Best David Ahrens Podcasts (2024)

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130 - Providing Evidence-Based Information About Dietary Supplements - Andrea Lindsey 41:57

6h ago41:57

41:57

Andrea Lindsey is Director of Operation Supplement Safety, the Department of Defense program of record for dietary supplements, a Program of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance of Uniformed Services University. She is also an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University. In this episode, Andrea discusses important issues …

1
129 - The French Anti-Doping Agency's Preparations for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games - Francesca Rossi, PhD 36:24

11d ago36:24

36:24

Dr. Francesca Rossi is Testing Director at the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) where she also manages international partnerships and serves as a science coordinator. She joined us in this interview to talk about her career and her work at AFLD, including preparations for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Listen to this episode to get…

1
128 - Elite Distance Runner Contributing to Clean Sport Through Research and Advocacy - Andrew Heyes, PhD 46:57

25d ago46:57

46:57

Dr. Andrew Heyes is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University. He is also working on a research project at the University of Birmingham, and he is an elite athlete in the marathon and ultramarathon competing for Great Britain, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Social Science Research Expert Advisory Group, a Member of the …

1
127 - Advancing Anti-Doping Research and Implementing Dried Blood Spot Testing - Jakob Mørkeberg, PhD 34:13

1M ago34:13

34:13

Dr. Jakob Mørkeberg is Senior Science Manager at Anti Doping Denmark. In this episode, he discusses research and development efforts to advance dried blood spot (DBS) testing, how they have implemented DBS methods for drug testing in elite sport and fitness centers in Denmark, and some of the positive cases and athlete sanctions from DBS tests. Jak…

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S4E4: Dr. David Lomiashvili on Digital Identity Verification 18:50

1M ago18:50

18:50

Dr. David Lomiashvili is the CEO of Identomat which has created an innovative AI-powered KYC and identity verification solution. Prior to his current venture, Dr. Lomiashvili has an extensive pedigree in entrepreneurship, not to mention a PhD in Astrophysics. Tune in to hear about topics like digital identity verification, his career journey, and h…

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126 - Studying the Experiences and Perspectives of Clean and Sanctioned Athletes - Cornelia Blank, PhD, and David Müller, PhD 44:24

2M ago44:24

44:24

In this episode, Dr. Cornelia Blank and Dr. David Müller discuss a newly launched collaborative research project they are leading that is examining the experiences and perspectives of sanctioned athletes as well as clean athletes. The project is called Transforming Athletes’ Life Experiences after Doping into Education Resources and Policy Recommen…

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125 - Combatting Doping in Norwegian Sport and Among Youth in Norway - Anders Solheim 39:12

2M ago39:12

39:12

Anders Solheim is CEO of Anti-Doping Norway, and he was recently elected as the Chair of the Board of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO). In this episode, Anders talks more about his career, his work as part of iNADO, landmark accomplishments for clean sport in Norway over the years, how the organization supports anti-dopin…

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S4E3: Matt Ahrens - Perspectives on AI from an NVIDIA Leader 53:20

3M ago53:20

53:20

Matt Ahrens oversees performance and tools work for the Accelerated Big Data Platforms group at NVIDIA. He’s a long-time leader in the University of Illinois community with a story that spans the 20-year history of the Research Park. Tune in to hear about his career journey, his perspectives learned along the way, and what he sees as the future of …

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124 - Health and Clean Sport Risks of Supplements, Research Chemicals, and Biologics - Amy Eichner, PhD 41:43

3M ago41:43

41:43

Dr. Amy Eichner is the Special Advisor on Drugs and Supplements at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). In this episode, she discusses risks and considerations for athletes who are thinking about taking dietary supplements, and work that USADA is doing to help reduce supplement-related risks for athletes. Dr. Eichner also covers research chemicals,…

1
S4E2: Beth Conerty- Transforming Central Illinois into a Leading Biomanufacturing Hub 38:51

4M ago38:51

38:51

Dr. Beth Conerty helps lead business development for the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab at the University of Illinois. She’s also the Regional Innovation Officer for the iFAB Tech Hub, an initiative created by the Biden administration to strengthen manufacturing innovation in America. Tune in to hear about the research area of bioprocessing …

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123 - Leading Routine Work, Research, and Development in LA's Anti-Doping Lab - Brian Ahrens 37:12

3M ago37:12

37:12

Brian Ahrens is Director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in Los Angeles. In this episode Brian shares insights from more than three decades working in a WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory, details on their daily operations, research and development efforts they are working on now, areas of opportunity in anti-doping research, and thei…

1
122 - Protecting Clean Sport and Public Health in Denmark - Kim Ravn 35:20

4M ago35:20

35:20

Kim Højgaard Ravn is Chief Executive Officer of Anti Doping Denmark, and he has worked for the organization for over ten years, serving in a variety of roles to advance clean sport. In our interview, Kim talks about his career, how the anti-doping landscape has evolved over the past decade, and the organization’s commitment to clean sport and suppo…

1
121 - Directing the Brazilian Doping Control Lab and Advancing Anti-Doping Research - Henrique Pereira, PhD 39:33

4M ago39:33

39:33

Dr. Henrique Marcelo Gualberto Pereira is Director of the Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory and Professor in the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Henrique is also President of the World Association of Anti-Doping Scientists (WAADS). In our conversation, we talk about his background, the Brazilian Dop…

1
120 - The State of the Science Surrounding Blood Collection Devices from Tasso, Inc. - Matthew Fedoruk, PhD 47:34

5M ago47:34

47:34

As a follow-up to our previous episode focused on innovative Blood Collection Devices from Tasso, Inc., Dr. Matthew Fedoruk joins us to discuss how Tasso's blood collection devices are being used in anti-doping and the state of the science of what we can detect with these devices for anti-doping purposes. He covers important benefits of these devic…

1
S4E1: Brad Miller- AI, Linguistics, and Knowledge Transfer 41:14

5M ago41:14

41:14

Dr. Brad Miller is the Co-Founder and Chief Linguistic Officer of Puzzle Labs, a software platform that uses AI to make knowledge transfer easier. Previously, he was the Site Director for P&G’s Smart Lab in the Research Park, and he’s also spent time traveling the world from Ecuador to India studying the impact of languages ADDITIONAL LINKS- Puzzle…

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119 - How Tasso is Innovating Blood Collection in Anti-Doping and Beyond - RJ Asplund and Erwin Berthier, PhD 39:19

5M ago39:19

39:19

Collecting blood samples is critical in anti-doping testing and a variety of clinical applications such as diagnostics and disease monitoring. However, traditional blood testing approaches can be a major pain point for athletes, sport organizations, patients, and their care teams. Tasso, Inc. is a company developing innovative products to improve t…

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118 - Developing Novel Methods and Biomarkers to Detect Growth Hormone Doping - Martin Bidlingmaier, MD 54:13

6M ago54:13

54:13

Dr. Martin Bidlingmaier is Head of the Endocrine Laboratory, and he leads the Neuroendocrine Research Group in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. Martin conducts clinical and basic research, particularly focusing on the development and validation of laboratory methods to diagnose and monitor pituitar…

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117 - Keeping Sport Clean in New Zealand and Beyond - Nick Paterson 44:06

6M ago44:06

44:06

Nick Paterson is Chief Executive of Drug Free Sport New Zealand, which will soon become part of a new Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission in New Zealand. He is also Governing Board Chair for the Institute of Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO). In this episode, Nick talks more about Drug Free Sport New Zealand, including the organization’s hist…

1
S3E7: 2023 at Research Park- Year in Review 41:15

7M ago41:15

41:15

This is a special episode to celebrate a great year at UIRP! Research Park’s very own Laura Appenzeller and Laura Bleill join the podcast to talk about startup and corporate highlights from the year, plans for 2024, industry trends, and more! See you back in 2024 for Year 4 of the podcast! VISIT researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast for the full catalo…

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116 - Reflecting on MLB's Anti-Doping Efforts and the First 15 Years of the PCC - Jon Coyles and Dr. Gary Green 1:05:36

7M ago1:05:36

1:05:36

To wrap up our celebration this year of the 15th anniversary of the Partnership for Clean Competition, this episode features two guests from Major League Baseball (MLB), one of the PCC's Founding Partner Organizations. Jon Coyles, JD, is Vice President of Drug, Health and Safety Programs, and Gary Green, MD, is Medical Director of MLB. In addition,…

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115 - Supporting Anti-Doping Careers and Advancing Hematology Research - Mike Sawka, PhD 35:11

7M ago35:11

35:11

Dr. Mike Sawka is Chief Scientific Officer at Environmental Physiology and Hydration Associates, an Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech, and a Member of the PCC’s Scientific Advisory Board and the Performance Hematology Working Group. He is also a Fellow of the American Physiological Society (APS). Today, we’re excited to talk about Mike’s career, hi…

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114 - NFL's Continued Support of Clean Sport and the PCC - Adolpho Birch 32:18

8M ago32:18

32:18

Adolpho Birch III is currently the Chief External & League Affairs Officer for the Tennessee Titans football team. Previously, he spent more than two decades working for the National Football League (NFL) in various roles. The NFL is one of the Founding Members of the Partnership for Clean Competition, and Adolpho is one of the PCC’s Emeritus Board…

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113 - Learn How the Office of the Athlete Ombuds Supports Team USA - Kacie Wallace 34:56

9M ago34:56

34:56

Kacie Wallace is an attorney and the Team USA Athlete Ombuds. The Office of the Athlete Ombuds provides a safe place for athletes to seek confidential, independent, impartial advice, and assistance with sport related matters. In this episode, Kacie talks more about the Office of the Athlete Ombuds, the resources and services they provide, her caree…

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S3E6: Arpit Dwivedi- Disrupting the Energy Storage Industry 38:14

9M ago38:14

38:14

Arpit Dwivedi is the Founder and CEO of Cache Energy. Cache is developing energy storage systems that can be safely installed anywhere and transported everywhere. In the past two months, Arpit and his team have raised a whopping $4.5 million which will accelerate them on their mission of decarbonizing industrial processes so that we can look forwar…

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112 - Reticulocyte-related RNAs as biomarkers to detect blood doping - Francesco Loria 22:35

9M ago22:35

22:35

Francesco Loria is a Ph.D. student in biomedical science at the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analysis in Lausanne and the University of Geneva. In this episode, we hear more about Francesco’s career, his research on the potential for reticulocyte-related RNA to be used as biomarkers to detect blood doping, and his receipt of one of this year’s PCC-s…

1
111 - Exploring Erythropoietic Outcomes After Intermittent Hypoxia - Frank Wojan, PhD 37:39

10M ago37:39

37:39

Dr. Frank Wojan recently completed his PhD in Clinical Physiology at The University of Texas at Austin, and he is currently a Senior Clinical Project Manager with Pluto Health. In this episode, Frank discusses his career path, his research on the effects of intermittent hypoxia on erythropoiesis, and the project that led to his receipt of one of th…

1
110 - Celebrating Five Decades of Anti-Doping Excellence at the DoCoLab - Peter Van Eenoo, PhD 39:36

10M ago39:36

39:36

Dr. Peter Van Eenoo is Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences and Director of the Doping Control Laboratory (DoCoLab) at Ghent University in Belgium. In this episode, we are excited to talk more about Peter, his research and routine work at the DoCo Lab, the history of the lab, and some of their groundbreaking discoveries over the years…

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109 - Examining Biotin as a Masking Agent for hCG Abuse - Jenna Goodrum, PhD 28:27

11M ago28:27

28:27

Dr. Jenna Goodrum is a Partnership for Clean Competition Fellow and Research Scientist working in the Sports Medicine Research Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Utah. In this podcast episode, we’re excited to discuss Jenna’s career path, her work at SMRTL, her experience as a PCC fellow, and the details of her PCC-funded research project examining biot…

1
108 - How Athletics Integrity Unit is Fighting for Fairness in Sport - David Howman 34:47

11M ago34:47

34:47

David Howman is Chair of the Board of Directors at the Athletics Integrity Unit for World Athletics, and he has been named Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to sport. In this episode, we discuss the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in more detail, covering the founding of the organization, how it has changed over the years,…

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S3E5: Alex Kosyakov- Creating Efficient Batteries for a Renewable Future at Natrion 38:12

11M ago38:12

38:12

Alex Kosyakov is the Co-Founder and CEO of Natrion. Natrion is creating safe, high-performance, and highly scalable solid-state batteries with the goal of powering mass market electric vehicles and renewable energy. With more than $2 million in seed funding and the backing of giants like Mark Cuban, Alex is on a mission to create batteries without …

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107 - Preventing Use of Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances by Young Athletes - Donald Hooton, Jr. 33:21

12M ago33:21

33:21

Donald Hooton, Jr., is President of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and promoting education programs for young athletes. Pressure to use performance-enhancing and appearance-enhancing substances can be high for students and young athletes, and the Taylor Hooton Foundation fills a critical gap by provi…

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106 - Sport Integrity Australia is Working to Ensure Safe and Fair Sport For All - Naomi Spears, PhD 31:09

1y ago31:09

31:09

Dr. Naomi Spears is the former Chief Science Officer and current General Manager of Operations at Sport Integrity Australia, Australia's designated national anti-doping organization (NADO). In our interview, we talk more about Sport Integrity Australia, the history of the organization, the details of their anti-doping program, how they are incorpor…

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S3E4: Susan Hinrichs- Chief Scientist at Aviatrix 29:08

1y ago29:08

29:08

Susan Hinrichs is Chief Scientist at Aviatrix, a cloud networking and security company based in Silicon Valley. Prior to Aviatrix, Susan held prestigious leadership roles at a number of top tech companies including Blue Ridge, Cisco, and Yahoo. She's also been a Computer Science professor at UIUC and is a strong advocate for women in tech. Visit re…

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105 - Perspectives on Key Stories and Anti-Doping Efforts in Major League Baseball - Tim Brown 48:42

1y ago48:42

48:42

Tim Brown is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning national sports columnist covering Major League Baseball (MLB). In this episode, Tim talks about his career and gives us a behind-the-scenes view into some of the biggest stories in MLB's recent history, including the Balco scandal, the Mitchell report, and the Biogenesis scandal…

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S3E3: Brandon Yates- Simplifying Public Works Compliance with AI 25:13

1y ago25:13

25:13

Brandon is the CEO of DeepWalk, a tech startup born and raised in Champaign. Brandon and his team are on a mission to create AI-powered solutions for the city planners and engineers that build important public infrastructure that we rely on every day. Visit researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast for our entire catalog of episodes.…

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104 - Doping Case Leaves Clean Athletes Still Awaiting Olympic Medals From the 2022 Games - Evan Bates and Madison Chock 49:14

1y ago49:14

49:14

Madison Chock and Evan Bates are an elite ice dancing team with numerous accolades, including being the 2023 World Champions and three-time Olympians. They were part of the Beijing 2022 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team that has been caught up in what is now more than a year-long saga still awaiting their medals as a result of a competitor’s positiv…

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103 - World Rugby's Dedication to Keeping Sport Clean - Mike Earl 53:47

1y ago53:47

53:47

Mike Earl is Director of Anti-Doping and Game Equipment at World Rugby. In this episode, we talk more about Mike’s career in anti-doping, the components of World Rugby's Anti-Doping programme, current challenges, key partnerships, and focus areas for the organization going forward.By Partnership for Clean Competition and Dr. Marie McNeely

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S3E2: Paul Miller- Flats or Spikes CEO Shares his Journey as a Serial Entrepreneur 25:20

1y ago25:20

25:20

Paul is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flats or Spikes. Flats or Spikes is building a "community of expertise and science in running in a brand new way". With their product, athletes of all levels can benefit from science and analytics-based expertise. Tune in to the episode to hear about Paul's successful career in agtech, his transition from academia …

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102 - Research and Innovation in Blood Microsampling for Anti-Doping - Christophe Stove, PhD 33:45

1y ago33:45

33:45

Dr. Christophe Stove is a faculty member in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Laboratory of Toxicology at Ghent University. In this interview, he shares more about his career and his research on blood microsampling for anti-doping, including advances in microsampling approaches and strategies for addressing the hematocrit effect in dried …

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101 - USOPC's Continued Commitment to Clean Sport and Anti-Doping Science - Sarah Hirshland 22:04

1y ago22:04

22:04

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is a Founding Member of the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC) and has supported anti-doping research and innovation for 15 years through this valuable partnership. In this episode Sarah Hirshland, Chief Executive Officer of the USOPC, tells us more about the USOPC, the importance of continuing…

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100 - Perspectives on the PCC's 15 Years of Anti-Doping Excellence - Travis Tygart 35:36

1+ y ago35:36

35:36

Travis Tygart is Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and he has held this position since 2007. USADA is one of the Founding Members of the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC), and Travis is an Emeritus Board of Governors Member of the PCC. In this interview, we talk more about USADA's history and also discuss the ori…

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99 - An Inside Look at NSF and the Certified for Sport Program - John Travis 39:33

1+ y ago39:33

39:33

John Travis is the Certified for Sport Technical Manager at NSF, and in this interview, we talk more about NSF, John’s research, and how he and his colleagues at NSF are working to protect clean sport through their certification programs and other efforts.By Partnership for Clean Competition and Dr. Marie McNeely

1
S3E1: The Latest in AgTech- From the Research Park AgTech Summit 50:32

1+ y ago50:32

50:32

Welcome to a new year of the Innovations at Research Park podcast! We are so excited to continue bringing you new conversations, new insights, and new perspectives from the Research Park community. This episode highlights conversations held on-location with several panelists from the Research Park’s 8th annual AgTech Summit held on March 7, 2023: K…

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98 - Measuring Peptides and Proteins in Anti-Doping - David Cowan, PhD 30:50

1+ y ago30:50

30:50

Dr. David Cowan is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Environmental, Analytical, and Forensic Science at King’s College London. He joins us in this interview to talk more about advances in methods for detecting and measuring peptides and proteins in anti-doping, including work on insulin, IGF-1, and P-III-NP. He also shares updates on a PCC-fu…

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97 - Challenges and Progress in Measuring Doping Prevalence – Andrea Petroczi, PhD 52:13

1+ y ago52:13

52:13

Professor Andrea Petroczi is Professor of Public Health at Kingston University London, and she is Chair of the WADA Working Group on Doping Prevalence. Andrea has various areas of expertise in anti-doping, but in this episode we focus our conversation on doping prevalence. She discusses exciting new research in the field, challenges, and opportunit…

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96 - Research Updates on Activity-Based Bioassays to Detect HIF Stabilizers and Cannabinoids - Liesl Janssens 34:38

1+ y ago34:38

34:38

Liesl Janssens is a PhD Student at the laboratory of Toxicology at Ghent University. She joins us again in this episode to give us an update on her research focused on developing new detection methods for Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizers. She also discusses recent work that she and her colleagues have been doing to characterize and detect…

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95 - Anti-Doping Norway's Use of Intelligence to Inform Test Planning - Fredrik Lauritzen, PhD 28:02

1+ y ago28:02

28:02

Dr. Fredrik Lauritzen is the Science Director at Anti-Doping Norway. In this episode, he shares more about Anti-Doping Norway, use of intelligence-based approaches in anti-doping, and his recent research investigating the effectiveness of using intelligence in the doping control test planning process. You can contact Fredrik by email at fredrik.lau…

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94 - Advances and Innovation from the Center for Research & Expertise in Anti-Doping sciences - Raphaël Faiss, PhD 44:11

1+ y ago44:11

44:11

Dr. Raphaël Faiss is Research Manager at the Center for Research & Expertise in Anti-Doping sciences (REDs) and Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Lausanne. He is also a former elite cyclist. In this episode, Raphaël shares more about the REDs, anti-doping research, and some of his current research projects, including work …

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93 - PGA TOUR's Anti-Doping Program - Renee Tomb 23:04

1+ y ago23:04

23:04

Renee Tomb is Director of Policy Administration at PGA TOUR. In this episode, Renee discusses her work, PGA TOUR’s Anti-Doping Program, and why the PGA TOUR’s clean sport efforts are so critical.By Partnership for Clean Competition and Dr. Marie McNeely

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92 - Clean Sport Programs and Initiatives at UK Anti-Doping - Jane Rumble 49:48

1+ y ago49:48

49:48

Jane Rumble is Chief Executive at UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). In our conversation, we discuss Jane’s career, UKAD and its history, their efforts to ensure clean sport in the UK, and how the organization has changed and incorporated new innovations over the years.By Partnership for Clean Competition and Dr. Marie McNeely

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