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Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, MD, MPH is the Public Health Officer, Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), County of San Diego ( https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/public-health-officer-.html ).

Dr. Thihalolipavan is a board-certified physician in Public Health and Preventive Medicine with a distinguished public health career that started in New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as the Medical Director of Tobacco Control and Chronic Disease Prevention. He joined the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency 10 years ago as the County’s Deputy Public Health Officer in Public Health Services.

Most recently Dr. Thihalolipavan worked as a Public Health Medical Officer within the Medical Care Services Department where he led HHSA’s justice-involved health efforts. He has served as a liaison with health and justice partners to improve care coordination for individuals before, at and after incarceration as well as collaborating with community, justice and other partners on various initiatives to prevent and reduce incarceration. He has helped lead the countywide Street Medicine Initiative (which facilitates and enhances the direct provision of health care to the unsheltered homeless where they live), bringing together lived experience voices, community street medicine providers, and Medi-Cal Managed Care plans to collaborate on how to expand the capacity of street medicine in San Diego County. He also supports the County’s response to the Tijuana River Valley transboundary sewage and pollution crisis.

Dr. Thihalolipavan has played a pivotal role in multiple County public health responses. These include the Covid-19 pandemic, Hepatitis A, meningococcal, Zika, and opioid epidemic among others. During the pandemic, he drafted and reviewed health alerts, public communications and health orders. He also led a team of medical experts to communicate with various communities and stakeholders.

Recently, Dr. Thihalolipavan worked with the Medical Examiner, Public Health Services , and others to conceptualize the idea of overdose fatality reviews, which was sponsored and passed as legislation (AB 2871) in California’s last legislative cycle . In 2021, he served as the Interim Tuberculosis Control and Refugee Health Medical Director while the position was being filled.

Throughout his career, Dr. Thihalolipavan has cherished direct clinical time with patients. Efforts include helping NYC government employees quit smoking at the City’s government smoking cessation clinic, working in San Diego County’s sexual health clinic for a year, providing medical oversight and consultations to nurses at isolation hotels and at the Convention Center’s homeless shelter during the pandemic. For many years and through spring 2025, he would take occasional shifts as a tuberculosis clinic physician.

Dr. Thihalolipavan holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and a Medical Degree from New York University School of Medicine. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the San Diego County Top Doctors award in 2022 and the Kresge Foundation Emerging Leaders in Public Health award in 2018, and has led or contributed to various peer-reviewed publications.

#SayoneThihalolipavan #PublicHealthOfficer #HealthAndHumanServicesAgency #CountyOfSanDiego #JusticeInvolvedHealth #StreetMedicineInitiative #OpioidEpidemic #Ebola #Pertussis #HealthMisinformation #Trust #Vaccination #Aging
#STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #Research #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast

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Dr. Christie M. Ballantyne, MD is a Cardiologist and is one of the nation’s foremost experts on lipids, atherosclerosis and heart disease prevention. He holds many leadership positions at Baylor College of Medicine ( https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/christie-ballantyne-17846 ), including director of the Center for Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, co-director of the Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis Clinic, and chief of the Section of Cardiology.

With over 1000 publications in the area of atherosclerosis, lipids, and inflammation, Dr. Ballantyne’s research on heart disease prevention has led him to become an established investigator for the American Heart Association and the recipient of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health with a core focus on in basic research of leukocyte–endothelial interactions, translational research in biomarkers, and clinical trials.

Dr. Ballantyne’s many accomplishments have included being elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians. In 2012, he received the American College of Cardiology Distinguished Scientist Award (Basic Domain).

In 2014 and 2015, Thomson Reuters recognized Dr. Ballantyne as one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.” Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science, named Dr. Ballantyne as a “Highly Cited Researcher” 2017-2022 in the top 1% of researchers most cited.

In 2019, Dr. Ballantyne was awarded the Baylor College of Medicine Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award. His research in biomarkers has led to the FDA approval of 2 biomarkers for cardiovascular risk prediction, and he has played a prominent role in the development and FDA approval of new therapies for treatment of lipids.

Dr. Ballantyne also serves on the Editorial Board for Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. He received his MD from Baylor College of Medicine with internal medicine residency at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and cardiology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and an AHA fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Institute for Molecular Genetics at Baylor.

Dr. Alexander Tal, MD is an accomplished and recently retired board-certified Endocrinologist ( https://www.doximity.com/pub/alexander-tal-md ) with extensive training from institutions like Baylor College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University/Quillen College of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center of Chicago and Tel Aviv University Sackler, where he specialized in Diabetes, Metabolism, and Geriatric Medicine, and held Fellow status with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, treating various hormonal conditions.

Important Episode Link - Merck’s Enlicitide Decanoate, an Investigational Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor, Significantly Reduced LDL-C in Phase 3 CORALreef Lipids Trial - https://www.merck.com/news/mercks-enlicitide-decanoate-an-investigational-oral-pcsk9-inhibitor-significantly-reduced-ldl-c-in-phase-3-coralreef-lipids-trial/

#ChristieBallantyne #Cardiologist #Lipids #Atherosclerosis #HeartDiseasePrevention #BaylorCollegeOfMedicine #CardiometabolicDisease #LipidMetabolism #Cardiology #AlexanderTal #Endocrinologist #Diabetes #Metabolism #GeriatricMedicine #Merck #Enlicitide #OralPCSK9Inhibitor #Statins #Ezetimibe #Hypercholesterolemia #apoB #Lpa #Lipoproteins #Healthspan #Longevity #Aging #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #Research #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast

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Professor Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei, Ph.D. is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University ( https://mae.ncsu.edu/people/arabiei/ ) and a leading innovator in advanced materials engineering. She is also the founder and CEO of Advanced Materials Manufacturing ( https://advancemnm.com/ ).

Prof. Rabiei is best known for inventing Composite Metal Foam, a novel class of lightweight, high-performance materials that combine exceptional strength, energy absorption, and multifunctional capabilities.

Prof. Rabiei’s research sits at the intersection of materials science, mechanical engineering, and real-world application, with a particular focus on materials that can improve safety, resilience, and performance in extreme environments.

Prof. Rabiei holds a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology, a Ph.D. in Advanced Materials from the University of Tokyo, and conducted her post-doctoral research at the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University in Boston.

Over the course of her career, Professor Rabiei has led and collaborated on research supported by government agencies and industry partners, translating fundamental materials science into technologies with potential applications in defense, transportation, nuclear energy, space systems, and critical infrastructure. In addition to her research contributions, she is a dedicated educator and mentor, committed to training the next generation of engineers and materials scientists.

Prof. Rabiei’s work exemplifies how innovative materials can redefine what’s possible—turning bold ideas from the laboratory into solutions for some of society’s most demanding engineering challenges.

#AfsanehRabiei #NorthCarolinaStateUniversity #MechanicalEngineering #AerospaceEngineering #AdvancedMaterialsManufacturing #CompositeMetalFoam #BallisticResistance #ArmorSystems #BlastMitigation #RadiationShielding #NeutronShielding #ExtremeEnvironments #ThermalStress #AcousticPerformance #MaterialScience #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #Research #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast

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