IPAAC 2024 Speaker Bios
Day 1
Dave Fielding
Dave Fielding studied Classics at Cambridge before making the perfectly logical step and becoming an airline pilot. He joined British Airways in 1993 on the Highlands and Islands Division, flying the BAe ATP where he developed his love of flying and hatred for aircraft with no heating . When Highlands Division closed he moved down to London on the B757 and achieved his command on the Airbus A320 in 2001. Since then he has been a captain on the B767, B777, A350 and the A380, which is his current type.
Dave has been a union rep with the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) since 1996, specialising in disciplinaries This led to an interest in alcohol and welfare cases, which in turn led to him creating a BALPA peer intervention programme. Following the Germanwings crash of 2015, he worked with British Airways to adapt and improve the programme, and in January 2017 the Speedbird Pilots Assistance Network (PAN) became the first Peer Support Programme in Europe to be launched post-Germanwings. Dave is the Secretary of the Executive Board of EPPSI, the European Pilot Peer Support Initiative, and was instrumental in the writing of the EPPSI Guide to the Implementation of Peer Support Programmes, and the rewrite of the IFALPA Pilot Assistance Manual.
In November 2023 he became Chair of IPAAC, the International Peer Assist Aviation Coalition. His latest project was launching in August 2024 an alcohol and drugs support programme within British Airways for pilots who declare an addiction problem. Working in close collaboration with the UK CAA, the aim of this programme is to monitor and support these pilots closely on their return to sobriety and get them back flying much earlier than the current system allows.
Mr Daisuke Umezawa
Daisuke Umezawa is the Director of Flight Standards Division of Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). Throughout his more than 30 years of public service at JCAB, he has gained extensive experience in the areas including airworthiness standards, pilot licensing, aircraft operation and advanced air mobility.
In his current key role as Director of Flight Standards Division in JCAB, he is responsible for promoting safe air transportation by establishing and enforcing the standards for aircraft operation, airworthiness certification, approved organizations, and pilot licensing including medical fitness.
Prior to assuming his current position, as Director of UAS/ AAM Division, he played a key role at JCAB in revising relevant technical regulations for the start of AAM operations here in Osaka at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo next year.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics from the University of Tokyo and a Master’s degree in Aeronautics from the graduate school of the University of Tokyo.
He has participated in ICAO as a member of the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) for three years since 2010 and as a member of the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) nominated by Japan for more than four years since 2013.
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Capt. Munekazu Tachibana
Kazu Tachibana is currently the Managing Executive Officer and the Senior Vice President
for Corporate Safety and Security, Family Assistance and Support at Japan Airlines.
In 1988, he graduated from Keio University with a Masters degree in Economics.
In the same year, he started his career as a cadet pilot. He had flown various types of aircraft, until he restarted his career as Senior VP for Flight Operations in 2020. Throughout his pilot career, he has been an instructor, Assistant Director for various projects such as training, Pilot Human Resources, and Pilot Group Management.
He also led the Entry into Service project of A350, and also worked for the introduction of the Mixed Fleet Flying rule making process in Japan. In 2020, he took his role as the Head of the Flight Operations. His new role as the head of Safety started this year in 2024.
Captain Max Matsumoto
Max is currently a Boeing 787 captain flying for ANA based in Tokyo, Japan. With more than 10000 flight hours, Max has flown B767 and B777 previously. He is currently a Peer Support Coordinator for APSP (ANA Peer Support Program).
He is Safety Manager at the Corporate Safety Division of ANA and a member of the FSAG (Fatigue Safety Action Group) and risk management evaluator for ANA. As an external role, he belongs to IATA Safety Group.
Captain Naoyuki Oda
Captain Oda is currently Boeing 787 captain flying for JAL based in Tokyo, Japan. He set up Mental Support Group, before setting up JPSP (JAL Peer Support Program) and currently a Program Leader of JPSP.
Naoto Ishii
Special Task Committee Member (in charge of international solidarity) at the Labor Union of MLIT, JMA and Affiliates and Secretary-General of JFATC. Since 2020, involved in CISM activities within the union. Holder of a PSV qualification. Has attended numerous IFATCA and IFATSEA conferences, working to enhance the presence of Japan and the Asian region. Professionally, an air traffic controller.
Dr Keiko Nakahama
Keiko Nakahama is a clinical psychologist and an approved CISM instructor, as well as a creator and an instructor of peer support education focused on wellbeing. She is a mental health consultant for NCA Peer Support, ALPA-J Peer Support and JFAS (a union consisting of ATCs, flight attendants, mechanics, etc.) More than 25 years of clinical experience and more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry. In addition, she has been involved in the mental health counseling service and education at a university and in the corporate field.
Captain Masayuki Miyata
Captain Masayuki Miyata is currently a B787 captain and Vice President of Safety Promotion Department of Corporate Safety and Security of Japan Airlines. After checking out as a co-pilot on a 747-400, he worked as an instructor for Ab Initio and became a captain on the same type of aircraft in 2003. He then worked in the Training Department developing MPL license in Japan, experienced the Safety Promotion Department at Flight Ops. And started his work at Corporate Safety in September of this year.
Captain Retsu Akutsu
Retsu Akutsu is a ALPA Japan Vice President and Chairman of Peer Support ALPA Japan. He is currently Captain of ANA B787, He used to fly A320 and B777. He has been working for HUPER committee of IFALPA for more than 20 years
Dr. Asuka Kasai, M.D.
Asuka Kasai is an emergency and critical care medicine physician and Aviation Medical Examiner in Japan. She worked as an Aviation medicine specialist at the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) until 2023, and is the current Pilot health care physician and Industrial physician for Japan Airlines (JAL)
Dr Billy Hoffman
​William Hoffman, MD is a board-certified neurologist and an affiliated assistant professor of aviation at the University of North Dakota with a research focus on aircrew brain health and aeromedical screening.Dr. Hoffman has led a multi-institutional and cross-national research effort centered around aircrew brain health and aeromedical screening, with publications in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Military Medicine, Occupational Medicine and others. He is an internationally invited speaker on aircrew health topics with multiple mainstream publications including in Scientific American, Seattle Times, and Flying Magazine and media appearances on NBC, CBS, and NPR News. He served on the Federal Aviation Administration's Aviation Rulemaking Committee on Mental Health and testified on pilot mental health to the US National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC. Dr. Hoffman received two years of post-graduate instruction and training in aeromedical research under Anthony Tvaryanas MD PhD at the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aviation Medical Institute (CAMI). He is the vice-chair of the Aerospace Medial Association Mental Health Working Group and led an effort to establish research priorities related to mental health in aviation.
Dr Kate Manderson
Dr Kate Manderson is the Principal Medical Officer of the Australian Civil Aviation Authority, with a background in family and military medicine. Her particular aerospace medicine interest is in the implementation of risk-based approaches to aeromedical certification in people with mental health difficulties and neurodiversity, and the role of salutogenesis in aviation safety systems.
Dr Tim Sprott
Dr Tim Sprott's background includes working in the airline industry for many years and prior to that in the petrochemical and aluminium smelting industries. His particular interests include pilot and ATC mental health wellbeing, AOD support, and more recently he has become a regulator. Currently, Tim is the Chief Medical Officer for CAA NZ and enjoys quietly challenging the status quo. Due to a history of having worked in major greenhouse house emitting industries, he tries with mixed results to minimise his carbon footprint (we are very grateful to have you in Osaka, Tim! -Ed). In his spare time he mucks around in small sailing boats, is busy with grandkids, and is partial to helicopters.
FO Carrie Braun
Carrie Braun is an A320 First Officer (FO) with JetBlue. She has been with JetBlue since 2016 and is based in Orlando. Before that, she flew part 135 in multiple private jets. She started her work with ALPA in 2017 as the Pilot Assistance Network (PAN) chair at JetBlue, where she also is a member of the Board for the Blue Pilot Fund (a 501c4 for JetBlue pilots experiencing financial difficulties).
FO Braun is currently the Chair for ALPA-I’s Pilot Peer Support Program (PPS). The program is a network of pilot volunteers who help fellow ALPA members deal with stress from any source, financial problems, family or relationship problems, or other work or personal issues. She was brought up to ALPA-I in 2018 to teach PPS and continues as the lead instructor for the courses. She was appointed the ALPA-I PPS chair in 2019.
Carrie started her journey in aviation by being an avid skydiver with over 1500 jumps under her belt. It was this spark of love for aviation that took her to Embry Riddle (Daytona Beach Campus) where she received her Bachelor's of Science in Aeronautical Science in 2005. Carrie resides in Tampa Florida where she is active in the yoga community.
Dr Brett Wyrick
Dr. Brett Wyrick serves as the Deputy Federal Air Surgeon (AAM-2) in the Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He is the Senior Executive responsible for the AAM-100 Program Management Division, AAM-200 Medical Specialties Division, AAM-800 Drug Abatement Division, and the nine Regional Flight Surgeon Offices at various locations throughout the United States. He first joined the FAA in 2016 as the Regional Flight Surgeon for the Northwest Mountain Region, and he served with the United States Air Force prior to service with the FAA.
Dr. Wyrick is dual Board Certified in General Surgery and Aerospace Medicine; he is a Fellow in the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons (FACOS), and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). He received his Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Missouri in 1989, and completed his surgical training at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1994. He went on to earn a Master of Public Health degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2008, and he completed his Residency in Aerospace Medicine at Brooks AFB, Texas in 2009. Dr. Wyrick was in the private practice of General Surgery for ten years prior extended Active Duty with the United States Air Force. He served four combat tours in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. His previous assignments include Air National Guard Assistant to the Air Combat Command Surgeon, Command Surgeon for the Air National Guard, Deputy Surgeon General of the National Guard Bureau, and Assistant Adjutant General (Air) of the Hawaii Air National Guard. Major General Wyrick retired from military service in 2023 as the Senior Air National Guard Advisor to the Department of the Air Force Surgeon General.
Dr. Wyrick has received numerous awards and decorations, and he holds the aeronautical rating of Chief Flight Surgeon with over 900 flight hours. He is also a Private Pilot and a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner for the FAA. He is married to Dr. Maryam Allahyar-Wyrick who is the Director of Research, Development, and Technology for Federal Railroad Administration, and they live with their youngest son in Northern Virginia. Both of their older children are officers in the United States Air Force.
Dr Cristian Panait
Cristian Ionut Panait is a medical doctor specialised in family medicine and aviation medicine. He has been one of EASA’s medical experts since 2015.
Cristian began his career in aviation medicine in 2008 as an aero-medical examiner (AME), becoming a medical assessor for the Romanian CAA in 2010. In 2015, he joined EASA as medical rulemaking officer.
He has been so far EASA’s main rulemaking officer in the field of aero-medical certification of pilots and air traffic controllers. Cristian was involved in the aftermath of the Germanwings flight U9525 accident, including the enhancement of mental health assessment and mandating the use of support programmes for aircrew members. Cristian provided medical technical expertise to the return to normal operations (RNO) project set up by EASA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, Cristian was the technical lead from EASA side of the MESAFE study evaluating existing mental health assessment options and recommending ways to improve the existing system of mental health assessment for aviation personnel.
Dr Quay Snyder
Dr. Quay Snyder is President/CEO of Virtual Flight Surgeons, [Aviation Medicine Advisory Service] providing medical certification and aviation safety guidance for pilot and air traffic controller unions as well as business and general aviation pilots. Dr. Snyder has been the Air Line Pilots Association, International Aeromedical Advisor since 2010, after serving as Associate Aeromedical Advisor since 1994. Since 2015, he has served as the FAA / ALPA HIMS Program Manager and has over 20 years experience sponsoring and monitoring substance addicted pilots
Quay holds board certification in Aerospace Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Family Practice and Occupational Medicine. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Duke University School of Medicine and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He served in the USAF, USAF Reserve and Colorado Air National Guard for 25 years as a flight surgeon, glider instructor pilot and in leadership roles.
Dr. Snyder is active in many aviation safety committees and organizations, both nationally and internationally. He is an AsMA Fellow and member of several of AsMA’s Constituent and Affiliate organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine and on the Board of Trustees of the National Aviation Hall of Fame from 2014-2020. He has chaired the National Business Aviation Associations Safety Committee’s Fitness for Duty Working Group and served on both the medical expert group for the FAA’s 2015 Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) and as the Medical Lead for the 2024 FAA Mental Health and Aviation Medical Certification ARC. He co-chairs AsMA’s Pilot Mental Health Working Group. Dr. Snyder also serves on several ICAO working groups including Problematic Use of Psychoactive Substances (PUPS), Mental Health, Medical Certification and Standards and CAPSCA. He is a member of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Business Advisory Council and is on the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering in the Aviation Safety and Security Program teaching in Fatigue Risk Management and Human Performance, Resiliency and Leadership courses.
Dr. Snyder has been an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (Gold Seal) since 1975 and actively serves as a Designated Pilot Examiner since 1998 and FAA Safety Team representative since 2003. He received the Soaring Society of America’s World Distance Award for 40,000 km (Earth’s circumference) of solo cross country flight in his ASK-24B glider. He is also active in triathlons qualifying for the 2016, 2020 and 2022 Ironman Hawaii World Championships and in 2020, qualified for the International Triathlon Union’s World Championships representing Team USA in every triathlon distance from sprint to long course as an age group amateur.
Dr Chun Ho Chong
Dr Chun Hon Chong is the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Medical Board in Singapore. He is also a Visiting Consultant of the Singapore Armed Forces on Aviation Medicine.
Dr Chong has over 30 years of practice experience as an Aviation Medicine Specialist with concurrent specialisation in Family Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, and an Academician of the International Academy of Aviation & Space Medicine (IAASM). He had served as a member of the Selectors’ Committee of IAASM from 2013 to 2019 and has been appointed as its Deputy Secretary-General since 2021.
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In his career, Dr Chong had held key leadership and professional positions in the Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps before joining the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore in 2009. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Society of Aviation Medicine Singapore and the accreditation of Aviation Medicine as a specialty in Singapore. He was a member of the Singapore Ministry of Health’s Sub-Specialty Training Committee for Aviation Medicine from 2013 to 2020.