“Dr. Benz is one of the world’s leading figures in the fight against cancer, and he will be a terrific addition to the Life Sciences Center’s Board of Directors.” said Governor Patrick. “I also want to welcome Dr. Caret to the Board, as he and the University of Massachusetts are central to the strength of our innovation economy in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth is fortunate to have these two new voices at the table to help guide the Center’s investment decisions as we continue the successful implementation of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act.”
Dr. Benz has served as president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since 2000. He is presently the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine, professor of Pediatrics, and professor of Genetics at Dana-Farber and Harvard Medical School. He previously served as chairman of the Department of Medicine and as the Sir William Osler Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Benz received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and a master’s degree from Yale University. Dr. Benz is the author of more than 300 articles, books, chapters, reviews, and abstracts. He is the past president of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Friends of the National Institute of Nursing, and the Association of American Cancer Institutes. Dr. Benz is also a member of the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He currently is the president of the American Clinical and Climatological Association and an associate editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Massachusetts is at the center of one of the nation’s most dynamic and important industries, and I am honored to work with the Life Sciences Center to support both our local economy, and our continued research into the roots of, and cures for, human diseases,” said Benz.
In addition, as the new president of the University of Massachusetts, Robert L. Caret, Ph.D., has assumed a seat on the Center’s Board of Directors that is set aside by statute for the president of the University of Massachusetts system. Caret, previously president of Towson University in Maryland, has succeeded retiring UMass President Jack M. Wilson, who stepped down from his position on June 30, 2011.
Caret previously served as president of Towson University. He served as a faculty member, dean, executive vice president and provost of Towson University for 21 years before leaving to assume the presidency of San Jose State University in 1995. Caret has also served on the American Flag Foundation Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the American Council of Education (ACE), the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and currently serves on the Executive Steering Committee of the AASCU Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI). He received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and mathematics from Suffolk University. Caret joined Governor Patrick and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President and CEO Dr. Susan Windam-Bannister on the Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission to Israel and the United Kingdom earlier this year.
“I am pleased to be assuming this position, as the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center works to advance the cause of discovery and innovation, and as such, is shaping the Commonwealth’s economic future and is making important contributions to mankind,” said Caret. “As one of the state’s leading research universities, the University of Massachusetts places a high premium on innovation and on reaping the social and economic benefits that flow from this important work. It is crucial that the Commonwealth’s engines of science and innovation work together and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is a place where planning and collaboration occurs and where the decisions that will help to determine our future are made.”
“We are so pleased to welcome both Dr. Benz and President Caret as the newest members of our Board of Directors,” said Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. “The Board is the final arbiter of all of our major investments decisions, so we rely on experts like Dr. Benz and President Caret to ensure that the Center is making the best use of the public dollars that are under our stewardship. Their diverse experience will bring critical new perspectives to the Board and the Center's strategy and programs.”
Dr. Benz will fill the seventh seat on the Board, previously held by MGH President Peter Slavin. Other Board members include Jay Gonzalez, Secretary of Administration & Finance; Gregory Bialecki, Secretary of Housing & Economic Development; Josh Boger, Ph.D., Former President & CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Ph.D., Board Member and Chief Scientific Officer, Cytonome/ST; and Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., former CEO, Taligen Therapeutics.
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is a quasi-public agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts tasked with implementing the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act, a ten-year, $1 billion initiative that was signed into law in June of 2008. The Center’s mission is to create jobs in the life sciences and support vital scientific research that will improve the human condition. This work includes making financial investments in public and private institutions that are advancing life sciences research, development and commercialization as well as building ties between sectors of the Massachusetts life sciences community.
For more information, visit www.masslifesciences.com.
