Jan N. Basile, MD, FACP, FASH, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
Medical University of South Carolina
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Previous Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs AHA Council of Hypertension
US National Leader SURPASS-CVOT
Charleston, SC

Dr. Jan N. Basile earned his medical degree in 1978 from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He then completed his internship and residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where he was also Chief Resident. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American Society of Hypertension (FASH), and the American Heart Association (FAHA). For many years he served on the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) Board of Directors and has served within the AHA as Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs on the Council of Hypertension.

His honors and awards include the MUSC School of Medicine Excellence in Teaching award, the Golden Apple award, and, in 2014, he was the first recipient of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Hypertension Physician of the Year award. In 2019, he received the Marvin Moser Clinical Hypertension Award from the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension. He was President of the Southern Medical Association from 2008-2009.

Currently, he is Professor of Medicine at MUSC in the Division of Cardiology. He spent 31 years at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center while faculty at MUSC, having retired from federal service as Chief of Primary Care in 2009. He remains a volunteer at the VA, his 45th year at that hospital. At MUSC, he continues to teach all 3rd year medical students clinical hypertension during their 3rd year core medicine rotation and currently sees clinical patients enrolled in research trials on the role of renal denervation in controlling hypertension.

Dr. Basile’s career research interests include outcome-based clinical trials involving hypertension, lipid disorders, and diabetes. He has been involved in many large hypertension trials that have defined how we treat hypertension including the NHLBI sponsored ALLHAT, ACCORD, SPRINT and SPRINT-MIND trials. In addition, he has been a principal investigator for the ACCOMPLISH, VALUE, ONTARGET, and TRANSCEND trials. Most recently, he has been involved in diabetes outcome trials with GLP1RA's including REWIND and is the US National Leader for the SURPASS-CV Outcome Trial comparing Dulaglutide with the dual-agonist Tirzepatide.

Dr Basile was a contributing reviewer of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) and the 2017 ACC-AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. He has published more than 400 original papers, abstracts, and book chapters, as well as a textbook, Hot Topics: Hypertension. He continues to be a contributing author for the hypertension section of “Up To Date”.

Albert J. Hicks III, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Section Chief Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant
Medical Director Heart Transplant
Baltimore, MD

Dr. Albert J. Hicks is an Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiologist. He completed his fellowship in Cardiology and Advanced Heart Failure at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Hicks previously worked at Baylor Scott and White in Temple, Texas where he served as the Medical Director of the Advanced Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Cardiac Transplantation, as well as the Associate Program Director of the Cardiology Fellowship. He joined the faculty of University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2021 where he currently serves as an Assistant Professor, Section Chief Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant, and Medical Director of Heart Transplant.

Heather M. Johnson, MD, MS, MMM, FAHA, FACC, FASPC
Cardiologist & Preventive Cardiologist
Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute
Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Clinical Affiliate Associate Professor
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Heather M. Johnson is a Cardiologist and Preventive Cardiologist at the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute of Boca Raton Regional Hospital/Baptist Health South Florida, and a Clinical Affiliate Associate Professor of Florida Atlantic University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, Master of Population Health, and Doctor of Medicine degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She graduated with Honors from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a Master of Medical Management. Prior to moving to Boca Raton, Florida, she practiced as a Noninvasive Cardiologist and Preventive Cardiologist for 10 years at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and served as an Associate Professor with Tenure at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Johnson is a leader in population health, heart disease prevention, and women’s health and has led multiple research studies funded through the National Institute of Health. Dr. Johnson is a guest medical expert on television newscasts, radio shows, and podcasts and is active with multiple medical organizations including the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and American Society of Preventive Cardiology.

Kristen Kulasa, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Director, Inpatient Glycemic Control
Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
University of California, San Diego
San Diego, CA

Dr. Kristen Kulasa is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the UC San Diego Medical Center in San Diego, California. In her current role as the Director of Inpatient Glycemic Control, she oversees the Clinical Diabetes Nurse Educators and leads the Inpatient Glycemic Control Committee for her hospital. In these roles, Dr. Kulasa has become recognized for her expertise and is seen as an innovative leader in glycemic control. She is also a mentor for The Society of Hospital Medicine, assisting other hospitals in improving inpatient glycemic control using SHM's mentored implementation framework. Dr. Kulasa earned her medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at UC San Diego.

Michelle L. Look, MD, FAAFP, ABOM
Family Practice – Obesity Medicine Physician
San Diego Sports Medicine Weight and Wellness Center
San Diego, CA

Dr. Michelle L. Look is board certified in family, sports and obesity medicine and is in private practice at San Diego Sports Medicine Weight and Wellness. Over the years, she has served as principal investigator of numerous clinical trials assessing pharmacotherapies for obesity as well as authoring several published articles on obesity medicine in primary care.

Her affiliations span a number of interests and organizations, to include diplomate, American Board of Obesity Medicine; board member, American Heart Association, San Diego Chapter; former national medical director, Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure®; and national team physician, USA Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens and Fifteens teams. In 2021 she served as the Tokyo 2020 Tournament Medical Director for both Men’s and Women’s Olympic Rugby tournaments.

Dr. Look’s excellence in medical practice, as well as her service to her local and global community, was recognized by San Diego Magazine and the San Diego County Medical Society when she was lauded as one of the city’s “Top Doctors” in family and sports medicine in 2006, and 2008-2021.

Dr. Look received her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and is board certified in family medicine, sports medicine, and obesity medicine.

Brian Pearlman, MD, FACP, FAASLD, AAHIVS
Medical Director, Center for Hepatitis C, Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center
Professor of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia
Professor of Medicine, Emory School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA

Dr. Brian Pearlman is the Medical Director for Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center's Center for Hepatitis C in Atlanta, Georgia, and is Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and Professor of Medicine at Emory School of Medicine. He completed his medical degree at the University of Miami and post-graduate training at both the University of Texas, Southwestern and Baylor University Medical Center.

Dr. Pearlman is Fellow for the American College of Physicians, and Fellow for the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease as well as certified by the American Academy of HIV Medicine. He is also a member of the American Gastroenterological Association. He had sit on the Board of Directors for The American Liver Foundation, Southeast Chapter.

Dr. Pearlman is widely published in leading journals such as The Lancet, JAMA,Gastroenterology, Hepatology, The Lancet Infectious Disease, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the American Journal of Medicine. He is active in both patient care and in teaching physicians. He has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards, and is an active investigator in multiple liver-related clinical trials, some of which were in collaboration with the CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis.

David Sadava, PhD
Adjunct Professor of Cancer Cell Biology
City of Hope Medical Center
Duarte, CA
Pritzker Family Foundation Professor of Biology, Emeritus
The Keck Science Center
Claremont, CA

Dr. David Sadava is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the City of Hope Medical Center and Pritzker Professor of Biology, Emeritus, at The Keck Science Center, Claremont, California.

Dr. Sadava graduated from Carleton University as science medalist. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he received a Ph.D. in cellular biology from the University of California at San Diego. Following research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he joined the faculty at Claremont. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Colorado and at the California Institute of Technology. He currently serves as an Advisory Board member at the Keck Graduate Institute and at the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics and is a trustee emeritus of Western University of Health Sciences.

A bench scientist throughout his career, he has held numerous research grants and written over 60 peer-reviewed scientific research papers. For the past 30 years, his research has focused on resistance to chemotherapy in human lung cancer, with a view to developing new, plant and mold-based medicines to treat this disease. Much of this work has been presented at clinical conferences and published in leading journals. He is the co-author of five books, including the upcoming twelfth edition of a leading biology textbook, “Life: The Science of Biology”; a new innovative conceptual text, Principles of Life”; and “Plants, Genes and Crop Biotechnology”. Committed to educating the general public, he has presented innumerable public talks on biological topics and has given free public courses on cancer. He created two highly successful video series, “What Science Knows about Cancer” and “Understanding Genetics: DNA, Genes and Their Real-World Applications” for Wondrium - The Great Courses.

Roger D. Seheult, MD
Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Optum California, Redlands, CA
Associate Clinical Professor
UC Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Loma Linda, CA

Dr. Roger D. Seheult, MD is a Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Specialist in Redlands with Optum California. He has dual academic appointments as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine and Physician Assistant Sciences at the Loma Linda University Schools of Medicine and Allied Health Professions respectively. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. Dr. Seheult completed his Fellowship and Residency training at Loma Linda University and is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Seheult is the co-founder of MEDCram, an on-line medical education company.

Pam R. Taub, MD, FACC, FAPSC
Professor of Medicine
University of California San Diego School of Medicine
Founding Director of the Step Family Foundation Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Center
San Diego, CA

Dr. Pam R. Taub is a board-certified cardiologist and internationally recognized expert in cardiometabolic disease. She is the founding director of the Step Family Foundation Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Center and Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego. Dr. Taub was responsible for all aspects of creating the center, which provides a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program for patients with established heart disease.

Her clinical practice focuses on preventive cardiology, lipidology, as well as women's cardiovascular health. Her research focuses on assessing the impact of behavioral, technological, and pharmacological interventions on cardiometabolic disease. Dr. Taub's is a federally funded researcher with funding from: the National Institutes of Health (Principal Investigator on R01 grant), Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and American Heart Association. She is an experienced clinical trialist and serves on the executive committee for multiple international clinical trials focused on novel cardiovascular therapies.

Dr. Taub is widely published (with over 100 publications) and has authored high impact publications in top peer-reviewed journals including Cell Metabolism and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that have made an impact on clinical practice.

Dr. Taub holds multiple leadership positions in professional societies, serving as a fellow and board member for the American Society of Preventive Cardiology. She is a fellow and member of the American College of Cardiology Prevention of CV Disease Section Leadership Council. She also serves the Vice-Chair of the American Heart Association Council Women in Cardiology Committee.

Andrew W. Urban, MD
Infectious Disease and HIV Specialist
Madison, WI

Dr. Andrew W. Urban is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and completed his Internal Medicine residency and fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Wisconsin. His past positions include Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease at the University of Wisconsin and Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, WI. He has received numerous teaching awards and has been extensively involved in undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education. His clinical interests include primary care of individuals with HIV and consultative general infectious diseases.