Food Protection Trends - May/June 2023 - 266

GENERAL
SESSIONS
IVAN PARKIN LECTURE
" Anatomy of a Food Standard "
Sarah Cahill, Ph.D.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome, Italy
Dr. Sarah Cahill is a Senior Food Standards Officer with the Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
SUNDAY, JULY 16
OPENING SESSION
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, located in Rome, Italy. With a background in microbiology,
Dr. Cahill worked in the dairy and beverage sectors before receiving her Ph.D. in Food Microbiology from the University
College Dublin, Ireland in 1999. Shortly after, she joined FAO in Rome where she played a key role in the establishment
of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) in the early 2000s.
Until April 2018, Dr. Cahill led the FAO JEMRA Secretariat, overseeing the provision of scientific advice on
microbiological hazards in a wide range of foods, from fresh produce to meat and fish, for use both in Codex standard
setting processes and FAO Member countries. She also worked on providing scientific advice to other UN agencies
(WFP, UNICEF) on the safety of specific foods destined for food insecure and vulnerable populations and on increasing
the accessibility of risk assessment and scientific advice through the development of tools and approaches to support
evidence-based decision making.
In 2015, Dr. Cahill became the FAO food safety focal point on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), contributing to the
development of FAO's AMR action plan and serving as the technical lead for a global capacity development project to
engage the food and agriculture sector in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia in their efforts to address AMR.
In May 2018, Dr. Cahill joined the Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, where she currently leads
the activities related to communications and awareness raising as well as being responsible for the work of a number
of Codex committees, including on food hygiene.
An IAFP Member since 2008, Dr. Cahill served on IAFP's European Symposium on Food Safety's Organizing
Committee for several years. She also served on IAFP's Nominating Committee in 2018. Dr. Cahill is a member of
several IAFP Professional Development Groups (PDGs).
JOHN H. SILLIKER LECTURE
" No Person is an Island "
Michael Brodsky
Brodsky Consultants
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Mr. Michael Brodsky has been an Environmental Microbiologist for more than 50 years. After graduating from the
University of Toronto's School of Hygiene, Mr. Brodsky joined the Laboratory Services Branch of the Ontario Ministry
of Health as a Research Scientist in Rotation and was subsequently appointed to the Department of Environmental
Bacteriology.
After a brief stint in the private sector, Mr. Brodsky accepted the position of Chief, Environmental Microbiology for
WEDNESDAY, JULY 19
CLOSING SESSION
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Ontario in 1982, which he held until changing career paths in 1999 when he accepted the position of Director of Silliker
Laboratory Canada in Toronto. In 2001, Mr. Brodsky established Brodsky Consultants, operating as an independent
microbiological consultant in food and water safety, laboratory accreditation, and quality assurance.
Mr. Brodsky joined IAFP in 1972 and served as its President from 1997-1998. He also served two terms as President
of IAFP's Affiliate, the Ontario Food Protection Association (OFPA), and one term as President of AOAC International.
In addition, he served as IAFP Teller from 2005-2006, on the Constitution and Bylaws Committee from 2000-2004,
and on several Award Selection Committees. Mr. Brodsky received the IAFP Harry Haverland Citation Award in 2010;
the President's Recognition Award in 2007; and both the Fellow and the Honorary Life Membership Awards in 1999.
Until 2022, Mr. Brodsky served as Co-Chair for the AOAC Expert Review Committee for Microbiology; as a
scientific reviewer in Microbiology for the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis and the AOAC Research Institute; as
a reviewer for Standards Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater; and as a chapter editor on QA for the
Compendium of Methods in Microbiology. He has also served as a lead auditor and technical assessor in microbiology
for the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA) and for the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).
Mr. Brodsky holds a diploma in Bacteriology and a master's in Microbiology from the University of Toronto's School
of Hygiene in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
266 Food Protection Trends May/June

Food Protection Trends - May/June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May/June 2023