123 – Leading Routine Work, Research, and Development in LA’s Anti-Doping Lab – Brian Ahrens
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 their preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will be held in Los Angeles.
Support This Podcast
Interested in sponsoring the Anti-Doping Podcast or have a guest recommendation?
98 – Measuring Peptides and Proteins in Anti-Doping – David Cowan, PhD
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-funded Micro-Grant project and some of the other excellent anti-doping research projects at King’s College London.
97 – Challenges and Progress in Measuring Doping Prevalence – Andrea Petroczi, PhD
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 opportunities for the future.
96 – Research Updates on Activity-Based Bioassays to Detect HIF Stabilizers and Cannabinoids – Liesl Janssens
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 cannabinoids, opioids, and psychedelics using similar activity-based assays.
95 – Anti-Doping Norway’s Use of Intelligence to Inform Test Planning – Fredrik Lauritzen, PhD
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.lauritzen[at]antidoping.no with any questions.
94 – Advances and Innovation from the Center for Research & Expertise in Anti-Doping sciences – Raphaël Faiss, PhD
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 investigating potential confounding factors in the Athlete Biological Passport. He also discusses his collaboration on a PCC-funded research project investigating the potential use of performance monitoring to augment anti-doping efforts.
93 – PGA TOUR’s Anti-Doping Program – Renee Tomb
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.
92 – Clean Sport Programs and Initiatives at UK Anti-Doping – Jane Rumble
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.
91 – Developing Instruments for Chemical Analysis in Anti-Doping and Beyond – Andrew Jones, PhD
Dr. Andrew Jones is the CEO and Co-Founder of Activated Research Company, a company dedicated to creating new products to make chemical analysis easy and accessible. In our conversation, we talk more about Andrew’s career, the innovative products he is developing at Activated Research Company, and how their products can be used to advance anti-doping.
90 – Investigating Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry for Anti-Doping – Chris Chouinard, PhD
Dr. Chris Chouinard is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Clemson University. In this episode, we discuss Chris’s career, his PCC-funded research investigating the development and potential applications of ion mobility-mass spectrometry for anti-doping, and how his work may impact anti-doping and other fields.
89 – WADA’s Anti-Doping Education and Social Science Research – Tony Cunningham
Tony Cunningham is a Senior Manager in the Education Department with responsibility for Social Science Research and Policy at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In our interview, we talk more about Tony’s career, education initiatives at WADA, the International Standard for Education and the impacts it is having on anti-doping education, as well as support for social science research at WADA.
88 – Advocating for Athletes and Clean Sport – Léa Krüger
Léa Krüger is a four-time German champion in saber fencing and a current member of the German National Team. She is also an athlete advocate, serving as an athletes’ representative for the German Fencing Federation, a member of the Deutschland Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) Athletes’ Commission, a member of the advisory board for NADA Germany, and a member of the Executive Committee of Athleten Deutschland, Germany’s first independent athlete association. In addition, she is a law student at the University of Cologne. In our interview today, we’ll talk more about Léa’s experiences in sport and athlete advocacy.
87 – NADA Germany’s Commitment to Clean Sport – Lars Mortsiefer
Dr. Lars Mortsiefer is Legal Director, Chief Legal Officer, and a Member of the Executive Board of the National Anti Doping Agency of Germany (NADA Germany). He is also Vice-Chair of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO). In our interview, Lars shares more about his career, NADA Germany, the organization’s history, and their anti-doping efforts.
86 – Drone Delivery and Other Novel Research at the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar – Vidya Mohamed-Ali, PhD
Dr. Vidya Mohamed-Ali is Scientific Advisor at the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar and Deputy Director of the Centre of Metabolism and Inflammation at University College London. In our conversation, Vidya shares details about her career and research at the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar, including projects focused on detecting blood doping, their work using metabolomics to identify doping via growth hormone and autologous blood transfusion, and an innovative new PCC-funded study exploring use of drones for transport of anti-doping samples.
85 – Anti-Doping Lab Qatar is Dedicated to Protecting Clean Sport – Alka Beotra, PhD
Dr. Alka Beotra is Director of the WADA-Accredited Qatar Doping Analysis Laboratory and Qatar Athlete Passport Management Unit. In our interview, she shares more about the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar, the organization’s history, her career in anti-doping, preparations for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, and more.
84 – Doping Prevention and Education at the French Anti-Doping Agency – Catherine Coley
Catherine Coley is Director of the Prevention and Education Department at the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD). In this episode, she shared more about AFLD’s history and mission, her work on their anti-doping prevention and education programs, and preparations for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games that will be held in Paris in 2024.
83 – Research Updates from the Sports Medicine Research Testing Laboratory – Geoff Miller, PhD
Dr. Geoff Miller is Assistant Laboratory Director at the Sports Medicine Research Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Utah. In this episode, we talk more about SMRTL and the exciting research projects Geoff has been working on, including studies to detect growth hormone with capillary dried blood spot testing and capillary whole blood testing for Athlete Biological Passport analyses. He also shares his experiences as a former PCC Research Fellow.
82 – Exploring WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS) – Chaya Ndiaye
Chaya Ndiaye is the Head of Product at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In this episode, she guides us through WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS), talking about what it is, how it’s used, and how it has changed and continues to evolve over time to meet the needs of its users in the anti-doping community.
81 – Swiss Doping Control Laboratory and the World Association of Anti-Doping Scientists – Tiia Kuuranne, PhD
Dr. Tiia Kuuranne is Director of the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Control Analyses, Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Helsinki, and President of the World Association of Anti-Doping Scientists (WAADS). She is joining us to talk more about her work in the lab as well as the important role that WAADS plays in promoting clean sport.
80 – Anti-Doping Knowledge Center Deep Dive – Rien Tuk
Rien Tuk works for The Anti-Doping Authority Netherlands (Dutch Doping Authority) as Manager of the Anti-Doping Knowledge Center (https://www.doping.nl/). He joins us today to talk more about the Dutch Doping Authority and the unique resource they have developed for disseminating information related to anti-doping. The Anti-Doping Knowledge Center continues to grow, and it is a valuable resource for people around the world. You can contribute to The Anti-Doping Knowledge Center by emailing relevant anti-doping documents such as scientific journal articles, case law, reports, or other documents to adkc@dopingautoriteit.nl.
79 – Anti-Doping Perspectives from the PCC’s Executive Director – Ryan Murphy
Ryan Murphy joined the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC) as the Executive Director in 2021. In this episode, he shares more about his current position and his prior career experiences that led him to the PCC. In addition, he talks about the PCC’s mission, current research funding opportunities, and what’s next for the PCC.
78 – Olympic Historian Tracks Anti-Doping History – Bill Mallon, MD
Dr. Bill Mallon is an Olympic historian as well as Co-founder and Past President of the International Society of Olympic Historians. He is also a medical doctor, specializing in orthopedic surgery, and a former professional golfer. Bill joined us in this episode to discuss the history of anti-doping and the Olympics.
77 – The Role of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Anti-Doping Law – Paul Greene, JD
Paul Greene is an attorney at Global Sports Advocates, LLC who represents a variety of clients in the sports realm, including everyone from Olympic committees to athletes accused of doping. He joins us in this episode to discuss the legal process for athletes who might find themselves accused of wrongdoing.
76 – NFL’s Efforts to Promote Clean Sport in Football – Janelle Winston, JD
Janelle Winston is a lawyer who represents the NFL and its teams in labor-management disputes involving compensation and salary, player discipline, electronic medical records, and workers’ compensation, as well as anti-doping. She is also the newest member of the Partnership for Clean Competition’s Board of Governors, representing the NFL. We discuss these topics and more in this episode.
75 – Insights on Anti-Doping from USADA’s General Counsel – Jeff Cook, JD
Jeff Cook is the General Counsel for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), where he leads USADA’s legal and investigative staff as well as the legal department’s arbitration and legal cases. He joins us in this episode to discuss his experiences and his role in fighting doping in sport.
74 – Nordic Skier Advocates For Athletes and Anti-Doping – Noah Hoffman
Noah Hoffman is a two-time Olympian. He competed for Team USA in Nordic skiing before moving on to become an advocate for athletes, both in a personal capacity and as a board member of the group Global Athlete, as well as an Athlete presenter for the Education Team at USADA. Noah joined us in this episode to talk about how doping affects athletes and how it shaped him into the advocate he is today.