Global Snake Bite Initiative

A temporary Steering Committee was formed to coordinate development of a Global Snake Bite Initiative at the Inaugural "Global Issues in Clinical Toxinology" Conference held in Melbourne, Australia in November, 2008. The Committee Members are:

David Williams (Australia) - Acting GSI Coordinator

David Williams is a clinical toxinologist and herpetologist who has specialized in the issue of snake bite, venomous snake systematics and venom research in Papua New Guinea for several years. He is currently a PNG Department of Health/University of PNG affiliated researcher undertaking his PhD on snakes and snakebite in PNG at the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne.
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Professor David A Warrell (United Kingdom)

Now Emeritus Professor of Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford. Formerly physician, teacher, researcher and traveler in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Papua New Guinea. Started the Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Network in 1979. Fascinated by tropical and respiratory diseases, venomous animals, envenoming, plant and chemical poisoning and expedition medicine.

Listen to Professor Warrell speaking about snake bite at the Reptile House in Melbourne Zoo, Australia, in 2008: download.

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Professor Ponampalam Gopalakrishnakone (Singapore)

President of International Society on Toxinology

Professor Gopalakrishnakone is presently Professor in the Anatomy Department and Chairman of the Venom and Toxin Research Programme at the National University of Singapore. He is also a consultant to the Defence Science Organization in Singapore and Adjunct Senior Research Scientist at the Defence Medical Research Institute. He is an Honorary Principal Fellow at the Australian Venom Research Unit.
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Associate Professor Julian White (Australia)

Secretary Treasurer of International Society on Toxinology

Prof. White has been involved in managing envenoming, notably snake and spider bites, for over 30 years and has written many papers, monographs and book chapters on this topic. He was the founding Director of the Toxinology Dept., Women’s & Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, a position he still holds, and is internationally recognised for his work in clinical Toxinology. He is President of International Society on Toxinology till 2012.
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Dr Ken Winkel (Australia)

Dr Winkel is Director of the Australian Venom Research Unit and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He is Past-President of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine. His Unit is involved in envenomation research in the Asia-Pacific and he has published over 70 papers and book chapters.
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Dr José María Gutiérrez (Costa Rica)

José María Gutiérrez was born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1954. After performing studies at the University of Costa Rica (BSc) and Oklahoma State University (PhD), he joined the Instituto Clodomiro Picado (University of Costa Rica), where he teaches and does research in snake venoms and antivenoms.
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Dr Simon Jensen (Australia)

Dr Jensen is Visiting Senior Lecturer in Emergency Medicine at the University of PNG and Honorary Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Port Moresby General Hospital. He is also Emergency Specialist at Nambour Hospital in Queensland, Australia. He has a special interest in environmental, wilderness, expedition, diving and hyperbaric medicine, as well as retrieval and disaster medicine.
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Dr Robert Harrison (United Kingdom)

Dr Harrison is the Head of the Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. His research interests include the molecular structure, evolution and biological activity of snake venom proteins; bioinformatic analysis of venom gland EST databases; rational design of antivenom to treat the systemic effects of snake envenoming; and understanding the aetiology of, and identifying potential interventions for, the tissue necrotic effects of local envenoming.
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Daniel Sifuentes (Brazil)

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Dr Vijay Pillay (India)

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Dr Annirudha Ghose (Bangladesh)