Eight Named to Council of Councils
The current Council of Councils members are (back row, from l) John Postlethwait, Terry Magnuson, Norbert Pelc, Marlene Belfort, Philip Alderson, DPCPSI Director James Anderson, David Holtzman (not a member), Jorge L. Contreras, Sharon Anderson, Joseph Buckwalter (not a member); (middle row, from l) Vivian Lee, Kimberly Leslie, Lila Gierasch, Gail Yokote, J. Leslie Winston, King Holmes, Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Terry Jernigan; (front row, from l) Jonathon Epstein, Melissa Brown, Ana Cuervo, Mary Carnes, Hakon Heimer. Not shown are Eric Boerwinkle, Judy Garber, Norma Sue Kenyon, Guillermina Lozano and Keith Reimann.
The Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Director, NIH, recently welcomed 8 new advisory members to the Council of Councils who will advise on DPCPSI policy and programs.
The new members are:
Dr. Eric Boerwinkle, professor and director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine Center for Human Genetics, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. His research interests encompass the genetic analysis of common chronic diseases in humans, including coronary artery disease, hypertension and non-insulin dependent (type II) diabetes.
Dr. Melissa Brown, professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University and president and CEO for the Center for Value-Based Medicine in Pennsylvania. She is lead author of Evidence-Based to Value-Based Medicine, an acclaimed text published by the AMA Press (2005) that defines the field of value-based medicine and its application to the clinical setting.
Jorge Contreras, associate professor at the University of Utah and senior policy fellow at American University Washington College of Law, with an adjunct faculty appointment in human genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He has written extensively on the institutional structures of intellectual property, technical standardization and biomedical research, particularly in the areas of genomics and genetics.
Dr. Jonathan Epstein, professor of cell and developmental biology and executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of the Perelman School of Medicine and the William Wikoff Smith professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development and understanding and treating human disease.
Dr. John Postlethwait, professor of biology at the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon. He developed mutational models for Fanconi anemia in zebrafish via conducting a small molecule screen for compounds to rescue zebrafish Fanconi anemia mutants as a way to identify potential therapeutics for human Fanconi anemia patients and to understand disease mechanisms.
Dr. J. Leslie Winston, associate director of the Global Oral Care Professional and Scientific Relations Health Care Research Center at Procter & Gamble Co. She is responsible for representing Crest Oral-B science and products to the dental and research communities, dental professional organizations and opinion leaders and has experience in clinical trials research and technology development.
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, executive director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, Washington, D.C. As a leader in the field of children’s environmental health, she has conducted nationwide presentations and lectures on children’s vulnerabilities and the need to protect them.
Gail Yokote, librarian emeritus, University of California, Davis. She chaired the National Library of Medicine’s board of regents and has served on several NLM and other NIH study section panels associated with informatics or library special services and operations.