呦乐园

We look forward to hosting these highly esteemed speakers to share their expertise with AEC attendees.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH

A Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.

In early 2025, Dr. Osterholm and colleagues founded the , a key initiative dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the US. He is also author of the new book, .

In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 transition advisory board. From June 2018 through May 2019, he served as a Science Envoy for Health Security on behalf of the US Department of State. He is also on the Luther College Board of Regents.

He is the author of two additional, New York Times best-selling, books, In 2000, he authored Living Terrors: What American Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Catastrophe,laying why the biological attacks (like the 2001 anthrax attack) are a new reality and what we must do to prepare, and his 2017 book, , details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day (including coronaviruses and pandemics) but lays out a strategy to address them.

In addition, Dr. Osterholm is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Council of Foreign Relations. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. In July 2008, he was named to the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center鈥檚 Academy of Excellence in Health Research. In October 2008, he was appointed to the World Economic Forum Working Group on Pandemics.

In addition to his role at CIDRAP, Dr. Osterholm has also served as an HHS special advisor and a representative on the interim management team to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Previously, Dr. Osterholm served from 1975 to 1999 at the Minnesota Department of Health, the last 15 as state epidemiologist.

He has written more than 315 papers and abstracts, including 21 book chapters and is a frequently invited guest lecturer on the topic of epidemiology of infectious diseases. He serves on the editorial boards of nine journals.

Dr. Osterholm has received numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from Luther College; the Pump Handle Award, CSTE; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, CDC; the Harvey W. Wiley Medal, FDA; the Squibb Award, IDSA; Distinguished University Teaching Professor, UMN; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award, APHA. He also has been the recipient of six major research awards from the NIH and the CDC.

Dr. Claudia Riegel, Ph.D.

Director, Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board, PhD, MPH. She earned her degrees from Purdue University, University of Georgia, and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Directly out of school, she worked in private industry as a field scientist in the urban pest management field. Responsibilities included providing technical support, collaborated with government organizations, universities, and customers. In 2004, she became Principal Research Entomologist for the City of New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board. In 2006, she became Assistant Director, and in 2010 she was promoted to Director of the department. At the City, she provides technical support for the City of New Orleans and the pest control industry, conducts independent research, collaborates with industry for enhancements of existing products and testing of new products, and collaborates with government organizations and universities on a variety of research projects involving rodents, mosquitoes, termites, and a variety of other urban pests. She participates in several professional societies at the national and local level, she has authored articles and training modules. She speaks at pest control and public health meetings around the country and internationally.