMobil on legislative and regulatory issues. Her current research is focused on the appropriate use of health and economic data in regulations and public policy.

Dr. Hushka serves on the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Executive committee as their Treasurer, chairs the Gifts and Grants Committee and has co-chaired the Public Policy Committee. She is an active member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Hushka has testified before EPA and various academic and industry groups on risk assessment guidelines, children's health and the role of peer review in the regulatory process.

Barry Hooberman, FDA/CVM

Dr. Hooberman is a toxicologist whose current primary focus of study is the assessment of risks posed by antimicrobial resistance arising in bacteria from the use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals. He is currently a member of the Risk Assessment Team in the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Previously, he worked as a consultant on human health risk assessment issues addressing environmental, occupational, and food exposure scenarios. Dr. Hoobermen received his Ph.D. in Toxicology and his M.P.H. in Environmental and Industrial Health from the University of Michigan. He is certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

Carol Maczka, USDA/FSIS

Dr. Maczka is the Senior Advisor for Risk Assessment at the Food Safety Inspection Service. In this capacity she provides scientific leadership, direction and guidance on the development, adaptation, and application of risk assessment to address the Agency’s public health and food safety goals. Her previous positions at FSIS included Director of the Risk Assessment Division and the Executive Secretary of the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria in Foods. Prior to joining FSIS, Dr. Maczka served as the Director for the Toxicological and Risk Assessment Program for the National Academies of Science’s Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of risk assessment and has held positions in government and private industry. She has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology/Toxicology from George Washington University.

Mohammad Modarres, University of Maryland, College Park

Mohammad Modarres is Professor of Reliability Engineering and Director of the Center for Technology Risk Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research areas are probabilistic risk assessment, uncertainty analysis, functional modeling, and development of real-time intelligent systems for fault diagnosis. In the past 20 years that he has been with the University of Maryland, he has served as a consultant to several governmental agencies, private organizations and national laboratories in areas related to risk analysis. Professor Modarres has over 150 papers in archival journals and proceedings of conferences, three books, one handbook, four edited books and 5 book chapters in various areas of risk and reliability engineering. He is a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and a fellow of the American Nuclear Society. Dr. Modarres received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980, and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977.

Jeff Morris, EPA/ Office of Science Policy

Jeff Morris is Associate Director for Science of the Office of Science Policy (OSP), which is part of EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD). As Associate Director, Jeff is responsible for managing OSP's science functions, which include coordinating the planning of EPA's research program; oversight over ORD's process for providing scientific input into Agency decisions; and ensuring that ORD's research is communicated to and coordinated with clients such as EPA's program and regional offices, and stakeholders that include state and local governments, Indian tribes, and the environmental justice community. Prior to joining ORD in 1998, Jeff managed chemical reviews in EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs. Jeff's background is in economics. He has been with EPA since 1992, and has graduate degrees from Ohio University and the University of Maryland.

Dorothy E. Patton, Consultant

Dorothy E. Patton’s 24-year tenure with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency included positions as Director of the Office of Science Policy, Executive Director of the Science Policy Council and Executive Director of the Risk Assessment Forum. In these positions, she was responsible for developing and implementing risk assessment policies and practices, environmental research planning and prioritization, and long-range strategic planning, all in line with Congressional mandates or recommendations from science advisory bodies. Since retiring from EPA in July 2000, Dr. Patton’s has been a consultant with the ILSI Risk Science Institute and has organized workshops for government agencies, professional societies, and other organizations. Dr. Patton began her EPA career as an attorney in EPA’s Office of General Counsel, where she worked on air, pesticides, and toxic substances issues. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, with other teaching experience as an assistant professor (biology) at York College of the City University of New York, and leading training workshops for risk assessment professionals.

Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Donald W. Schaffner is Extension Specialist in Food Science and Professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

His research interests include quantitative microbial risk assessment and predictive food microbiology. Dr. Schaffner has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and abstracts. He has educated thousands of Food Industry professionals through numerous short courses and workshops in the United States and more than a dozen countries around the world.

Dr. Schaffner was recently a member of a US National Academy of Sciences expert committee reviewing the use of scientific criteria and performance standards for safe food. He chaired two World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization expert workshops on the development of exposure assessment and risk characterization guidelines for microbiological hazards in food in 2001 and 2003. He is currently a member of Institute of Food Technologists Expert Panel developing a quantitative risk ranking framework for the Food and Drug Administration.

He has most recently been appointed as member of a FAO/WHO sponsored consultative process on a “review of the provision of scientific advice to FAO/WHO”, where his specific charge is to draft guidelines on means for accessing best data and ensuring effective data management.

Dr. Schaffner is active in several scientific associations including the International Association for Food Protection, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Society for Risk Analysis, and the American Society for Microbiology. He holds a B.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia.

James D. Schaub, USDA/ORACBA

James D. Schaub is Director of the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis at the United States Department of Agriculture. He leads a comprehensive program for risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis focusing on human health and safety, animal diseases, plant diseases, invasive species, and environmental health. As leader of the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis, he is responsible for integrating science and economics. Dr. Schaub serves on the Department’s Homeland Security Group charged with protection of the food supply and agricultural production. He is vice-chair of USDA’s Food Safety Risk Assessment Committee, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, and serves on the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee of the United Nations Environment Program. From 1991 to 2001, he was a senior economist in the Office of the Chief Economist of USDA where his work involved food safety, livestock markets, and trade. From 1979 to 1991, Dr. Schaub was a research economist with USDA’s Economic Research Service where his work focused on oilseed markets and trade policy. He received his Ph.D. in economics from North Carolina State University.

Margo Schwab, PhD

Public Health Policy Analyst, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget November 2002 to present

OMB Responsibilities: Public health, epidemiology, exposure assessment, and risk analysis in support of reviewing public health and environmental science based rules, assessment of epidemiological study designs, agency risk assessments and guidance documents, implementation of the information quality guidelines and issues associated with peer review

Previous Professional Experience: Faculty, Department of Epidemiology and 
Assistant Director of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, , Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 1998-2002; Research Manager, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa, 1996-1998; Project Director, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 1995-1996; Research Scientist, Mantech Environmental (contractor to US Environmental Protection Agency), 1991-1995; Research Associate, Harvard School of Public Health, 1988-1991

Education: Ph.D, in Geography, Clark University, 1988; BA in Environmental Studies and Geography, University of Washington, 1982

Richard Williams, FDA/CFSAN

Dr. Williams joined the FDA in 1980 after receiving a PhD. in Economics from Virginia Tech and is currently the Director of the Division of Market Studies (DMS) in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The Division includes economists, statisticians, epidemiologists, physicians, psychologists, sociologists, nutritionists and agricultural economists. His staff is responsible for diverse research including consumer research related to First Amendment issues, estimating benefits, risks and costs of regulations affecting food safety, labeling, biosecurity, and gathering and analyzing epidemiological data in support of regulations and enforcement actions. Dr. Williams has negotiated the United States’ position on various matters under the U.S./Canada Free Trade Act. In addition, Dr. Williams is currently responsible for developing a series of courses in risk analysis for food risk management as a part of both JIFSAN and the Staff College. He is an expert in risk analysis, particularly risk management, and has recently published papers on risk trade-offs. He is also an expert on regulatory flexibility for small businesses.