Speaker information
Janet Antwi, Ph.D., RD
Assistant Professor, Prairie View A&M University
Janet Antwi is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics with research interests in obesity, type 2 diabetes and impact of dietary supplements and antioxidant compounds on HIV disease progression. She has published research articles on cardiometabolic risks, inflammation, and vitamin D effect on type 2 diabetes, lifestyle behaviors and self-rated health.
Javad Barouei. Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Prairie View A&M University
Javad Barouei is an Associate Professor in PVAMU-CAHS with a research focus on host-diet-microbiome interactions using animal models of chronic diseases.
Kristin Fabre, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist, Translational Research Institute for Space Health; Assistant Professor, Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Fabre joined TRISH December 2018 as a Senior Innovation Scientist, and was promoted to Chief Scientist May 2020. She leads the TRISH Translational Program, which is tasked to invest in high-risk, high-reward research and technology for space exploration. She works with various stakeholders including NASA, industry and academia to adopt and implement outcomes from TRISH-funded project deliverables.
Before joining TRISH, Dr. Fabre was the Microphysiological Systems (MPS) Lead at AstraZeneca and was part of the MPS Center of Excellence, Drug Safety and Metabolism. Prior to joining AZ in 2016, she was the Scientific Program Manager for the Microphysiological Systems (or Organs-on-Chips) Initiative at NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
Dr. Fabre received her BS in Biology from the University of Wyoming, followed by her MS and PhD from Colorado State University in Cell and Molecular Biology. Prior to joining NCATS, she was at the NIH National Cancer Institute as a postdoctoral fellow in the Radiation Biology Branch. During her time at the NCI, Dr. Fabre was highly involved with training programs and was Chair of the NCI Fellows and Young Investigators Steering Committee and created the NCI Fellows Outreach Committee.
Ali Fares, Ph.D.
Endowed Professor of Water Security and Water Energy Food Nexus, Prairie View A&M University
Ali Fares is an internationally reputed expert working on smart agriculture and natural resources management using artificial intelligence, in-situ and remotely soil-water-plant sensors and numerical models under uncertainty and a changing climate.
James Hury
Deputy Director / Chief Innovation Officer, The Translational Research Institute for Space Health
James Hury is the Deputy Director and Chief Innovation Officer for the Translational Research Institute for Space Health. In this role, Mr. Hury executes TRISH’s vision by finding and funding the most impactful emerging health technologies to aid NASA’s deep space exploration. This entails coordinating all solicitations, funding mechanisms, outreach efforts, new partnerships and procurement strategies. Mr. Hury leads the Industry program, which funds companies from startups to large multinational companies to develop or validate health and human performance technologies that support four Astronauts on a 2.5-year mission to Mars and back.
Before joining TRISH, Mr. Hury founded and served as Director of Innovation Partnerships for the Texas Children’s Health System. In leading Innovation Partnerships, Mr. Hury sourced, defined, protected, funded and supported the incorporation of new health technologies for sick kids. This included corporate venture capital investments in emerging technologies to support the health for pediatric and maternal care in a US News top 5 pediatric health system. Before joining the Texas Children’s system, Mr. Hury was VP of Finance and Operations for an extensive Radiology Practice within the Memorial Hermann System and President of a billing company. Mr. Hury has been an Adjunct Professor in the Jones School of Business at Rice University, having taught Healthcare Finance and the Health Innovation Ventures lab.
Jordan Lewis
Diversity Program Lead & Project Coordinator at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH)
Jordan Lewis is the Diversity Program Lead for TRISH. Her professional interests focus on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the space health community and elevating existing minority constituents to support representation. Outside of her work at TRISH, her passions include fashion, food, and fiction novels.
Kam Lulla, Ph.D.
Director, University Collaboration and Partnership, Johnson Space Center External Relations Office
Scott Smith, Ph.D.
Nutritionist, Manager for Nutritional Biochemistry, Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center
Dr. Scott Smith leads the Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center. His team is charged with keeping crews healthy with respect to nutrition. This includes ground-based and spaceflight research to understand how nutrition can mitigate the negative effects of spaceflight.
