Bar Harbor, Maine—The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) announced today that Jackson Laboratory President and CEO Edison “Ed” Liu, M.D., was unanimously elected to its Board of Directors. He began his term June 19, 2012.
“Ed’s expertise in genomics and biomedical research will allow us to further our mission which is to support the NIH and improve human health,” comments Charles A. Sanders, M.D., chairman of the FNIH Board.
“The election of Dr. Edison Liu to the FNIH board of directors is a signal event in the storied history of the Foundation. Dr. Liu weds an awesome intellect and world-class expertise in cancer biology, genomics, human genetics and molecular epidemiology with the compassion of a dedicated oncologist,” says Martin J. Murphy, Jr., Ph.D., FNIH board member. “To know Ed is to admire and respect him. This is a great day for the National Institutes of Health and its Foundation, but most of all it’s a great day for patients.”
Liu joined The Jackson Laboratory in 2011, after serving 10 years as the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore. Prior to GIS, Dr. Liu was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Clinical Sciences.
“We can all be proud of the National Institutes of Health, which serves as the world’s model for advancing biomedical research. As a member of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, I’m looking forward to working with the private sector to build support for the medical breakthroughs we need to address critical public health issues in our nation and around the world,” says Liu.
Liu’s research has focused on the functional genomics of human cancers, particularly breast cancer, uncovering new oncogenes, and deciphering the dynamics of gene regulation on a genomic scale that modulate cancer biology. He has authored nearly 300 scientific papers and reviews, and co-authored two books.
Among the board members’ responsibilities are helping guide the FNIH’s mission and purpose; ensuring effective organizational planning; ensuring adequate resources and managing them effectively; reviewing, monitoring, and strengthening FNIH’s programs and services; and enhancing FNIH’s public standing.
In total, eight people were elected to the FNIH Board of Directors this spring. They are: Jim Donovan, Paul Herrling, Ph.D., Ronald L. Krall, M.D., Joel S. Marcus; Steven C. Mayer, Garry A. Neil, M.D., and Nina Solarz.
Established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the NIH—improving health through scientific discovery in the search for cure—the Foundation for the NIH is a leader in identifying and addressing complex scientific and health issues. The Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization that raises private-sector funds for a broad portfolio of unique programs that complement and enhance the NIH priorities and activities.
The Jackson Laboratory is based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a facility in Sacramento, Calif., an institute for genomic medicine in the architectural planning stage in Farmington, Conn., and a total staff of about 1,400. Its mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human disease, and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community.
Contact(s):
Joyce Peterson, 207-288-6058, The Jackson Laboratory
For information on automatic email delivery of news releases (journalists only), please send an email request for details to news@jax.org. Please address other inquiries to pubinfo@jax.org.
Media Relations, Communications Office
The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609-1500
Phone: 207-288-6058 (journalists only)
Main Jackson Laboratory phone: 207-288-6000
Fax: 207-288-6076
Email: news@jax.org
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