Session Abstract – PMWC 2017 Silicon Valley
Session Synopsis: With an estimated 2.5 million patients in the United States alone, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a mysterious disease baffling medical agencies and inquisitive people all over the world. Join us to explore why precision medicine is fundamental in solving ME/CFS and clarifying its etiology.
Session Chair Profile
Ph.D., MPA, Vice President for Research and Scientific Program, Solve ME/CFS Initiative
Biography
Zaher Nahle, PhD, MPA, is the vice president for research and scientific programs at Solve ME/CFS Initiative (SMCI). He is an award winning scientist with interdisciplinary training in biomedical research and public administration.His background spans the fields of cancer biology, high-throughput technologies, diabetes, and ME/CFS. He currently oversees the ME/CFS research and scientific portfolio at SMCI. This includes SMCI’s peer-review grant program for external investigators, targeted initiative program in collaboration with medical centers and industry partners, specialized biobank and patient registry platforms,and free medical education webinar series. He also serves on the technical development workgroup for ME/CFS at the CDC. Prior to SMCI, Dr. Nahle served on the faculty at leading universities, including Vanderbilt and Cornell and founded a nonprofit organization focused on the disability agenda with a classmate while at Harvard University.
Speaker Profile
MBA, President and CEO, Solve ME/CFS Initiative
Biography
Carol Head is president and CEO of Solve ME/CFS Initiative. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.) An executive with more than 25 years of success in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, she’s an experienced business owner, corporate executive, communicator, and problem solver. Carol has been active in community affairs, serving on three national non-profit boards, including service as a board chair. She is also a founder of Project Redwood, a venture philanthropy fund which supports creative approaches to alleviating extreme global poverty. Carol earned a BA in English from Wellesley College (Phi Beta Kappa) and an MBA from Stanford University. An ME/CFS patient herself, Carol was first affected by the disease in the 1980s. Carol was recently honored by Oprah Magazine as a “Health Hero” for her work on the disease, ME/CFS.
