scientific advisory board
Rita Colwell, PhD
Distinguished University Professor,
University of Maryland, College Park
Rita Colwell is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, senior advisor and chairman emeritus at Canon US Life Sciences, Inc., and president and chairman of CosmosID, Inc.
Dr. Rita Colwell’s interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. Dr. Colwell developed an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world, in collaboration with Safe Water Network, headquartered in New York City.
She served as the eleventh director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1998 to 2004. In her capacity as NSF director, she served as co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. Before joining NSF, Dr. Colwell was president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and a professor of microbiology and biotechnology. She was also a member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990.
She has held many advisory positions in the U.S. government, nonprofit science policy organizations, and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. Colwell is a nationally-respected scientist and educator, and has authored or co-authored 19 books and more than 800 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film, “Invisible Seas,” and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals, including GeoHealth, which she founded at AGU in 2015.
Dr. Colwell has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology and also as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Microbiology, the Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, the International Union of Microbiological Societies, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
Dr. Colwell is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Irish Academy, the Bangladesh Academy of Science, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Colwell is an honorary member of the microbiological societies of the UK, Australia, France, Israel, Bangladesh, Czechoslovakia, Royal Irish Academy and the U.S. She has held several honorary professorships, including the University of Queensland, Australia.
Colwell has been awarded 62 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education, including her alma mater, Purdue University.
A geological site in Antarctica, called Colwell Massif, has been named in recognition of her work in the Polar Regions.
Rita Colwell, PhD
Distinguished University Professor,
University of Maryland, College Park
Rita Colwell is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, senior advisor and chairman emeritus at Canon US Life Sciences, Inc., and president and chairman of CosmosID, Inc.
Dr. Rita Colwell’s interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. Dr. Colwell developed an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world, in collaboration with Safe Water Network, headquartered in New York City.
She served as the eleventh director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1998 to 2004. In her capacity as NSF director, she served as co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. Before joining NSF, Dr. Colwell was president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and a professor of microbiology and biotechnology. She was also a member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990.
She has held many advisory positions in the U.S. government, nonprofit science policy organizations, and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. Colwell is a nationally-respected scientist and educator, and has authored or co-authored 19 books and more than 800 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film, “Invisible Seas,” and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals, including GeoHealth, which she founded at AGU in 2015.
Dr. Colwell has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology and also as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Microbiology, the Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, the International Union of Microbiological Societies, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
Dr. Colwell is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Irish Academy, the Bangladesh Academy of Science, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Colwell is an honorary member of the microbiological societies of the UK, Australia, France, Israel, Bangladesh, Czechoslovakia, Royal Irish Academy and the U.S. She has held several honorary professorships, including the University of Queensland, Australia.
Colwell has been awarded 62 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education, including her alma mater, Purdue University.
A geological site in Antarctica, called Colwell Massif, has been named in recognition of her work in the Polar Regions.
Leigh A. Frame, PhD, MHS
Program Director, Integrative Medicine
Executive Director, Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Dr. Leigh Frame earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with Distinction in the Major from Mary Baldwin College (now Mary Baldwin University) in Staunton, Va. She is a double graduate of the prestigious Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Md., where she earned a Master of Health Science in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and a Doctor of Philosophy in International Health: Human Nutrition.
Dr. Frame brings nutrition and immunity together through clinical/translational research. She is especially interested in the role of vitamin D as an immune modulatory hormone. Dr. Frame is reestablishing her research at GW and working to build a GW Integrative Medicine research program. Her interests include the potential role of the microbiome and nutrition in health, the consequences of malnutrition in obesity, research ethics, and social media.
Dr. Frame has used her wide-ranging experience in biomedical research (from wet bench to clinical research) to oversee research programs, including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Parkinson’s Disease Biomarkers Program (PDBP). She has extensive experience in the design of studies of all sizes and phases of research including secure, accurate data collection and data safety and management.
Along with strengthening and cultivating the footprint of evidence-based Integrative Medicine at GW, Dr. Frame is broadening the foundation used to prepare students for professional certifications, with an emphasis on expanding nutrition education. She is also tapping into new and existing medical education resources within and beyond GW.
“GW is uniquely situated as a university that is growing and very forward-thinking,” she said. “It has its finger on the pulse of medicine and Integrative Medicine, which is the future of health care.”
Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S.
Gastroenterologist and Internist, Mayo Clinic
The research program of Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S., focuses on the epidemiology, risk factors and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). As the most common infection in hospitals, CDI is an urgent public health threat with high mortality and recurrence rates. With an epidemic of this infection seen in the community, there is an emergent need to study the epidemiology and novel risk factors.
Dr. Khanna leads Mayo Clinic’s clinical and research program involving fecal microbiota transplantation for CDI, performs clinical trials for treatment of CDI, and studies the role of the gut microbiome in the management and outcomes of CDI.
Jose M. Saavedra, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, and Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Jose Saavedra is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a pediatrician, gastroenterologist, investigator, educator, and medical and scientific business executive.
Dr. Saavedra carried out ground-breaking work in the area of probiotics in pediatrics, and has an extensive record of publications in nutrition, and in the area of intestinal microbiota, immunity, and preventive nutritional strategies. During his career he also worked as Medical Director for Nestlé Nutrition in North America, and most recently as Global Chief Medical Officer for Nestlé Nutrition. Throughout this tenure, he expanded scientific innovation, and enhanced educational and research activities focused on infant and childhood health. He spearheaded a number of collaborative initiatives, many on education and dissemination of nutrition knowledge, focused on Early Childhood Nutrition Education, with pediatric and nutrition societies and organizations globally, including NASPGHAN, ESPGHAN, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Academies of Science in Washington DC., and UNESCO.
His unique expertise combines a comprehensive scientific understanding of all aspects of basic science, clinical, and applied nutrition, together with deep understanding of social context and the public health environment, including government and regulatory perspectives. He recently published a book entirely dedicated to the impact of early life nutrition on life-long health consequences, focusing on nutrition in the first 1,000 days as society’s biggest opportunity for progress. Dr. Saavedra is Chairman of the Board of the Nestle Nutrition Institute.
Leigh A. Frame, PhD, MHS
Program Director, Integrative Medicine
Executive Director, Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Dr. Leigh Frame earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with Distinction in the Major from Mary Baldwin College (now Mary Baldwin University) in Staunton, Va. She is a double graduate of the prestigious Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Md., where she earned a Master of Health Science in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and a Doctor of Philosophy in International Health: Human Nutrition.
Dr. Frame brings nutrition and immunity together through clinical/translational research. She is especially interested in the role of vitamin D as an immune modulatory hormone. Dr. Frame is reestablishing her research at GW and working to build a GW Integrative Medicine research program. Her interests include the potential role of the microbiome and nutrition in health, the consequences of malnutrition in obesity, research ethics, and social media.
Dr. Frame has used her wide-ranging experience in biomedical research (from wet bench to clinical research) to oversee research programs, including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Parkinson’s Disease Biomarkers Program (PDBP). She has extensive experience in the design of studies of all sizes and phases of research including secure, accurate data collection and data safety and management.
Along with strengthening and cultivating the footprint of evidence-based Integrative Medicine at GW, Dr. Frame is broadening the foundation used to prepare students for professional certifications, with an emphasis on expanding nutrition education. She is also tapping into new and existing medical education resources within and beyond GW.
“GW is uniquely situated as a university that is growing and very forward-thinking,” she said. “It has its finger on the pulse of medicine and Integrative Medicine, which is the future of health care.”
Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S.
Gastroenterologist and Internist, Mayo Clinic
The research program of Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S., focuses on the epidemiology, risk factors and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). As the most common infection in hospitals, CDI is an urgent public health threat with high mortality and recurrence rates. With an epidemic of this infection seen in the community, there is an emergent need to study the epidemiology and novel risk factors.
Dr. Khanna leads Mayo Clinic’s clinical and research program involving fecal microbiota transplantation for CDI, performs clinical trials for treatment of CDI, and studies the role of the gut microbiome in the management and outcomes of CDI.
Jose M. Saavedra, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, and Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Jose Saavedra is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a pediatrician, gastroenterologist, investigator, educator, and medical and scientific business executive.
Dr. Saavedra carried out ground-breaking work in the area of probiotics in pediatrics, and has an extensive record of publications in nutrition, and in the area of intestinal microbiota, immunity, and preventive nutritional strategies. During his career he also worked as Medical Director for Nestlé Nutrition in North America, and most recently as Global Chief Medical Officer for Nestlé Nutrition. Throughout this tenure, he expanded scientific innovation, and enhanced educational and research activities focused on infant and childhood health. He spearheaded a number of collaborative initiatives, many on education and dissemination of nutrition knowledge, focused on Early Childhood Nutrition Education, with pediatric and nutrition societies and organizations globally, including NASPGHAN, ESPGHAN, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Academies of Science in Washington DC., and UNESCO.
His unique expertise combines a comprehensive scientific understanding of all aspects of basic science, clinical, and applied nutrition, together with deep understanding of social context and the public health environment, including government and regulatory perspectives. He recently published a book entirely dedicated to the impact of early life nutrition on life-long health consequences, focusing on nutrition in the first 1,000 days as society’s biggest opportunity for progress. Dr. Saavedra is Chairman of the Board of the Nestle Nutrition Institute.
