Thomas Hitchcock
Thomas Hitchcock is the founder and CEO of Xycrobe Therapeutics. An entrepreneur in the biotech space, Thomas has been instrumental in bringing several medical technologies successfully to the dermatological and aesthetics markets. Thomas holds a doctorate in molecular genetics from Clemson University where he did his research on DNA damage and repair. He has completed postdoctoral training at both Duke University in the Biomedical Engineering Department and Yale University in the Program in Vascular Biology and Therapeutics where he was involved in ground-breaking research and development of in vitro engineered human cardiovascular and pulmonary tissues. He has also performed research at Weill Cornell Medical College in the Department of Oncology and Hematology where he studied multiple myeloma genetics. Prior to Xycrobe, he was the Director of Medical Affairs for Ulthera, Inc., and part of the team that brought their platform technology to acquisition in July 2014 by Merz pharmaceuticals. Thomas also currently travels the country lecturing to medical professionals about skincare and aesthetics in dermatology.
Riëtte van Laack
Riëtte van Laack, Ph.D., provides regulatory counsel on OTC products, including foods and dietary supplements, OTC drugs, cosmetics, and animal feed and drugs on a range of FDA, USDA, FTC, and CPSC issues.
Ms. van Laack has substantial experience with food and dietary supplement issues, labeling and advertising. She counsels clients regarding GMP and HACCP compliance issues, Reportable Food Registry issues, and responses to warning letters. Ms. van Laack advises clients on regulatory strategy, including requirements pertaining to self-determinations of GRAS status and determinations of new dietary ingredient status. Ms. van Laack also has substantial experience with regulation regarding labeling and advertising of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and cosmetics. Ms. van Laack’s practice includes USDA regulatory issues ranging from requirements for import of animal products (APHIS), use of ingredients in meat, poultry, and egg products (FSIS), and organic labeling requirements (AMS). Ms. van Laack conducts due diligence evaluations of FDA- and USDA-regulated companies. She additionally assists clients with compliance and liability issues related to products regulated both by the CPSC and FDA.
Ms. van Laack has advanced degrees in Nutrition and Meat Science, and more than 15 years experience in food research. Ms. van Laack was a professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Tennessee. While in law school, Ms. van Laack was an Articles Editor of theTennessee Law Review.
Raymon uit de Bulten
Julia Straus
Julia Oh
Dr. Oh's main research interests focus on the human microbiome—the diverse bacteria, fungi, and viruses that inhabit our bodies—for its potential to deliver treatments for infectious and other diseases. Dr. Oh comes to the microbiome world by way of fungal chemogenomics with technologist and geneticist Dr. Ronald Davis at Stanford and comparative genomics of wild wine yeast at the FAS Center for Systems Biology at Harvard. Prior to joining the Jackson Laboratory, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Oh's research, exploring the complex interactions between the host and its microbes has lead to important implications for the contribution of the microbiome to disease.
Dr. Roshini Raj
Dr. Roshini Raj is a board certified gastroenterologist and internist with a medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and an undergraduate degree from Harvard College.
She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU School of Medicine, and an Attending Physician at NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Raj has a special interest in women’s health and cancer screening and has published several research articles on colon cancer screening.
Dr. Raj is a TODAY Show contributor, the Dr. Oz Show core expert, the Good Day NY Medical Correspondent (Fox5) and the Medical Editor of Health Magazine. In August 2010, she released her first book, What the Yuck?! The Freaky & Fabulous Truth About Your Body. Dr. Raj has discussed a wide variety of health topics on a range of network and cable shows, including NBC’s Today Show; ABC’s The View, LIVE with Kelly and Michael, Good Morning America and World News Tonight; CNN’s American Morning, Nancy Grace, and Larry King Live; The Discovery Health Channel; The Tyra Banks Show; bethenny and The Doctors, among others.
Dr. Raj has been quoted in several publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Fitness for her knowledge of the state of healthcare and the latest health news.
Recognizing the need for women to achieve balance in life, Dr. Raj recently co-founded TULA, a healthy-living brand launched in July 2014 with a new skin care line that uses a patented probiotic technology, the first of a series of healthy-living products.
In April 2014, Dr. Raj was appointed by Lose It!, a leading consumer weight loss program, to its Newley Formed Expert Advisory Board, where she will play a critical role in providing the users with the most effective weight loss program available.
Dr. Raj resides in New York City with her husband and two children.
Dr. Nick Monsul
Dr. Monsul was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Drexel University. He completed his medical degree at Hahnemann University, Drexel University College of Medicine. His ophthalmology residency at Yale University was followed by fellowship programs at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Wilmer Eye Institute and Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He moved to Florida in 2003. Throughout his career and education, he has been involved in basic science research with a particular interested in neural regeneration and neuronal cell death. In addition to his roles at Quorum Innovations where he is actively involved in the research program, he is a surgeon with a busy practice in the Hawthorne Clinic and Research Center.
Dr Chris Callewaert
Chris received his PhD from Ghent University in Belgium. He is now a postdoctoral research fellow in the Knight lab at the University of California, San Diego. He investigates body odor and the characteristics of the bacteria living in the armpits, skin, clothes, washing machines and homes. He is the first to undertake bacterial transplants to solve underarm body odour.