The Anti-Doping Podcast

Dr. Kara Lynch is a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She is also Co-Director of the Core Clinical Laboratory at San Francisco General Hospital overseeing Chemistry and Toxicology, and she is Director of Chemistry at UCSF Children's Hospital Oakland. In this episode Dr. Lynch discusses her career, the impacts of her prior PCC-funded work, and an innovative new research project focused on applying a novel high-resolution mass spectrometry approach to detect small molecule doping agents in anti-doping analysis.

Dr. Caroline Rickards is a Professor in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. In this episode, she discusses how anti-doping researchers can better communicate the work to various audiences. We cover common science communication challenges, strategies for improving science communication skills, how scientists can prepare themselves to take advantage of research dissemination opportunities, and the changing landscape of science communication.

Rusty Smith is Head of Research Programs at the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC). In this episode he discusses his career, his current role at the PCC, and PCC funding opportunities, including upcoming deadlines for the next cycle of PCC Research Grants and Fellowships. We also cover the PCC's research priorities, anti-doping collaborations and partnerships, goals for the future, and more.

The Catalonian Anti-Doping Laboratory was established in 1985, and this year marks their 40th anniversary of operations. Dr. Rosa Ventura Alemany is Director of the laboratory, which is within the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) in Barcelona, Spain. In this episode, she discusses how the laboratory and the field of anti-doping have evolved over the years, some of the lab's major contributions to anti-doping science, and current research projects spanning investigations of the use of sulfate metabolites as markers to detect anabolic steroids, glucocorticoids and how to differentiate between permitted versus prohibited administration, and the analysis of doping agents in dried blood spot (DBS) samples.

In the second episode of our two-episode mini-series featuring Biotage, Esraa AboJasser and Dr. Lee Williams share more detail about their work, particularly in the North America region. Biotage is a global supplier and solutions partner to a wide range of customers within drug discovery, drug development, and analytical testing. The company's products and solutions are critical for anti-doping laboratories, scientists conducting anti-doping research, and labs across a variety of other fields. This episode explores Biotage's consumable products, their activities in North America, their educational endeavors, the company's goals for the future, preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, and more. Esraa is Market and Applications Manager in Analytical Testing at Biotage, and Lee is Director of R&D for Analytical Consumables and Applications at Biotage.

Shannon Rowbury is an accomplished elite U.S. track athlete and three-time Olympian. She is an Olympic bronze medalist, two-time World bronze medalist, World Record Holder in the distance medley relay, former American record holder in the 1,500 meter, 2 mile, and 5,000 meter races, and she has been ranked among the top ten female track athletes in the world for a decade. In addition, Shannon is a Managing Partner at West Strategy Group and co-founder and President of Imagining More, a non-profit organization that promotes arts and athletics for youth. She is also an Emmy-Award winning broadcaster, she's been an in-stadium announcer, and Track & Field analyst. In this episode, Shannon discusses her career, her commitment to clean sport, and her experiences surrounding the 2012 Olympic Games in London. After crossing the finish line in sixth place in that race, Shannon has now officially been recognized as the bronze medalist after multiple competitors were disqualified for doping.

Dr. Lori Bestervelt is Senior Vice President of Certification Services at TruShield Certified and a member of the PCC's Scientific Advisory Board. She was previously Chief Science Officer at NSF International for 22 years, and she has over 20 years of experience in sport certification programs. Dr. Bestervelt discussed the importance of banned substance certification, the gap in the market that TruShield Certified was created to address, the kinds of products they test and certify, how the certification process works, collaborations with other stakeholders in the anti-doping community, and more.

Dr. Kevin Murray is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Integrative Physiology of Aging Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the recipient of this year's PCC-sponsored Anti-Doping Postdoctoral Award in partnership with the American Physiological Society (APS). In this episode, we discuss his career path and his research, particularly focusing on his recent work studying the role extracellular vesicles may play in modulating arterial function. This research is critical for understanding the potential performance-enhancing effects of emerging extracellular vesicle therapies.