Speakers

Dr. Christopher Braden

Christopher Braden, MD, is a medical epidemiologist and currently serves as the Director, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. Previously, Dr. Braden has served as the Associate Director for Science in the Division of Parasitic Diseases, and Chief, Outbreak Response and Surveillance within the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch, Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. Dr. Braden also served as a medical epidemiologist in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. Dr. Braden earned his BS at Cornell University and MD at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine then fellowship in infectious diseases at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, MA. He went on to become an Epidemic Intelligence Officer (EIS) at CDC in 1993. He is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, a member of the American Society for Microbiology, and an associate editor for the Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) Journal. He has authored over 60 peer reviewed publications and textbook chapters. His major areas of interest include molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases, infectious diseases surveillance and outbreak investigation, and national programs in food safety.

Dr. David Acheson

Dr. David William Kennedy Acheson is one of the world's most esteemed experts in food safety. He currently serves as the Managing Director, Food and Import Safety Practice, at Leavitt Partners. Founded by former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and EPA Administrator Michael O. Leavitt, the partnership advises clients in the health care and food safety sectors. As Managing Director of the Food and Import Safety Practice, Acheson helps clients enter new markets, enhance the value of their products, navigate dynamic regulatory and reimbursement systems and improve health conditions around the world.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners Dr. Acheson served as the Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection providing advice and counsel to the FDA Commissioner on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters. In January 2008, he was named Associate Commissioner of Foods, which provided him an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues, including health promotion and nutrition.
Dr. Acheson has published extensively and is internationally recognized both for his public health expertise in food safety and his research in infectious diseases. Additionally, Dr. Acheson is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Infectious Disease Society of America.

Dr. Mandy Carr Johnson

Mandy Carr Johnson, Ph.D. is the Executive Director for Research at National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Though she concentrates much of her efforts on beef safety research, her team is also responsible for the dissemination programs conducted on behalf of The Beef Checkoff for human nutrition & product enhancement research as well. Mandy also leads the NCBA Safety Priority Team which is a cross section of the organization with team members from retail, foodservice, issues and reputation management, policy and research, all working to improve the safety of beef. With her team members, Mandy directs safety research projects, works with the Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo) as well as coordinates outreach efforts to showcase checkoff-funded research. Mandy was raised in the small rural community of Sudan, Texas where her family still lives and raise commercial beef cattle. Mandy is a graduate of Texas Tech University with and undergraduate degree in Food Science and Technology, a master’s degree in Food Science, and a Ph.D. in Animal & Food Science specializing in food safety. In 1999, Mandy joined the faculty at Angelo State University. During her almost 8 year tenure at Angelo State, Mandy developed a meat and food science undergraduate and graduate teaching program and designed and managed the federally inspected ASU Meat Laboratory. Mandy joined NCBA in 2007.

Dr. David McSwane

Dr. David McSwane is Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Division of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Science in the Department of Public Health at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He teaches courses in environmental health, food safety, and environmental policy at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His research targets environmental hazards that cause illness and injury with a specific focus on food safety and food defense. Dr. McSwane has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of environmental health and food protection. He is the lead author of the SafeMark - Food Safety Fundamentals and the SafeMark Guide to Food Safety textbooks which are published by the Food Marketing Institute and used by retail food managers to prepare for Food Protection Manager Certification examinations. Dr. McSwane holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Wabash College and Master of Public Health and Doctor of Health and Safety degrees from Indiana University. He is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and a Certified Professional in Food Safety. Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana University, Dr. McSwane was Administrator of the Monroe County Health Department in Bloomington, Indiana and a Sanitarian with the Indiana State Department of Health. Dr. McSwane is Past-President of the Indiana Environmental Health Association and the Indiana Public Health Association, and is currently the Executive Director of the Conference for Food Protection.

Marianne Smith Edge

Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA is Senior Vice President, Nutrition & Food Safety for the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in Washington, DC, a nonprofit organization that effectively communicates sound, science-based information on nutrition and food safety to health professionals, educators, government officials, journalists and consumers. In her role at IFIC, Smith Edge is responsible for directing the nutrition and food safety strategic initiatives and consumer research as well as leading executive/senior level group facilitation and directing and enhancing external collaborations for both IFIC and its Foundation. She also serves as IFIC’s spokesperson on various nutrition, food safety and health issues. In addition to being a registered dietitian, and 2003-04 past president of The American Dietetic Association (ADA), now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), Smith Edge is also an experienced communicator, strategic planner, and facilitator with over 25 years of experience. Prior to joining IFIC, she has been the owner of MSE and Associates, LLC providing strategic nutrition consulting services for the food and healthcare industry, as well as commodity groups. Smith Edge holds a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from the University of Kentucky and was a past president of the National Alumni Association and served on the Board of Trustees 2000-2006. She earned a master’s degree in public health-nutrition from Western Kentucky University. In August 2009, she earned a certification in Appreciative Inquiry from the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University.

Gale Prince

Gale Prince brings over 40 years of food industry experience to the table, starting in 1967 at the Jewel Companies till his retirement from The Kroger Co. as their Director of Corporate Regulatory Affairs. He is widely known for his involvement in industry and regulatory activities and in addressing global food safety issues. He has been called “The Dean” of product recalls having managed several thousand in his career and is noted for his knowledge of food safety and regulatory requirements.