Elsa Shapiro, PhD, Delivered Keynote on Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Elsa Shapiro, PhD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology in the Division of Pediatric Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. She is retired, but remains a part-time faculty member. She has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, completed her internship and post-doctoral training at National Children’s Medical Center in Washington, DC, and is board certified  in clinical psychology. Dr. Shapiro is known for research in neurobehavioral and neuroimaging manifestations of genetic neurodegenerative disorders. She developed methods of longitudinal assessment of neurocognitive functions, delineated the neurocognitive phenotypes of several genetic disorders, studied the relationships between quantitative neuroimaging and neuropsychology in treated and untreated children, and examined the characteristics of dementia in children with neurodegenerative disease. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and invited chapters. Recently, she was the co-Principal Investigator of the NIH-supported Lysosomal Disease Network, and Principal Investigator of Longitudinal Studies of Brain Structure and Function in the Mucopolysaccharidoses until 2014. She was also co-Principal Investigator of a Natural History study of MPS III. She currently offers consulting services to provide assistance with neurocognitive endpoints in patients with rare diseases.

Dr. Shapiro also has a strong interest in the effects of poverty on the developing brain, and previously led a large study of the effects of lead burden and other social and biological variables on the cognitive development of high-risk inner city children. She has also consulted on the effects of cerebral malaria and HIV on neurodevelopment in Ugandan children. In addition to her research, she was the founder of the Pediatric Neuropsychology clinic and training program at the University of Minnesota in 1974, training many post-doctoral fellows. She has mentored 11 fellows and junior faculty in research in neurodegenerative diseases. She now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Shapiro delivered a Keynote Address at WORLDSymposium 2017, Understanding and Measuring Neurodegeneration in Childhood Onset Lysosomal Diseases, on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 7:45 AM.

Keynote Address on Thursday, February 16, 2017 presented by Richard Moscicki, MD, Deputy Center Director for Science Operations, U.S. FDA

Richard Moscicki, MD, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) presented the Thursday, February 16th Keynote Address at WORLDSymposium 2017.

Richard (Rich) A. Moscicki (Mo-shis-ke), MD, joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), as Deputy Center Director for Science Operations. A nationally recognized expert in clinical research and development, Dr. Moscicki brings to the position executive direction of Center operations and leadership in overseeing the development, implementation, and direction of CDER’s programs.

Before joining CDER, Dr. Moscicki served as senior vice president (SVP), Head of Clinical Development at Genzyme Corporation. He joined Genzyme in 1992 as medical director and became the chief medical officer and SVP of biomedical and regulatory affairs in 1996 — holding that post until 2011. Over the past two decades, Dr. Moscicki has been responsible for worldwide global regulatory and pharmacovigilance matters, as well as all aspects of clinical research and medical affairs for the company.

Dr. Moscicki received his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. He is board certified in internal medicine, diagnostic and laboratory immunology, and allergy and immunology. He completed his residency with a focus on immunology, followed by a four-year fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in immunology and immunopathology. He remains on staff at MGH and on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Moscicki presented An FDA Perspective on Rare Disease Drug Development at WORLDSymposium 2017 on Thursday, February 16, 2017, from 7:45-8:15 AM.