Animal Venom Research International's Team

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Team

AVRI Team

Patron in Sri Lanka:
Hon. Shiranthi Wickramasinghe Rajapaksa
The First Lady of Sri Lanka

Executive Board

Executive Director,
Roy Malleappah

Herpetological Field Operations Specialist; Recipient of Humanitarian Service Awards for construction of a physiotherapy gym to help amputees in Sri Lanka and supplying prosthetics and gel socks, Construction Engineer/General Contractor; Wildlife Conservationist.

Associate Executive Director,
Kimberly McWhorter, MPH, CPH, DrPH(c)

Board Certified in Public Health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners; Program Coordinator/Educator for Riverside County, California Community Health Agency; Program Planner; Grant writer; Recipient California State Association of Counties Merit Award for creation and implementation of an innovative local government program.

Director of Field Operations,
Dana Savorelli

Founder and President of Midwest Tongs, Inc.; Founder of the United States Snakebite Research Team; Founder and Director of Monkey Island Rescue and Zoological Sanctuary, Inc.

Director of Research,
Dr. Daniel E. Keyler, Pharm.D., FAACT

Professor, Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy and Graduate School, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Senior Clinical Toxicologist, SafetyCall International, Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology.

Professional Consultant (Envenomations) - American Zoos & Aquariums Association, Zoos in the USA, multiple private zoos, the United States Armed Forces and Minnesota Poison Control System.

Director of Finance and Planning,
Laki Wickremesinghe

President of Wick Associates-
Tax and management consultancy firm in California. Owns and manages various real estate holdings in California. Along with his wife, operates Montessori schools in Southern California. Graduate- University of North London, Waltham Forest College (U.K.), Isipathna College (Sri Lanka)

Collaborators

Institiuto Clodomiro Picado, University of Costa Rica

Antivenom Development and Production Consultants

ICP will be working with AVRI to produce a species, geographic specific antivenom for Sri Lanka and aid in transferring anitvenom development technology.

The mission of the Institute is to contribute to solving the problem of envenomings due to animal bites and stings in Costa Rica and other countries, as well as to contribute to national scientific and technological development, by means of a group effort involving research, teaching, social action and production activities.

University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Principal Investigator,
Dr. Indika Gawarammana, MBBS, MD, MRCP

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya; Consultant Physician at the Professorial Medical Unit of the Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; Senior lecturer in Medicine; Senior lecturer in Clinical Toxicology; Conjoint Senior lecturer in Clinical Toxicology, University of Newcastle, Australia; Director of Clinical Research- South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration

Advisory Board

Clinical Medicine, Toxinology and
Herpetology Consultant,
Dr. Scott A Weinstein, MBBS,
MD, PhD, MSc

Attending Physician, Premier Health Primary Care Division Youth and Adult Institute; Active Affiliate Attending Physician/Consulting Clinical Toxinologist Dept. of Clinical Toxinology, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia. Board certified in family medicine; author of numerous publications in toxinology, herpetology and medicine.

Envenomation Consultant,
Dr. Kolitha Sellahewa, MBBS, MD, FCCP, FRACP(Hon.), MACEP(Hon.)

Chairman Snakebite Expert Committee SLMA, Past President Ceylon College of Physicians; Wealth of experience and expertise in the management of snake bite in Sri Lanka; Published many peer reviewed articles on snakebite and conducted extensive clinical research on snakebite.

Veterinary Consultant,
Dr. Douglas R. Mader, MS, DVM,
Diplomate ABVP
Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine

A graduate from the University of California, Davis and the co-owner the Marathon Veterinary Hospital, a referral hospital in the Conch Republic. Dr. Mader is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Canine and Feline Practice) and a Fellow in the Royal Society of Medicine. He is the consulting veterinarian for the Marathon Sea Turtle Hospital, the Monroe County Sheriff's Zoo, the Key West Aquarium and the Theater of the Sea. He is an international lecturer and has published numerous articles in scientific and veterinary journals, national magazines, and, is the author/editor of the Elsevier publication, Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Mader is the immediate Past President of the NAVC.

Dr. Mader prepares to do surgery on a Komodo Dragon

Reptile Husbandry,
Jim Harrison and Kristen Wiley

Directors, Kentucky Reptile Zoo

Kim, Jim, and Kristen

Legal Counsel (USA)
Dennis Greene, JD, MBA

Currently in private practice with a concentration in civil litigation. Education: Pepperdine University School of Law, Oxford University, England, United States Air Force Academy; Former instructor of law. Military service in the United States Air Force, achieved the rank of Captain. Dennis served his country for two years as a pilot in the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Korat Airbase, Thailand, where he flew the F 4-E "Phantom II" and for the 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron out of Clark Airfield, Philippines, flying the C-130 "Hercules".

Legal Counsel (Sri Lanka)
Nihal Jayamanne, President's Counsel

Member of the Advisory Council of Jurists of the Asia Pacific Forum for the Advancement of Human Rights, Chairman- Law College Foundation and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Judicial Infrastructure Maintenance Trust. He was also President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the Vice President of SAARCLAW and Member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka and the National Police Commission of Sri Lanka. On the Boards of Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd, Sri Lankan Catering (Pvt) Ltd and Seylan Bank PLC. Former Commissioner of the Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, Member of the Council of Legal Education.