Transforming Health: Fulfilling the Promise of Research Speakers

November 16, 2007

SPEAKER BIOS

*Speakers listed in alphabetical order*

C. Anthony Altar, Ph.D.
Director
The Biomarkers Consortium

C. Anthony Altar, Ph.D., Director of The Biomarkers Consortium, provides overall scientific and program direction and management.

As director of The Biomarkers Consortium in the Foundation for the NIH, Dr. Altar provides support for teams in the cancer, neuroscience, metabolic disorders, inflammation and immunity, and other disease-related areas, and promotes consortium relationships with for-profit, government, and non-profit organizations.

Dr. Altar received his Bachelor and Ph.D. degrees with honors in psychobiology from the University of California at Los Angeles and UC Santa Barbara, respectively. As a postdoctoral scientist at UC Irvine, Dr. Altar pioneered image analysis of receptor-drug binding in brain, and created digital subtraction autoradiography to produce quantitative maps of receptors labeled by antipsychotic drugs. His work at Ciba-Geigy identified the serotonin/dopamine receptor binding profile of atypical antipsychotics, known as the SDA concept. His research at Genentech and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals supported clinical trials for nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in diabetic neuropathy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 

As director for global neuroscience at Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Altar managed the United States and Japan neuroscience teams, and helped manage the Otsuka-BMS collaboration that produced an FDA approval for the antipsychotic drug, aripiprazole (Abilify). As chief scientific officer and president of Psychiatric Genomics, Inc., in Gaithersburg, Maryland., he was responsible for the discovery of genomic alterations in the brains of psychiatric cases, and the synthesis and characterization of novel compounds for schizophrenia and bipolar disease. 

John E. Calfee, Ph.D.
Resident Scholar
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

After receiving his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, Jack Calfee joined the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission, where he worked on the economics of consumer protection including advertising and marketing, the tort liability system, tobacco, and other topics. He later taught marketing and consumer behavior at the business schools of the University of Maryland at College Park and Boston University, and spent a year as a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Since 1995, he has been a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Dr. Calfee’s academic articles and opinion pieces cover a variety of topics including tort liability, advertising and information, FDA regulation, and the pharmaceutical market. His op-eds have run in The Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, and numerous newspapers and magazines. Recent scholarly publications include “An Assessment of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs” (Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics), “The Golden Age of Medical Innovation” (The American, March-April), “The Emerging Market Dynamics of Targeted Therapeutics,” (with Elizabeth DuPré, Health Affairs 2006), “The Vioxx Fallout” (AEI 2005), “What Do We Know About Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Prescription Drugs?” (Health Affairs 2003), “Advertising and the Demand for Cholesterol-reducing Drugs,” (with Clifford Winston and Randolph Stempksi, Journal of Law and Economics 2002), “The Role of Marketing in Pharmaceutical Research and Development,” (Pharmacoeconomics 2002), and “Price Controls and Patient Welfare” (Annals of Internal Medicine 2001). He has published three short books: Fear of Persuasion: A New Perspective on Advertising and Regulation (1997), Prices, Markets, and the Pharmaceutical Revolution (AEI Press, 2000), and Biotechnology and the Patent System: Balancing Innovation and Property Rights (with Claude Barfield; AEI Press, 2007). He has also testified before Congress and federal agencies on various topics including alcohol advertising, biodefense vaccine research, international drug prices, and the Vioxx episode.

Meryl Comer
Chief Executive Officer
Geoffrey Beene Foundation, Alzheimer's Initiative

Meryl Comer is an Emmy-award winning reporter, producer, and talk show host with over 30 years of experience in broadcast journalism. She was among the first women broadcasters in the early 80s to specialize in business news as it relates to public policy. 

For eighteen years Ms. Comer moderated the nationally syndicated debate program “It’s Your Business.” She also co-anchored Nation’s Business Today for six years on ESPN, the Ten O’Clock News for Metromedia, Two’s Company for WMAR/CBS Affiliate and the Good Day Show on WCVB-TV in Boston.

Concurrent with her broadcast responsibilities, Ms. Comer served as senior vice president for the National Chamber Foundation (1997 – 1999) and for 11 years prior (1987 – 1997) as vice president for Communications Development at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
 
Winner of the 2005 Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, she is currently writing a book Slow Dancing with a Stranger to benefit Alzheimer’s research. November 2007, Ms. Comer was named president of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative.

Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Former Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

Scott Gottlieb, M.D., is currently a practicing physician and Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics and social welfare. A leading expert in healthcare policy, Dr. Gottlieb’s work focuses on providing insights into the economic, regulatory and technological forces driving the transformation of healthcare today. 

From 2005-2007, Dr. Gottlieb served as FDA Deputy Commissioner and before that, from 2003-2004, as a senior advisor to FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan and as the FDA’s Director of Medical Policy Development. He left FDA in the spring of 2004 to work on implementation of the new Medicare Drug Benefit as a Senior Adviser to the Administrator of Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he supported the agency's policy work on quality improvement and coverage and payment decision-making, particularly related to new medical technologies.

A recipient of a number of medical association awards, Dr. Gottlieb is the author of more than 300 articles that have appeared in leading medical journals as well as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and Forbes Magazine. Dr. Gottlieb has held editorial positions on the British Medical Journal and the Journal of the American Medical Association and appears regularly as a guest commentator on the cable financial news channel CNBC. Previously Dr. Gottlieb worked as a healthcare analyst for the investment bank Alex Brown & Sons and authored the Forbes-Gottlieb Medical Technology Letter published by Forbes Magazine and the Gilder Biotech Report; published by futurist George Gilder.

A noted authority on pathways to successful innovation and implementation of new medical products, Dr. Gottlieb has testified as an expert witness on health and regulatory matters before the United States Senate, the House of Representatives, and members of the Japanese Diet. The Wall Street Journal identified him as a “forward thinker” on health policy and drug development and Congressional Quarterly as an “original thinker with a strong Libertarian streak.”

Dr. Gottlieb is a Director of Molecular Insights, a NASDAQ-traded radiotherapy and cancer diagnostics company, and Medavante, a privately held science company dedicated to improving neuroscience drug development. He is a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates. Dr. Gottlieb completed his residency in internal medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital and is a graduate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and of Wesleyan University, in Connecticut.  Dr. Gottlieb practices medicine as an attending physician at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut where he is an internist on the hospital's inpatient medical wards.

Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D.
Scientific Director
Harvard Medical School-Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and Genomics
Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Kucherlapati is the scientific director of the Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics. He is also the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Formerly, Dr. Kucherlapati was chairman of molecular genetics and a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Human Genome Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and editor-in-chief of the journal Genomics. Dr. Kucherlapati holds a Doctorate in Genetics from the University of Illinois.  The center he directs is focused on bringing genetics and genomics to clinical care.

William (Bill) Leinweber
Executive Vice President
Research!America

Bill Leinweber is the Executive Vice President of Research!America, a national not-for-profit alliance based in Alexandria, Virginia, dedicated to making medical and health research a much higher national priority. Research!America is comprised of 500 member organizations representing academic and independent research institutes, private industry, professional societies, voluntary health associations and philanthropies. As Executive Vice President, Mr. Leinweber is responsible for oversight of the organization’s communications, development and advocacy activities.

Before coming to Research!America, Mr. Leinweber spent more than 20 years in senior positions advocating for the advancement of medical and health research and public health. During his 11 years with the American Heart Association (AHA), he served as Executive Director of the Ohio Affiliate and as a senior management consultant and Youth Market Team Leader for the AHA’s National Center. Following his tenure with the American Heart Association, he served as the founding Director of Development for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in Washington, D.C. The Campaign, which he helped to found, is the nation’s largest private initiative ever launched to reduce youth tobacco consumption and addiction.

Mr. Leinweber received his MBA from The Ohio State University and his undergraduate degree from Marshall University.

John Leonard, M.D.
Vice President, Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development
Abbott

John Leonard, M.D., is vice president, Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development. Previously, he served as vice president, Global Medical & Scientific Affairs. Dr. Leonard joined Abbott on March 16, 1992, as head of the antiviral venture in the Pharmaceutical Products Division. He has held several positions in the same division, including divisional vice president, Pharmaceutical Ventures, and vice president, Global Pharmaceutical Development. He was appointed to his current role in April of 2006.

Prior to joining Abbott, Dr. Leonard was senior director for clinical research at G.H. Besselaar Associates in Princeton, N.J. He is board certified in internal medicine and is licensed to practice in Illinois and Maryland.

He earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a doctorate in medicine from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.  Dr. Leonard completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Stanford University Hospital followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular virology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Leonard is a member of many professional groups, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He serves on the science and regulatory affairs committees of PhRMA and is on the board of directors of Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR). 

Garry Neil, M.D.
Corporate Vice President, Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT)
Johnson & Johnson

Garry Neil, M.D. is Corporate Vice President, Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT), Johnson & Johnson.  In this role, Dr. Neil leads a team that catalyzes sustained cross-sector growth for Johnson & Johnson by identifying and launching emerging technologies that underpin the creation of future businesses. 

He has broad experience in science, medicine and pharmaceutical research and development.  He has held a number of senior positions within J&J, most recently Group President, Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development.  Under his leadership, a number of important new medicines for the treatment of cancer, anemia, infections, central nervous system and psychiatric disorders, pain, and genitourinary and gastrointestinal diseases, gained initial or new and/or expanded indication approvals.

Dr. Neil joined J&J in 2002.  He previously held senior-level positions with Astra Merck Inc., Astra Pharmaceuticals, Astra Zeneca and Merck KGaA.  He has also held a number of academic posts at a number of academic institutes including the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, the University of Toronto, the University of Iowa College of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania (adjunct).  He has written more than 50 articles and book chapters.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, a member of the American Association of Immunologists, and the Society for Clinical Trials.  He is a member of the Board of the J&J Development Corporation and is J&J’s representative to, and Vice Chairman, of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) Science and Regulatory Committee, Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the PhRMA Foundation Board, a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a member of the Executive Committee of The Biomarkers Consortium, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Newark Boys Chorus School. 

Ellen V. Sigal, Ph.D.
Chairperson & Founder
Friends of Cancer Research

Ellen V. Sigal, Ph.D., is Chairperson and Founder of Friends of Cancer Research (“Friends”), a non-profit organization based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.  Friends is dedicated to accelerating the nation's progress toward prevention and treatment of cancer by mobilizing public support for cancer research funding and providing education on key public policy issues.  Over the past ten years, Friends has pioneered innovative public-private partnerships, organized critical policy forums, educated the public and brought together key communities to develop collaborative strategies in the field of cancer research.

Dr. Sigal serves on the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors, the National Institutes of Health Foundation Board chairing its Public−Private Partnerships Committee, the American Association for Cancer Research Foundation Board, the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center External Advisory Board, the Johns Hopkins Cancer Center Advisory Council, the Duke University Cancer Center Board of Overseers, and the Howard University Cancer Center Board of Visitors. 

She served on the National Institutes of Health prestigious Director’s Council of Public Representatives from 2003 − 2006.  She was a Presidential Appointee to the National Cancer Advisory Board from 1992 − 1998 chairing its Budget and Planning Committee which oversees the federal cancer budget.  She is a past member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Foundation Board.

Dr. Sigal received the Association of American Cancer Institutes Public Service Award, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Special Recognition Award, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center National Leadership Award, and the American Association for Cancer Research National Leadership Award.  She has been honored by Research!America, George Washington University Cancer Institute, International Spirit of Life Foundation, and Washingtonian magazine as a Washingtonian of the Year.

Billy Tauzin
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

Billy Tauzin was named president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in January 2005 and immediately took up two of the most important causes of his career: To help ensure patients everywhere continue to have access to the miracles of medicines, and to ensure that innovative biopharmaceutical research thrives, improving and saving lives everywhere.

He knows firsthand what patients face as they search for hope, treatment and cures having recently battled cancer himself. This unique insight guides his leadership as PhRMA president where he is helping to develop solutions to America’s health care challenges so patients now and in the future have the medicines they need.

Throughout a long and distinguished public service career, including 13 terms representing the people of the 3rd Congressional District of Louisiana, Billy Tauzin exhibited a class and leadership style that made him a standout among our nation’s elected officials. As a Member of Congress, he was called “knowledgeable and eloquent” by the Almanac of American Politics and “one of the House's savviest members” by National Journal Magazine.

Billy Tauzin began his public service career in the Louisiana State Legislature where he served in a variety of distinguished posts such as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and Chief Administration Floor Leader. He was chosen twice as one of Louisiana's "Ten Best Legislators."

He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1980 as a Democrat. Because his conservative views increasingly led him to vote with GOP House members despite his Democratic affiliation, he switched parties in 1995. In 1998, he joined with House Majority Leader Dick Armey to propose a revamping of the tax code.

While in Congress, he held several leadership positions, beginning with his chairmanship of a Merchant Marine Subcommittee, which oversaw legislation related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.  In September 1995, he was named Deputy Majority Whip; he is the first American to have been part of the leadership of both parties in the House. In an effort to promote a spirit of bipartisan cooperation on Capitol Hill, he co-founded and served as Co-Chairman of the Mainstream Conservative Alliance, better known as Republican "Blue Dogs."

Until February, 2004, he served as the Chairman of the influential House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over all interstate and foreign commerce, including energy, telecommunications, health care, biomedical research, consumer protection, the environment and travel and tourism.  During his tenure, he left his mark on issues ranging from natural gas, airline, trucking and electricity deregulation to the Clean Air Act, Superfund and the historic Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996. In addition, he was the original author of the Securities Litigation Reform Act and the Cable Act – the only bills over the past decade to become law despite a Presidential veto.  As chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, he helped President George W. Bush win passage of a Medicare prescription drug bill.

Suffering health problems that led him to re-evaluate his life, Mr. Tauzin announced in February 2004 that he would not run for another term. Over the years, Mr. Tauzin has been honored by such diverse groups as the Chamber of Commerce, Farm Bureau, National Federal of Independent Business, B'nai B'rith, Concord Coalition, Business Software Alliance, National Association of Manufacturers, Christian Coalition, Boy Scouts of America, National Association of Broadcasters, the 3rd Congressional District Black Caucus, and many more.

Billy Tauzin received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Nicholls State University in 1964 and a Law Degree from Louisiana State University in 1967. He is married to Cecile Tauzin and has five children by a previous marriage.

Douglas Throckmorton, M.D.
Deputy Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Dr. Douglas Throckmorton is the Deputy Director in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this role, he shares responsibility for overseeing the regulation of research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription, over-the-counter and generic drugs in the United States. From aspirin to cancer treatments, CDER works to ensure that the benefits of approved drug products outweigh their known risks.

Dr. Throckmorton was founding chair of CDER’s Drug Safety Oversight Board and served until recently as the CDER liaison to the FDA human subjects research review board.  He currently serves on the newly-constituted FDA Bioinformatics Board, and is the chair of CDER’s Research Coordinating Committee, the group that helps to manage and forward the scientific mission of CDER.

Dr. Throckmorton began his career at the FDA in the Division of Cardio-Renal Drug Products in 1997, first as a medical reviewer, then as Deputy Division Director and from 2002-05, as Division Director.

Dr. Throckmorton is Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology, having received his training at the University of Nebraska Medical School, Case Western Reserve University and Yale University.  Prior to coming to the FDA, he practiced medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia.

Mary Woolley
President and Chief Executive Officer
Research!America

Mary Woolley is the president and chief executive officer of Research!America, a not-for-profit, membership supported grassroots public education and advocacy organization committed to making medical and health research, including research to prevent disease and disability and to promote health, a much higher national priority. Under her leadership, Research!America's membership has more than quadrupled as it has earned the attention and respect of research, media, and community leaders with its signature public opinion surveys and advocacy resource materials.

Ms. Woolley is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She serves on several boards and committees, including the Institute of Medicine Health Sciences Policy Board, the National Council for Johns Hopkins Nursing, and the Board of Overseers of the Harvard School of Public Health. She is a founding member of the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Ms. Woolley has served as president of the Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI), as editor of the Journal of the Society of Research Administrators, as a reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation and as a consultant to several research organizations.

Ms. Woolley has a 25-year editorial and publication history on science advocacy and research related topics. Her op-eds and letters to the editor are published in newspapers and magazines from coast to coast and she has been published in Science, Nature, Issues in Science and Technology, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Scientist, and other research-oriented periodicals. She is a sought-after speaker and is frequently interviewed by science, news and policy journalists.

For her work on behalf of medical research, she has been honored as a Woman of Vision by the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science and is a recipient of the Distinguished Contribution to Research Administration Award from the Society for Research Administrators. She has received the American Hospital Association Silver Touchstone Award for Public Affairs Programming, the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Dean's Award for Distinguished Service, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Special Award for Science Advocacy, the Friends of the National Institute for Nursing Research Health Advocacy Award and the Awareness and Advocacy Award from the Clinical Research Forum.

A native of Chicago, Ms. Woolley received a bachelor of science from Stanford University and a master of arts from San Francisco State University. In her early career, Ms. Woolley served as San Francisco project director for the then largest-ever NIH-funded clinical trial, the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). In 1981, she became administrator of the Medical Research Institute of San Francisco, and in 1986 was named the Institute's executive director and CEO. Ms. Woolley has served as president and CEO of Research!America since 1990.

Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.
Director
National Institutes of Health

NIH Director, Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., leads the nation’s medical research agency and oversees the NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers with more than 18,000 employees and a fiscal year 2007 budget of $29 billion.

The NIH investigates the causes, treatments, and preventive strategies for both common and rare diseases, helping to lead the way toward important medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives. More than 83% of the NIH’s funding is awarded through almost 50,000 competitive grants and awards to more than 300,000 scientists and research support staff at more than 3,000 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in every state and around the world. About 10% of the NIH’s budget supports projects conducted by nearly 6,000 scientists in its own laboratories, most of which are on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Zerhouni, a world renowned leader in the field of radiology and medicine, has spent his career providing clinical, scientific, and administrative leadership. He is credited with developing imaging methods used for diagnosing cancer and cardiovascular disease. As one of the world’s premier experts in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), he has extended the role of MRI from taking snapshots of gross anatomy to visualizing how the body works at the molecular level. He pioneered magnetic tagging, a non-invasive method of using MRI to track the motions of a heart in three dimensions. He is also renowned for refining an imaging technique called computed tomographic (CT) densitometry that helps discriminate between non-cancerous and cancerous nodules in the lung.

Since being named by President George W. Bush to serve as the 15th Director of the National Institutes of Health in May 2002, Dr. Zerhouni has overseen a number of milestones:

Reauthorization demonstrated renewed confidence in NIH
Congress passed and President Bush signed into law the National Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006. The agency's third reauthorization in history and first since 1993, it signaled renewed confidence in the NIH mission, its employees and its leadership. The new law provides the NIH director expanded authority to manage the agency, encourages NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) to collaborate on trans-NIH research and reforms the agency's reporting system. Reauthorization will strengthen the links within NIH and between the intramural and extramural research communities. Ultimately, it will help NIH more effectively balance what has traditionally worked in science — freedom of exploration, autonomy, decentralization — with providing opportunities for people to collaborate and cooperate more freely.

 

Development of a new office to improve trans-NIH initiatives
In 2005, NIH launched the Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI) in the Office of the NIH Director to transform the way NIH finds and funds cutting-edge research, improve our ability to identify public health challenges, and increase trans-NIH dialogue, decision-making and priority-setting. OPASI will build upon the model of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and will coordinate with NIH ICs and external stakeholders to identify research priorities that will ultimately improve NIH’s ability to be nimble, dynamic, and responsive to emerging scientific opportunities and public health needs.

 

Although OPASI will not have grant-making authority, it will provide an “incubator space” to jump-start trans-NIH initiatives and support ICs that will take the lead on priority projects on a time-limited basis (5 to 10 years). These OPASI initiatives will be supported by the “Common Fund for Shared Needs,” a central funding source built upon the Roadmap budget model. Building from current Roadmap funds, which amount to about 1.6 percent of NIH’s total budget in fiscal year 2007, the Fund will increase to up to 5 percent of the total NIH budget depending on NIH budget growth, scientific opportunities and public health needs.

 

Initiated the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research
Launched in September 2003, the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, a new research vision to accelerate medical discovery to improve health, focuses the attention of the biomedical research community on new pathways of discovery, research teams for the future and the re-engineering of the clinical research enterprise. It aims to accelerate the pace of discovery and speed the application of new knowledge to the development of new prevention strategies, new diagnostics and new treatments, and, ultimately, to the transfer these innovations to health care providers, and the public.

 

Established an NIH-wide research initiative to address the obesity epidemic
The Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research is a multi-dimensional research agenda that addresses one of the nation’s most dramatic health challenges. In the U.S. population, recent figures show that 65 percent of adults—or 130 million people are overweight or obese. The strategic plan enhances both the development of new research in areas of greatest scientific opportunity and the coordination of obesity research across the NIH. The plan calls for interdisciplinary research teams to bridge the study of behavioral and environmental causes of obesity with the study of genetic and biologic causes.

 

Supported the NIH Neuroscience Blueprint
Mental illness, neurological disorders and a range of behavioral disorders are major causes of human suffering and contribute greatly to the burden of disease. These illnesses exact a cost of $500 billion each year. NIH Directors from 17 Institutes and Centers have developed a model of strategic leadership to address several of the most common causes of death and disability, as well as rare disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord, or nerve cells throughout the body. The blueprint leverages the abilities of the Institutes and Centers to create new resources, tackle common scientific problems, and train the next generation of neuroscientists through collaboration and leadership.

 

Supported the reduction of health disparities and barriers to opportunity for minority individuals
“Broadening the collaborative relationships developed through partnerships between NIH and institutions and researchers from all populations,” is the focus of Dr. Zerhouni’s commitment to eliminating health disparities and disparities in the burden of disease. In 2007, NIH announced the awarding of $66.7 million to support the advancement of health disparities research. This was the most recent in a series of commitments of funds to this research. NIH has made 58 awards under the Centers of Excellence program. NIH as a whole expects to spend $2.8 billion on research funding for health disparities.

 

Ensured public access to NIH-funded research results
February 3, 2005, Dr. Zerhouni announced an historic public access policy. For the first time, the public will have access to peer-reviewed research publications that resulted from studies funded by NIH. Dr. Zerhouni has urged maximum participation by investigators, encouraging scientists to submit their publications as soon as possible and within twelve months of publication to the archive.

 

Committed to earn the public’s trust
Dr. Zerhouni continues to seek advice from the public through the Council of Public Representatives (COPR), a recent public trust workshop, and, more locally, through community liaison efforts. He is committed as well to producing the most scientifically-accurate, useful and accessible health information through public health campaigns, fact sheets, over the Web and through a full complement of outreach efforts with special attention to cultural competence designed to keep the public informed.

 

Enhanced the leadership of NIH
Since becoming the NIH Director, Dr. Zerhouni named a new NIH Deputy Director (Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D.) and directors for nine institutes and three centers: Center for Scientific Review (Antonio Scarpa, M.D., Ph.D.), John E. Fogarty International Center (Roger I. Glass, M.D., Ph.D.), National Cancer Institute (John E. Niederhuber, M.D.), National Center for Research Resources (Barbara Alving, M.D.), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D.), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D.), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program (David A. Schwartz, M.D.), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D.), National Institute of Mental Health (Thomas R. Insel, M.D.), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (Story C. Landis, Ph.D.), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Ting-Kai Li, M.D.), and National Institute on Drug Abuse (Nora D. Volkow, M.D.).

Prior to joining the NIH, Dr. Zerhouni served as executive vice-dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, chair of the Russell H. Morgan department of radiology and radiological science, and Martin Donner professor of radiology, and professor of biomedical engineering. Before that, he was vice dean for research at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Zerhouni was born in Nedroma, Algeria and came to the United States at age 24, having earned his medical degree at the University of Algiers School of Medicine in 1975. After completing his residency in diagnostic radiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as chief resident (1978), he remained at Hopkins, serving as instructor (1978–1979) and then as assistant professor (1979–1981). Between 1981 and 1985 he was in the department of radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and its affiliated DePaul Hospital. He returned to Johns Hopkins as an associate professor in 1985. In 1988, Dr. Zerhouni was appointed director of the MRI division. He was promoted to full professor of radiology in 1992 and of biomedical engineering in 1995. In 1996, he was named chairman of the radiology department.

Since 2000, he has been a member of the Institute of Medicine. He served on the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisors from 1998–2002. He was a consultant to both the World Health Organization (1988), and to the White House under President Ronald Reagan (1985).

A resident of Baltimore, he has won several awards for his research including a Gold Medal from the American Roentgen Ray Society for CT research and two Paul Lauterbur Awards for MRI research. His research in imaging led to advances in Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT scanning) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). He is the author of 212 publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds 8 patents.