Alya Michelson

Co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies a Los Angeles-based private operating foundation striving to create transformative opportunities that support vulnerable and underserved communities. Founded FirstGen, a storytelling platform that creates communal spaces for immigrant women to gather in celebration of their diverse experiences.

Eva Hsieh

For as long as Eva can remember, she has always had a strong appreciation in the beauty she sees around her. From flowers to insect, antique furniture to architecture, almost everything she encounters, she finds the beauty in it and turns it into inspirations. Unsurprisingly, she became a fashion designer, as well as a floral arrangement enthusiast. Eva started her own intimate women’s apparel brand, Eve’s Temptation, in China in 2001, rapidly expanded into Chinese shopping malls, growing the company into hundreds of stores nationally. As the founder and head designer, her goal is to create apparels that help women of all ages to feel more confident, attractive, inclusive, and at their best from the inside out. With the great passion for art, and the willingness to help the new generation, Eva Hsieh is a patron of the Huntington Library, MOCA, and the Getty Museum. She has been supportive of young emerging contemporary artists around the world, integrating the cultural exchange between the east and the west. As a devoted philanthropist, she expanded her philanthropic contributions to the field of cancer and neuroscience research. She has been working with the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the UCLA research initiatives as well as being a trustee of Brain Mapping Foundation supporting major global initiatives for neuroscience including G20 Summit’s Neuroscience20 (Spine, Brain20 and Mantal20) and Brain technology and Innovation Park; World’s First Biotech Park for Brain, Spine and Mental Health.

Anthony Fauci

From Wikipedia Anthony Stephen Fauci (/ˈfaʊtʃi/ FOW-chee; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 to 2022, and the chief medical advisor to the president from 2021 to 2022.[4] As a physician with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Fauci has served the American public health sector for more than fifty years and has acted as an advisor to every U.S. president since Ronald Reagan.[5] During his time as director of the NIAID, he made contributions to HIV/AIDS research and other immunodeficiency diseases, both as a research scientist and as the head of the NIAID.[6] From 1983 to 2002, Fauci was one of the world’s most frequently cited scientists across all scientific journals.[6][7] In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, for his work on the AIDS relief program PEPFAR.[8] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served under President Donald Trump as one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Fauci’s advice was frequently contradicted by Trump, and Trump’s supporters alleged that Fauci was trying to politically undermine Trump’s run for reelection. After Joe Biden took office, Fauci began serving as one of the lead members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team and as Biden’s chief medical advisor.[9][10] Fauci stepped down on December 31, 2022.[11] Early life and education Anthony Fauci was born on December 24, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Eugenia Lillian (née Abys; 1909–1965) and Stephen A. Fauci (1910–2008) and is the youngest of two children born to both parents. His father was a Columbia University-educated pharmacist who owned his pharmacy. Fauci’s mother and sister worked the pharmacy’s register, and Fauci delivered prescriptions and also worked the register. Fauci’s mother also worked at a dry cleaner. The pharmacy was located in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, directly beneath the family apartment, previously in the Bensonhurst neighborhood.[12][13][14] When he was a child, Fauci developed a fascination with World War II,[13] and played basketball and baseball during his spare time.[14] Fauci’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy in the late 19th century. His paternal grandparents, Antonino Fauci and Calogera Guardino, were from Sciacca, and his maternal grandparents were from Naples. His maternal grandmother Raffaella Trematerra was a seamstress, and his maternal grandfather Giovanni Abys was a Swiss-born artist noted for his landscape and portrait painting, magazine illustrations in Italy, as well as graphic design for commercial labels, including olive oil cans. Fauci grew up Catholic,[12][15] but now considers himself a humanist, stating that he thinks “that there are a lot of things about organized religion that are unfortunate, and [that he tends] to like to stay away from it.”[16] In 2021, he was named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association.[17] Fauci attended Regis High School, a Jesuit school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he captained the school’s basketball team despite standing only 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall.[6][18][19] Jesuit’s philosophy of “to be men for others” would have a lasting impact on Fauci.[14] He decided halfway through high school to become a physician.[13] After graduating in 1958, Fauci attended the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in classics with a pre-med track. Fauci then attended Cornell University‘s Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medicine), graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1966 ranked first in his class.[12] At Cornell, he focused on adult internal medicine, mainly infectious diseases and the immune system.[13] Fauci then did an internship and residency in internal medicine at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center (now Weill Cornell Medical Center).[6] Career Fauci discusses his work in 2020 (four minutes) After completing his medical residency in 1968, Fauci joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a clinical associate in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases‘s (NIAID) Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI).[20] He became head of the LCI’s Clinical Physiology Section in 1974, and in 1980 was appointed chief of the NIAID’s Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He became director of the NIAID in 1984.[21] Fauci has been offered the position of director of the NIH several times, but has declined each time.[22] Fauci has been at the forefront of U.S. efforts to contend with viral diseases like HIV/AIDS, SARS, the Swine flu, MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19. He played a significant role in the early 2000s in creating the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)[23] and in driving development of biodefense drugs and vaccines following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.[24] Fauci has been a visiting professor at many medical centers and has received numerous honorary doctorates from universities in the U.S. and abroad.[25] Medical achievements President Bill Clinton visits the NIH in 1995 and hears about the latest advances in HIV/AIDS research from Fauci. Fauci has made important scientific observations that contributed to the understanding of the regulation of the human immune response and is recognized for delineating the mechanisms whereby immunosuppressive agents adapt to that response. He developed therapies for formerly fatal diseases such as polyarteritis nodosa, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and lymphomatoid granulomatosis. In a 1985 Stanford University Arthritis Center Survey, members of the American Rheumatism Association ranked Fauci’s work on the treatment of polyarteritis nodosa and granulomatosis with polyangiitis as one of the most important advances in patient management in rheumatology over the previous 20 years.[25][26][27] Fauci discovered how to re-dose cancer drugs in a way that turned a 98 percent mortality rate of the disorder vasculitis into a 93 percent remission rate.[13] President Barack Obama greets Fauci in June 2014. Fauci has contributed to the understanding of how HIV destroys the body’s natural defense system, progressing to AIDS. He has outlined the mechanisms of induction of HIV expression by endogenous cytokines.[27] Fauci has worked to develop strategies for the therapy and immune reconstitution of patients with the disease, as well as for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. His current research is concentrated on identifying the nature of the immunopathogenic mechanisms of HIV infection and the scope of the body’s immune responses to HIV. In 2003, the Institute for Scientific Information stated that from 1983 to 2002, “Fauci was the 13th most-cited scientist among the 2.5 to 3.0 million authors in all disciplines throughout the world who published articles in scientific journals.”[6] As a government scientist under seven presidents, Fauci has been described as “a consistent spokesperson for science, a person who more than any other figure has brokered a generational peace” between the two worlds of science and politics.[18] HIV/AIDS epidemic Fauci in 1984 In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, Fauci remarked, “My career and my identity has really been defined

Gary Michelson, MD

Co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies and a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and innovator specializing in spinal surgery. Involved in philanthropic work, spanning across medical research, education, and animal welfare. Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and National Academy of Inventors.

Sanjay Gupta

From Wikipedia Sanjay Gupta (born October 23, 1969) is an American neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer. He serves as associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, associate professor of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine, member of the National Academy of Medicine[1] and American Academy of Arts and Sciences[2] and is the chief medical correspondent for CNN. Gupta is known for his many TV appearances on health-related issues. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, he has been a frequent contributor to numerous CNN shows covering the crisis, as well as hosting a weekly town hall with Anderson Cooper.[3] Gupta was the host of the CNN show Sanjay Gupta MD for which he has won multiple Emmy Awards. Gupta also hosted the 6-part miniseries Chasing Life. He is a frequent contributor to other CNN programs such as American Morning, Larry King Live, CNN Tonight, and Anderson Cooper 360°. His reports from Charity Hospital, New Orleans, Louisiana, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina led to his winning a 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Feature Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast. He is also a special correspondent for CBS News. Sanjay Gupta also co-hosts the health conference Life Itself, along with Marc Hodosh (co-creator of TEDMED).[4] Gupta published a column in Time magazine and has written four books: Chasing Life, Cheating Death, Monday Mornings: A Novel, and Keep Sharp (Jan 2021).[5][6][7] Early life and education[edit] Gupta was born in Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. In the 1960s, Gupta’s parents, Subhash and Damyanti Gupta, moved from India prior to their marriage and met in Livonia, Michigan, where they worked as engineers for Ford Motor Company.[8][9] His mother was born in the village of Tharushah in Sindh (now Pakistan), but at age 5 fled to India as a Hindu refugee during the Partition of India.[10] Gupta and his younger brother Suneel graduated from Novi High School and Gupta went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and his M.D. degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1993. He was part of Interflex, a since discontinued accelerated medical education program that accepted medical students directly from high school. As an undergraduate, Gupta worked as an orientation leader for the freshman orientation program and was a member of the Men’s Glee Club. He also served as president of the Indian American Students Association (IASA), which is now the second-largest student organization at the university.[11] Gupta completed his residency in neurological surgery within the University of Michigan Health System, in 2000, followed by a fellowship at the Semmes Murphy Clinic, in Memphis, Tennessee.[12] Gupta plays the accordion, having taken ten years of lessons, as he noted in an interview with David Hochman for Playboy.[13] Career[edit] Medical practice[edit] Gupta (third from left) with Henri Ford (second from left) and two U.S. Navy doctors operating on a 12-year-old girl aboard the USS Carl Vinson.[14] Gupta is an Emory Healthcare general neurosurgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital and has worked on spine, trauma and 3‑D‑image-guided operations. He has published medical journal articles on percutaneous pedicle screw placement,[15][16] brain tumors, and spinal cord abnormalities.[17][18] He is licensed to practice medicine in Georgia.[19] From 1997 to 1998, he served as one of fifteen White House Fellows, primarily as an advisor to Hillary Clinton. In January 2009, it was reported that Gupta was offered the position of Surgeon General of the United States in the Obama Administration,[20] but he withdrew his name from consideration.[21] During his reporting in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake, Gupta received a call from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson that an earthquake victim, a 12-year-old girl, was aboard and needed a neurosurgeon. Gupta, a pediatric surgeon, Henri Ford, and two U.S. Navy doctors removed a piece of concrete from the girl’s skull in an operation performed aboard the Vinson.[22][23] Ford later wrote that Gupta “proved to be a competent neurosurgeon”.[24] Broadcast journalism, television, film and events[edit] Gupta joined CNN in the summer of 2001. He reported from New York following the attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.[5] In 2003, Gupta traveled to Iraq to cover the medical aspects of the invasion of Iraq. While in Iraq, Gupta performed emergency surgery on both US soldiers and Iraqi civilians.[25] Gupta was embedded with a Navy medical unit at the time, specifically a group of Corpsman called the “Devil Docs”, who supported the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.[26] Marine Sergeant Jesus Vindaña suffered a rear gunshot wound, and the Marines asked for Gupta’s assistance because of his background in neurosurgery. Vindaña survived and was sent back to the United States for rehabilitation.[25] In December 2006, CBS News president Sean McManus negotiated a deal with CNN that would have Gupta file up to ten reports a year for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and 60 Minutes while remaining CNN’s chief medical correspondent and associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital. On October 14, 2007, Gupta guest-hosted a health episode of CBS News Sunday Morning as its regular host Charles Osgood was on vacation. In February 2009, Gupta hosted AC360 covering the White House Health Summit. He also guest hosted Larry King Live in October 2009. In January 2010, Gupta and Cooper led CNN’s coverage of the earthquake in Haiti. Gupta has regularly appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman,[27] The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,[28] The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,[29] Real Time with Bill Maher and the Oprah Winfrey Show.[30] Winfrey referred to Gupta as CNN’s hero in January 2010.[31] In 2011, Gupta portrayed himself in the movie Contagion, which has received much renewed attention during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[32] His novel Monday Mornings became an instant New York Times bestseller on its release in March 2012. It was adapted as a 2013 television series with David E. Kelley and Gupta serving as executive producers. In a 2013 editorial, Gupta announced that in the process of working on a documentary about marijuana he had changed his mind about the drug’s risks and benefits. Gupta had previously criticized laws that allowed patient access to medical marijuana, but he reversed his stance, saying, “I am here to apologize,” and, “We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that.”[33] The third part of his 3-hour documentary, “Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution”, was released in April 2015.[34] He was a co-producer of the 2017 CNN documentary Unseen Enemy, which warned of the risks of a global pandemic.[35] Gupta served as a commentator on the University of Michigan TeamCast with former Wolverines kicker Jay Feely for the school’s appearance in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four, which aired on CNN sibling TNT.[36] In April 2019, Chasing Life was adapted as a six-show TV miniseries on CNN that took him to Japan, India, Bolivia, Norway, Italy, and Turkey.[37] In September 2019, Gupta

General Mark Milley

GENERAL MARK A. MILLEY Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley is the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman on October 1, 2019, General Milley served as the 39th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. A native of Massachusetts, General Milley graduated from Princeton University in 1980, where he received his commission from Army ROTC. General Milley has had multiple command and staff positions in eight divisions and Special Forces throughout the last 42 years to include command of the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division; the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division; Deputy Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); Commanding General, 10th Mountain Division; Commanding General, III Corps; and Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command. While serving as the Commanding General, III Corps, General Milley deployed as the Commanding General, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Forces Afghanistan. General Milley’s joint assignments also include the Joint Staff operations directorate and as a Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. General Milley’s operational deployments include the Multi-National Force and Observers, Sinai, Egypt; Operation Just Cause, Panama; Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti; Operation Joint Endeavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; and three tours during Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. He also deployed to Somalia and Colombia. In addition to his bachelor’s degree in political science from Princeton University, General Milley has a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University and one from the U.S. Naval War College in national security and strategic studies. He is also a graduate of the MIT Seminar XXI National Security Studies Program. General Milley and his wife, Hollyanne, have been married for more than 36 years and have two children.

Kateryna Potapova

Oleksandra Kashyrina