Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH, FACP, FACPM

Dr. Hope Ferdowsian is a double board-certified internal medicine, preventive medicine, and public health physician with ethics expertise. Her global work focuses on the intersection of human and nonhuman rights, health, and wellbeing, and her published works center on the importance of universal principles. She served as faculty at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Georgetown University School of Medicine, and she is now a professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Kathy Hessler, JD, LLM

Dean Kathy Hessler is the inaugural Assistant Dean for Animal Legal Education at George Washington University (GWU) Law School, and Director of the Animal Legal Education Initiative. Dean Hessler has been a clinical law professor for over 30 years and has been teaching animal law for 25 years. She is the first law professor hired to teach animal law full-time. She received her JD from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary and her LLM from Georgetown University Law Center. Dean Hessler helped develop the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School (L&C). For fourteen years she taught there and directed the Animal Law Clinic, which was named one of the top fifteen most innovative clinics in 2015. Prior to her work at GWU and L&C, Dean Hessler also taught at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Cornell Law School, University of Dayton School of Law, Capital University Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Syd Johnson, PhD, HEC-C

Dr. L. Syd M Johnson is a philosopher/bioethicist/neuroethicist and Professor at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and an ethics consultant at Upstate’s three hospitals. She’s an associate editor for Neuroethics, and a member of the NIH BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group, and is the chair of Upstate’s Hospital Ethics Committee. Dr. Johnson’s books include The Ethics of Uncertainty: Entangled Ethical and Epistemic Risks in Disorders of Consciousness;  The Routledge Handbook of Neuroethics ; Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers’ Brief;  Philosophical, Medical, and Legal Controversies About Brain Death; Neuroethics and Nonhuman Animals; and The Three Pillars of Ethical Research with Nonhuman Primates. Her research focuses on ethical issues related to research ethics, animal ethics, xenotransplantation, and brain injuries, including brain death and disorders of consciousness. 

Roshni Ladny, PhD, CDVA

Dr. Roshni Ladny is a criminologist and trauma specialist and an assistant professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). She is also a child and animal welfare researcher and policy advocate for the grassroots organization European Link Coalition. Her community-engaged research focuses heavily on the victim-offender overlap, specifically examining how childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and exposure to animal cruelty and family violence shape aggressive and maladaptive behavior. Her research and advocacy helped inform the landmark United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 26 (GC26), establishing an international mandate for member states to protect children from witnessing violence inflicted on animals. She is also a certified domestic violence victim advocate in Florida and a previous mental health therapist with clinical roots in addiction counseling, youth trauma, and crisis intervention. Leveraging this combined academic and clinical expertise, she provides specialized training to law enforcement, prosecutors, and welfare organizations worldwide, and she has served as an international expert witness in cases involving sexual violence. Her research is published in journals including Deviant Behavior, Aggressive Behavior, and the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma.

Jim Mason, JD

Jim Mason is an author and attorney. His book, An Unnatural Order: The Roots of Our Destruction of Nature, shows how the adverse treatment of animals has contributed to human atrocities and various forms of discrimination. His books, including The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter and Animal Factories, document in depth how factory farming harms animals, the environment, and people. His writings have appeared in Audubon, the New York Times, New Scientist, Newsday, Country Journal, Orion, and Nature Quarterly.

Debra Merskin, PhD

Dr. Debra Merskin is Professor Emerit of Media Studies at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. She holds a PhD in Mass Communication from the SI Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University, a Masters degree in Depth & Ecological Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and is completing the MLS in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark Law School. Dr. Merskin’s research focuses on media representations of marginalized groups, including both humans and nonhuman animals. She investigates how media portrayals reinforce stereotypes and exclusion. She serves on the board of Think Wild, the Central Oregon wildlife rescue and rehabilitation nonprofit, and, since 2020, has been a volunteer in patient care in the wildlife hospital.

Kavita Rajasekhar, MD, MPH

Bio and photo forthcoming

Dinesh Wadiwel, PhD

Bio and photo forthcoming

Maggie Topalian, MS

Maggie Topalian is a program coordinator and program specialist for the Institute for Universal Rights, Health & Justice. She also serves as a clerk for the National Commission on Research Ethics. She earned her MS in Conservation Medicine from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2024, where she focused her research on post-traumatic stress disorder and the One Health harms caused by animal farming. A lifelong animal and nature lover, Maggie has worked and volunteered at several accredited animal sanctuaries and environmental organizations. Her family’s history of experiencing internment and genocide has also deepened her interest in human rights issues.

Nandita Bajaj, MEd

Nandita Bajaj is Executive Director of Population Balance, a nonprofit that works to inspire narrative, behavioral, and systemic changes that elevate the rights and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet. She is the producer and host of two podcasts: OVERSHOOT and Beyond Pronatalism. She is also a senior lecturer at the Institute for Humane Education at Antioch University. Her research and advocacy work focus on reproductive, ecological, and intergenerational justice. She has delivered over 100 presentations globally and authored numerous academic papers, book chapters, and articles in major media outlets.

Himani Bhakuni, PhD, LLB, LLM

Dr. Himani Bhakuni is a lecturer at the University of York (UK), specializing in Global Health Ethics and Law. Her research is interdisciplinary, focusing on human rights, bioethics, and health law. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Bhakuni worked as a litigator and judicial clerk in India. Her legal background alongside her ongoing work with various international organizations brings a practical perspective to her scholarly work. She is also the co-editor of Justice in Global Health: New Perspectives and Current Issues.

Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH, FACP, FACPM

Dr. Hope Ferdowsian is a double board-certified internal medicine, preventive medicine, and public health physician with ethics expertise. Her global work focuses on the intersection of human, animal, and planetary rights, health, and wellbeing, and her published works center on the importance of universal principles. She served as faculty at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Georgetown University School of Medicine, and she is now a professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Claudia Hirtenfelder, PhD

Dr. Claudia Towne Hirtenfelder has a PhD in geography from Queen’s University Canada, and her interests sit at the intersection of history, geography, urban studies, animal studies, and power relations. Claudia is also the founder and host of The Animal Turn and Animal Highlight podcasts. She has an MSc in the Social Studies of Gender from Lund University in Sweden, as well as a BA in Political Science and Journalism from the University of Johannesburg. She is currently an external lecturer in Change Management at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the inaugural fellow with the Institute for Universal Rights, Health & Justice.

Nina Jamal

Nina Jamal is Navigator (senior head) of Global Affairs and Deputy Director of Lobbying & Advocacy at FOUR PAWS International. Before taking on that role and since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nina led advocacy efforts supporting UN member states in anchoring actionable provisions on prevention and One Health in collaboration with a broad coalition of experts and organizations. Nina also worked on climate campaigns and international policy within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations, and she has worked within the private sector on sustainability and the implementation of international multilateral environmental agreements.

Will Kymlicka, DPhil

Will Kymlicka is a professor in the Philosophy Department at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, where he has taught since 1998. He is the co-author with Sue Donaldson of Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights (Oxford University Press, 2011), and Animals and the Right to Politics (OUP, 2025). He co-directs the Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law and Ethics research group at Queen’s University, including its postdoctoral fellowship program, and teaches courses in animals and political theory and in animals and the law.

Jim Mason, JD

Jim Mason is an author and attorney. His book, An Unnatural Order: The Roots of Our Destruction of Nature, shows how the adverse treatment of animals has contributed to human atrocities and various forms of discrimination. His books, including The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter and Animal Factories, document in depth how factory farming harms animals, the environment, and people. His writings have appeared in Audubon, the New York Times, New Scientist, Newsday, Country Journal, Orion, and Nature Quarterly.

Debra Merskin, PhD

Dr. Debra Merskin is Professor Emerit of Media Studies at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. She holds a PhD in Mass Communication from the SI Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University and a degree in Depth and Ecological Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dr. Merskin’s research centers on media representations of marginalized groups, including both humans and nonhuman animals. She investigates how media portrayals reinforce stereotypes and exclusion.

Altamush Saeed, LLM (Human Rights), LLM (Animal Law), LLM (Environmental Law)

Altamush Saeed is an award-winning lawyer, teacher, and filmmaker. He holds four advanced law degrees, including an Animal Law LLM and Environmental Law LLM from Lewis & Clark Law School. Altamush lectures on Animal, Environmental, and Human Rights Law and teaches Pakistan’s first law courses on interspecies justice. He is the founding managing partner at Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants and co-founder of Charity Doings Foundation.

Saskia Stucki, Dr iur

Dr. Saskia Stucki is the founder and director of the Centre for Animal Rights & the Environment (CARE) at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, where she is also a senior lecturer in public law. Previously, she held fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law and the Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program. Her research interests include animal law, animal rights theory, One Health, food governance, and environmental law. Her recent or forthcoming books include One Rights: Human and Animal Rights in the Anthropocene and the Oxford Handbook of Global Animal Law.

Andrea Weckerle, JD, MA

Andrea Weckerle is a communications and management professional with a law background. She is the host of the Ready Living Podcast and author of the book Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People Can Triumph over Haters, Trolls, Bullies, and Other Jerks. Her past experience includes founding and leading a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing online harassment, character assassination, misinformation, and violence, and helping to design, develop, and implement alternative dispute resolution systems for Fortune 500 companies while working at an international professional services firm. She holds a JD and MA (MAIS) focused on Public Relations and Conflict Analysis and Resolution.