Director, Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, initially at the Hackney Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, London E2, and currently Imperial College London. He obtained his Doctorate in Chemical Pathology at the Royal Post-Graduate Medical School, in London, spent several years working in East Africa at Makerere College, had a Wellcome Trust Fellowship to the University of Uppsala, Sweden and then headed biochemistry at the Institute of Comparative Medicine London. NW1, He had a Special Chair at the University of Nottingham, UK.
Research Interests: Professor Crawford reported the dependence of the brain on docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids in 1972 and then demonstrated the essentiality for omega 3 in a primate (both pathology and behavior in 1973) and for neurogenesis (1980). He has developed a special interest in the function of lipids in the cell membranes, neurogenesis and neurodevelopmental disorders. He is a founder Trustee of the Mother and Child Foundation and researches on maternal nutrition and pregnancy outcomes in the East-end of London and the Sudan where his students have identified the co-existence of omega 3 deficiency with iodine deficiency. He has received many honours the most recent being a gold medal from the Government of Oman in 2008 and election to the wall of honour at the Royal Society of Medicine 2010. He collaborates in research internationally including work with WHO and FAO.
CAPT Joseph R. Hibbeln, M.D is Acting Chief, Section of Nutritional Neurosciences in the Laboratory of Membrane Biophysics and Biochemistry at the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH. CAPT Hibbeln is internationally recognized for originating the field of omega-3 fatty acids in depressive and aggressive disorders, is the recipient of numerous scientific awards and has contributed more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
His interests include the benefits of fish consumption during pregnancy in supporting higher IQ among and more optimal social behaviors among the children. He has served as the NIH representative in the US Food and Drug’s recent evaluation quantitatively assessing the benefits of seafood during pregnancy in comparison to risks of typical methyl mercury exposure. He co-authored American Psychiatric Association treatment recommendations for omega-3 fatty acids in 2006 and United Kingdom Parliamentary Report on Nutrition and Behavior. His interests have included the cross-national comparisons of seafood consumption to rates of psychiatric illnesses, epidemiological comparisons with in countries, depletion of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy as a reversible cause of depressions associated with pregnancy.
Jean Golding’s first degree was in Mathematics from the University of Oxford. She then obtained her PhD in Medical Statistics from the University of London and a DSc for published work in epidemiology from the University of Bristol. She has over 350 publications in peer review journals. In 1987 she founded the international journal ‘Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology’, and has been the Editor-in-Chief ever since. Her research has mainly been involved with the analysis of major longitudinal birth cohort studies, and in 1990 she was the Founder and subsequently Director of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). In 2006 she handed over that position to George Davey Smith, since when she has continued to carry out a number of research projects using the data, mainly focused on the relationship between diet and cognitive function.
Dr. Myers graduated from Medical School at the University of Kansas in1963 and subsequently trained in Pediatrics and Pediatric Neurology at the Boston Children’s Hospital. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Neurology and Neonatology. He is currently a professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York where he teaches and has an active clinical practice.
Dr. Myers primary research interest is environmental toxins, specifically mercury. He started studying methyl mercury exposure following the 1971-2 epidemic in Iraq and has worked with the Rochester mercury research group since then. In 1986 the Rochester group began a prospective longitudinal study of mercury exposure from fish consumption in the Seychelles Islands. Seychellois consume fish with 10-12 meals each week and their mercury content is similar to that of oceanic fish sold in the US. This prospective observational epidemiology study and has been ongoing for over 25 years and is called the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS). It started as an evaluation of the impact of mercury exposure from fish consumption on child development, but for the past 10 years has also been examining how nutrients present in fish affect child development. Dr. Myers lived in the Seychelles while enrolling the pilot and main cohorts and has been involved with the SCDS since its inception.
Dr. Rachel Novotny examines lifestyle patterns, especially nutrition and their influence on growth, development and health, among diverse populations. After studying environmental biology at Beloit College, which took her to diverse environments of the US and in Costa Rica, Dr. Novotny obtained MS and PhD degrees in International Nutrition from Cornell University, with additional areas of study in Epidemiology and Anthropology, conducting research in Peru and Ecuador. After working for two years with CARE International in the Dominican Republic, as Regional Director, Dr. Novotny came to Hawaii where she completed Post-Doctoral work in Public Health, with a focus on maternal-child health, while also becoming a Registered Dietitian. Dr. Novotny has now been on the faculty at the University of Hawaii for 20 years, during which time her research has focused on populations in Indonesia and throughout the Pacific Region. Dr. Novotny is a tenured Professor of Nutrition at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, where she teaches nutritional epidemiology and conducts research. Dr. Novotny also conducts research with and maintains appointments as Affiliate Senior Investigator at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research in Hawaii, and as Associate Member at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. Dr. Novotny has published more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers from work that has been funded by the US Departments of Defense and Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Novotny was a member of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Consultation on Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption, held in January 2010 in Rome.
Dr. Michael T. Morrissey is a Professor of Food Science at Oregon State University and currently the Superintendent of the OSU Food Innovation Center in Portland. He was the Director of the OSU Seafood Laboratory from 1990-2010. He has published more than seventy-five articles in seafood safety, quality, product development, fish species-ID via DNA and by-product utilization. He has been invited as a scientific lecturer by Fundacion-Chile, the National Fisheries Institute of Peru, the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, and several other countries. Dr. Morrissey is a Principal with the Community Seafood Initiative, which offers assistance to food entrepreneurs and small and mid-size businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest. He is also served as a member of the Advisory Board for SEAFOODplus, a 26 million Euro project funded by the European Union, that involves 17 countries and 55 institutions. Dr. Morrissey has received the Oldfield-Jackman Team Award (1996) for Pacific whiting research, the Earl P. McPhee Award (1999) for his contributions to seafood science, an elected Institute of Food Technologists Fellow in (2003), and the Briskey Award for Faculty Excellence from the College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU (2004).
As seafood specialist since 1981 (29 years), for the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, Hicks works with both the seafood industry and consumers to develop educational programs about the proper way to handle, store, and prepare finfish and shellfish.
Hicks has developed a variety of publications to help teach consumers about seafood nutrition and handling. Recently, she co-authored a brochure on seafood nutrition Seafood is Good for You.
In addition to these outreach efforts, Hicks serves as a seafood safety instructor, providing training programs to seafood processors throughout the region and the nation. She also has conducted research with University of Delaware colleagues to explore new technologies for pasteurizing seafood. Hicks received her bachelor’s degree in food science from Cook College, Rutgers University in 1977 and her master’s degree in food science and human nutrition from the University of Delaware in 1981.
Steve Otwell is a professor at the University of Florida, Aquatic Food Products Lab., Gainesville, Florida, USA. He has served a professor in the Aquatic Food Products Program in the University of Florida for over 25 years conducting applied research and extension services addressing all aspects of seafood product quality and safety from production through processing to retail and food services for both domestic and international commerce of products from traditional harvests and aquaculture operations.
He is the founder and National Coordinator for the Seafood HACCP Alliance for education and training based in the United States and serves as the USA Board Delegate for the International Association of Fish Inspectors. Since 1985 he has served as the Executive Director for the Seafood Science & Technology Society of the Americas and maintains annual international schools on warm water lobsters and shrimp.
Dr. Nil Basu is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He also holds Associate Faculty positions in the University of Michigan’s Risk Sciences Center and the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment. His laboratory consists of one postdoctoral scholar, four PhD students and four undergraduate research assistants. He teaches graduate school level courses in ‘Principles of Environmental Health Sciences’, ‘Environmental Toxicology’ and ‘Research and Communication Methods in the Environmental Health Sciences’.
Dr. Basu obtained his Bachelors of Science (BSc) degree from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) where he specialized in Environmental Sciences and Life Sciences. A Masters of Science (MSc) degree was then obtained from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) where he studied the relationships between chemical pollution and physiological stress responses. He received a NSERC Fellowship to conduct his doctoral (PhD) research at McGill University’s Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE). At CINE, his research focused on the impacts of mercury and other toxic environmental chemicals on ecosystem and aboriginal health. Before joining the University of Michigan as a Faculty Member in 2007, he spent two years as a NSERC Postdoctoral Scholar with Environment Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service in Ottawa.
Dr. Basu’s current research is broadly separated into four major areas: 1) Exposure of humans and wildlife to mercury and other environmental neurotoxicants; 2) Development of novel laboratory methods to objectively and quantitatively assess early, sub-clinical neurotoxicity; 3) Application of genetic tools to better characterize human susceptibilities to toxic chemicals (gene-environment based); and 4) Wildlife as sentinels of human and ecosystem health. To date, the research conducted by Dr. Basu has resulted in the publication of more than 40 papers in leading peer-reviewed, international papers. He has delivered more than 100 presentations to scientific and general audiences. In 2008, he received a Science Communication Fellowship to help increase public awareness and understanding of environmental health issues.
Dr. Marla Berry leads a research team at the University of Hawaii studying the functions of the essential trace element, selenium, an essential component of antioxidant selenoenzymes with critical functions in human health and disease prevention.
Dr. Berry is a tenured Professor and Chair of the Cell and Molecular Biology Department at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and is Co-chair of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program. She was recruited to UH from Harvard Medical School in 2002.
Chiho Watanabe has been a Professor at Dept of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo (“Todai”) since 2005. He also served as a faculty member of the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S/TIGS) in Todai. He graduated from Todai and received his Ph.D. (Doctor of Health Science) from Todai in 1991. His background is toxicology, especially behavioral toxicology. He has been conducting toxicological studies of heavy metals as well as nutritional studies on essential trace elements both in the laboratory and the field.
His particular interest has been the interaction of various factors which affect the toxicity of the chemicals. He has been working on experimental Se-Hg and Se-As interactions and on health impacts of As-contaminated ground water in south Asian communities.
Dr. Laura Raymond is a Research Manager and manages the Health and Analytical Research Group, the Natural Materials Analytical Research Laboratory (NMARL), and the Analytical Research Laboratory (ARL) at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC). In addition to management duties, Dr. Raymond’s research primarily focuses on examining biochemical and analytical approaches to evaluating potential human health effects and risks resulting from environmental exposure to air, water, and food toxins. Currently, her principal research areas of interest and expertise include evaluating the effects of mercury exposure on selenium-dependent physiology and the mechanisms involved in selenium’s protection against mercury toxicity.
Her responsibilities also include developing strategies of research involving the pathophysiological consequences of other environmental toxins and particulates and the impacts of these pollutants on health and physiological processes. This includes analyzing the effects of environmental toxins, such as mercury, at the molecular, cellular, tissue, animal, and human population levels. In addition to these physiological studies, her research also involves investigating trace metal interactions in environmental systems and methods of toxin remediation.
Dr. Raymond holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UND and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Arizona. Prior to her position at the EERC, she worked in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center.
Dr. Christopher Newland is Alumni Professor in the Department of Psychology at Auburn University. His research interests include the neurobehavioral toxicity of heavy metals, especially methylmercury, in developing and aging animals. Using behavioral models, he has examined the degree to which important nutrients, including DHA, an omega-three polyunsaturated fatty acid, and selenium are beneficial in their own right and the degree to which they are neuroprotective against methylmercury. Dr. Newland has served on advisory panels for the U.S.E.P.A., the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the National Research Council to review the neurotoxicity of manganese and elemental and methylmercury. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the EPA. He was a member of the Neurotoxicology and Alcohol Scientific Review Group (“Study Section”) for the NIH. Dr. Newland is past president of the Neurotoxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology and of the Behavioral Toxicology Society. He is currently associate editor of Neurotoxicology. He received his MS and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and had postdoctoral fellowships in Environmental Health Sciences (now Environmental Medicine) at the University of Rochester.
Nicholas V.C. Ralston is a Research Scientist at the University of North Dakota, Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), involved in evaluating potential human health effects and risks resulting from environmental exposure to air toxics. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Research Biochemistry from Mayo Medical Center and his B.S. in Biology from Mayville State University. Dr. Ralston’s principal areas of expertise include the biochemistry and analytical approaches to quantitative assessment of immune response and inflammation at the molecular and cellular level. His primary interests are in trace element physiology and the pathophysiology of toxic trace element exposures as well as prevention, protection, and remediation strategies. His current research examines the role and mechanisms of selenium-dependent biochemical processes in diminishing the neurotoxic effects of mercury.
Prior to his position at the EERC, he worked at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center and Bowman Gray Medical School at Wake Forest University. He has authored or coauthored over 40 publications and professional presentations.
Dr. Kaneko is Program Manager for the Hawaii Seafood Council (HSC), a Honolulu-based non-profit organization. HSC is dedicated to supporting the Hawaii seafood and fishing sectors on issues of quality, seafood safety and sustainability. He specializes in seafood safety research and the development seafood safety control systems. He has done research on parasites in raw fish, histamine formation and controls, mercury and selenium in fish, and the nutrient content of ocean fish. He has provided HACCP training (hazard analysis critical control point) for food safety personnel in nearly all seafood processing companies in Hawaii. He was instrumental in developing the www.hawaii-seafood.org website and technical content. He is currently the Project Manager of the NOAA-funded Hawaii Seafood Project and Hawaii Seafood Outreach and Education Project which are addressing seafood & health, seafood safety and sustainability issues. Education and training: D.V.M. Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida,1987; M.S. Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii, Manoa, 1983; B.S. Fisheries Biology, Humboldt State University,1980; Certified HACCP and Sanitation Control Trainer, Association of Food and Drug Officials, 1998.
B.S. Biology and Chemistry, Sioux Falls College, 1965; National Defense Graduate Fellow – U. North Dakota, 1965-1968; M.S. Fisheries Science, University of North Dakota, 1967; NSF Oceanographic Fellow, Stanford U., 1968; National Wildlife Federation Fellow, U. North Dakota, 1970; Ph.D. Limnology, University of North Dakota, 1971; National Eutrophication Research Scientist, ORD, Corvallis,1971-1974; National Lake Restoration Research Team Leader, ORD, Corvallis, 1974-1979; Hazardous Waste Assessment Research Team Leader, ORD, Corvallis, 1979-1983; Hazardous Waste and Water Branch Chief, ORD, Corvallis, 1983-1988; ORD Regional Scientist, EPA Region 10, Seattle, 1988 – 1990; Research Ecologist, ORD, Fresh Water Ecology Branch, ORD, 1990 – Present
Author/coauthor of >100 technical papers on eutrophication, lake management, lake restoration, biological assessment of waste sites, and regional ecological assessment of wetlands, lakes, and streams. Coauthor of three books on restoration and management of lakes and reservoirs. Current work is on mercury and selenium in freshwater fish tissue.
Doug Stevens is Head of the Department of Life Sciences at Salish Kootenai College (SKC), a tribal college on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. He earned a PhD in toxicology from Washington State University in the area of cyanobacterial toxins in 1989. Dr. Stevens has been responsible for the development of a new Bachelor’s of Science degree in Life Sciences at SKC. This is the first molecular-based 4-year science degree to be offered at any tribal college in the US or Canada. He has also been the Director of the Salish Kootenai College Environmental Laboratory (SKCEL) since its inception in 2000. SKCEL is a state-of-the-art, undergraduate environmental chemistry research lab where students receive intense one-on-one research mentoring as part of their science training. One main focus of SKCEL research has been the local environmental health impacts of heavy metals, particularly, mercury. Research on mercury in lake trout in Flathead Lake, MT performed by students at SKCEL has recently been published, making it the first peer-reviewed research paper to be based on undergraduate research conducted at a tribal college. Doug is also active in several professional societies, such as the Society of Toxicology, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the Chemistry Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research.
Dr. Bell is currently a professor with the food science department in the LSU AgCenter. Jon was hired immediately prior to the BP/Horizon oil spill disaster to direct program development and outreach activities for a Quality Certification Program for Wild Louisiana Shrimp. Dr. Bell has worked with seafood scientists in the Gulf of Mexico region to develop and implement a HACCP-based training program for seafood processors to provide added assurance of safety of seafood harvested from open GoM waters. Dr. Bell is a member of the steering committee of the AFDO Seafood HACCP Alliance. Jon was Director of Quality Assurance and Government Relations for Chicken of the Sea International in San Diego, CA. Prior to this industry executive position, Dr. Bell was the director of the seafood technology program in the LSU AgCenter department of food science in Baton Rouge, focusing on a variety of seafood safety and quality projects, including instruction of multiple AFDO Seafood HACCP and SCP courses.
