Ellen P. Carlin, DVM

Owner of Parapet Science & Policy Consulting

Dr. Carlin is a veterinarian specializing in the epidemiology of zoonotic pathogens and emerging infectious disease. She studies incidence and transmission dynamics of zoonotic pathogens, focusing on the interfaces among people, animals, and the environments in which they live. She has studied infectious disease dynamics in the United States, Liberia, Guinea, Kenya, and Tanzania. She also specializes in biodefense policy with a focus on working to develop and advocate for policy-driven opportunities to prevent high-consequence outbreaks.

Dr. Carlin has been consulting since 2011 and launched Parapet Science & Policy Consulting in 2023. She previously served as Assistant Research Professor at Georgetown University and as Senior Health and Policy Specialist at EcoHealth Alliance. In 2013, she completed a fellowship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine on data analysis and other aspects of antimicrobial resistance. Prior to that, she was Senior Professional Staff with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, where for more than five years she handled medical preparedness, biodefense, and science and technology policy. That position began as an American Veterinary Medical Association/American Association for the Advancement of Science fellowship.

At the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Carlin teaches on the role of the federal government in animal health. She has worked or volunteered since 2007 as a small animal clinical veterinarian and continues to participate in low income and vaccine clinics, serving her interests in animal health and welfare, public health, and parasitology. She received a Bachelor of Science in biology from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.

Christian Epe, Dr. med. vet., DipEVPC

Director of Parasitology
Pharma Discovery & Research, Merial, part of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health

Dr. Epe got his degree in Veterinary Medicine at the Hannover School of Veterinary Medicine, Germany, in 1990. After a post-doctoral position there, he spent 15 years in academia in a tenured position, heading the Diagnostic Labs and Services Unit with full responsibilities in teaching, state examination, and supervision of doctoral students. He has extensive experience in diagnosis, epidemiology, and control of parasite infections. Research activities included molecular parasitology, and working with nematodes and arthropods of companion animals.

In 2003, Dr. Epe became a Diplomat of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (DipEVPC) and was twice re-accredited since then.

In 2007, Dr. Epe transitioned to a commercial research position at Novartis Animal Health, Switzerland, gaining experience in drug profiling, a broader knowledge of parasite models, and a general business acumen of the animal health industry. The period of 2011-2014 saw him taking on the role of Lead Finder in the Human Health Research headquarters of Novartis in Boston, USA, to identify projects for the animal health pipeline, more drug development technologies, and facilitate cross-divisional communication. Returning to Novartis Animal Health Switzerland in 2014 as Head of Parasiticide Research, Dr. Epe managed a research pipeline in Parasitology and a large research team and corresponding budget; his major focus was building, communicating, and implementing a research strategy for Veterinary Parasitology.

Dr. Epe’s specialties include: Drug discovery, Helminths of dogs & cats, Control of parasitic diseases of livestock and companion animals, and Establishing a QM system in routine diagnostic parasitology with accreditation.

He has profiles on ResearchGate and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-epe-4969306)
 

Randy C. Lynn, DVM, MS, DACVCP

Manager of Professional Services
Merck Animal Health

Dr. Lynn completed graduate training in Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology and graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio State University in 1983. After two years of full time veterinary practice in Greensboro, North Carolina he worked at Schering Animal Health for one year. In 1986 Dr. Lynn moved to Novartis Corporation (now part of Elanco) where he spent 11 years working in product development, professional services and finally in the regulatory affairs department working directly with the FDA to gain approval for new products. His efforts helped produce several new product approvals including Interceptor™, Sentinel™ and Percorten-V®.

In 1997, he joined the pharmaceutical division of IDEXX Laboratories and began work on several new products including PZI VET®, Navigator®, Surpass® and ProZinc™ Insulin. In 2008, he re-joined Intervet Schering-Plough as Manager of Technical Services. In 2010 Intervet Schering-Plough was renamed Merck Animal Health. He is currently responsible for educating veterinarians about Merck Animal Health products and acting as a goodwill ambassador to the veterinary profession.

Dr. Lynn is the author or co-author of several veterinary textbooks and numerous research articles. He often lectures at local and national veterinary meetings regarding veterinary pharmacology, parasitology and internal medicine. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology.

Outside of his corporate work, Dr. Lynn still sees veterinary patients once a month and is actively involved in veterinary missions work.

Manigandan Lejeune Virapin, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, DipACVM (Parasitology)

Director of Clinical Parasitology, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC)
Cornell University

Dr. Lejeune received his Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry at Pondicherry University and Master of Veterinary Science (Parasitology) at ANGR Agricultural University (ANGRAU), India, in 1999 and 2001, respectively.  He worked as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Parasitology, ANGRAU and later moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in the area of host-parasite interactions. Upon completion of his PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary in 2010, Dr. Lejeune worked as Wildlife Parasitologist at the Alberta node of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary (UCVM). Before taking his present position at Cornell University, Dr. Lejeune worked as a Specialist in Diagnostic Parasitology at the Diagnostic Service Unit of UCVM. Currently, as Director of Clinical Parasitology, Dr. Lejeune oversees the day-to-day diagnostic activities of the parasitology section at AHDC. Dr. Lejeune is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists with certification in Veterinary Parasitology. His research interests include studying biodiversity of wildlife parasites and understanding host-parasite interactions at micro/macro levels.

Publications: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Manigandan_Lejeune