INVITED SPEAKERS

MICHAEL EDDLESTON

I am Professor of Clinical Toxicology in the Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics Unit of the University of Edinburgh, and Consultant Physician at the National Poisons Information Service, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. I trained in medicine at Cambridge and Oxford, with an intercalated PhD at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla. 

My primary research aim is to reduce deaths from pesticide and plant self-poisoning in rural Asia, a cause of as many as 200,000 premature deaths each year and the number two global means of suicide. To do this, I perform clinical trials in South Asian district hospitals to better understand the pharmacology & effectiveness of antidotes and community-based controlled trials to identify effective public health interventions. This work is complemented by translational studies of antidotes in porcine models of poisoning in the Wellcome Critical Care Laboratory for Large Animals in Edinburgh. I have recently established the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention at the University of Edinburgh to drive research into and implementation of pesticide regulation (www.centrepsp.org).

SERGEJ ZACHAROV

Sergej Zacharov received a Ph.D. from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, in 2012, and was nominated Associate Professor of the Department of Occupational Medicine of Charles University in 2016. Between 2006 and 2011, he worked as a physician in the Department of Occupational Medicine of the General University Hospital in Prague, from 2011 till 2017 as a Head of the Czech Toxicological Information Centre, and from 2017 till present as a Head of the Department of Occupational Medicine of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague. 

Assoc.Prof. S. Zacharov is the member of the European Commission SCHEER (Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks) managed by Directorate Health and Food Safety. The SCHEER, on request of the European Commission services, provides expert opinions on questions concerning health, environmental and emerging risks.

In the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT), he holds the positions in the Executive and Scientific Committees. In the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH), Sergej Zacharov works in the Scientific Committees on Occupational Toxicology (SCOT), Occupational Medicine (SCOM), and on Nanomaterial Worker´s Health. He is the Editorial Board member of Clinical Toxicology and Toxicology Communications.

The sphere of scientific interests of Sergej Zacharov includes toxicology of alcohols, neurotoxicology, occupational toxicology, and nanotoxicology. He is the author of more than 70 publications and has H-index 13 according to the Web of Science. During the Czech Republic methanol mass poisoning outbreak in 2012, he started the prospective study of long-term health effects of human exposure to methanol, which continues at present and provides unique clinical, biochemical, and toxicological data on the chronic brain and visual system changes during the years following acute methanol poisoning in the survivors.

THANJIRA JIRANANTAKAN

Dr Jiranantakan received her M.P.H. (Environmental Science) from the University of California Berkeley, Diploma of American Board of Preventive Medicine (Occupational Medicine), Clinical Fellowship in Medical Toxicology from the University of California San Francisco, and Diploma of Thai Board of Internal Medicine from Mahidol University. She has broadened her experience through working with the World Health Organization (Headquarters and SEARO), Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, USA) and many other government bodies and NGOs. She is a member of Thailand’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine Committee. Together with her Thai clinical toxicologist colleagues, Dr Jiranantakan has worked on the Thai National Antidote Program, which has successfully improved the access of antidotes for the Thai population and reduced the national budget outlaid on snake antivenom.





 

PETER CHAI

Dr. Peter R Chai is an Emergency Medicine Physician and Medical Toxicologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and adjunct faculty at The Fenway Institute. He is a graduate of the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University where he also did his residency in Emergency Medicine. After completing his fellowship in medical toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Chai’s research at the intersection of technology and health. His work centers around detection of changes in disease state and development of mobile interventions that respond to acute changes in illness. Most recently, he has used digital pills to detect opioid use patterns in emergency department patients with acute pain, and is working on developing brief machine generated music behavioral interventions that can respond to dangerous escalations and dose changes of opioids in real time.

JEFFREY LAI

Jeffrey Lai is an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicology fellow at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He completed medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and emergency medicine residency at the University of Massachusetts. His research interests include applications of technology in combating illicit drug use and addiction.

FRANCOIS OOSTHUIZEN

I received a PhD in organic analytical chemistry at Murdoch University, Western Australia in 2001. Since then I have been employed at ChemCentre forensic science laboratory (Perth, Western Australia) where I am currently the team leader of the WA Police sobriety and criminal toxicology program. This involves the analysis of blood and urine specimens from drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs as well as the analysis of biological exhibits and other miscellaneous items relating to serious criminal offenses and suspected drink spiking incidents. Further I am involved in the Western Australian Illicit Substance Enquiry (WISE), a unique collaborative initiative which aims to determine the presence and levels of common illicit drugs and emerging psychoactive substances in the blood of drug effected patients admitted to a hospital emergency department.

TOM ROBERTSON

Dr Tom Robertson is an Analytical Chemist at the UniSA Therapeutics Research Centre and has worked with this group in Brisbane and Adelaide since 2004.  He gained contract research experience at CPR Pharma where he developed assays for the analysis of small molecule drugs in human clinical trial samples. Tom initially trained in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery research.

GENEVIEVE ADAMO

Genevieve is a Pharmacist and has held the position of Senior Specialist in Poisons Information – Toxicovigilance since its creation in June 2015. She had over 10 years in community Pharmacy before moving to the NSW PIC in 2003. This varied experience combined with the wealth of knowledge that comes from being a mother of 4 has provided a strong basis for the poisoning prevention strategies developed within the Toxicovigilance position. Genevieve incorporates provision of poisoning advice, management of social media, the NSWPIC website and media requests along with development of factsheets for public education and submissions for regulatory consideration into her varied work day.

KATHERINE ISOARDI

Katherine is an Emergency Physician and Clinical Toxicologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.  
She is currently the Acting Medical Director for Queensland Poisons Information Centre.

ANGELA CHIEW

Dr Angela Chiew is an Emergency Physician and Clinical Toxicologist. She works at Prince of Wales Hospital and for the NSW Poisons Information Centre. Dr Chiew is completing her PhD, in paracetamol overdose looking at massive paracetamol overdose, sustained release overdose and new biomarkers. She is an investigator in the Australian Toxicology Monitoring (ATOM) Study that looks at various drugs in overdose from calls to the NSW and QLD PIC.