People in the news - March 2016

New FDA Commissioner assumes post

Dr. Robert M. Califf has been sworn in as the new FDA Commissioner. A cardiologist and internist, he most recently served as FDA’s Deputy Commissioner. Previously, he spent many years at Duke University Medical Center as a professor, researcher and vice-chancellor.

Dr. Robert M. Califf

Dr. Mary-Claire King

White House honors former Fogarty grantee

The White House has honored former Fogarty grantee, Dr. Mary-Claire King, of the University of Washington, with a National Medal of Science for demonstrating a genetic predisposition for breast cancer and identifying the BRCA1 gene.

Former NIH chief Varmus to receive Legacy Award

Nobel Laureate and former director of both the NIH and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr. Harold E. Varmus has been selected by Research!America to receive its Legacy Award. He is currently a professor at Weill Cornell University’s Meyer Cancer Center.

Dr. Harold E. Varmus

Dr. Julio Frenk

Frenk inaugurated as University of Miami president

The University of Miami recently inaugurated Dr. Julio Frenk as its sixth president. A renowned global health expert and former Mexican health minister, he was most recently dean and professor at Harvard University School of Public Health.

Fogarty names Carlo to advisory board

Fogarty has appointed Dr. Waldemar Carlo to serve on its advisory board. Carlo is director of neonatology and professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A native of Puerto Rico, he has served as principal investigator on numerous NIH grants, including a Fogarty brain disorders project.

Dr. Waldemar Carlo

Dr. Robert Garry

Previous Fogarty grantee recognized for Ebola work

For his leadership in development of the first rapid Ebola diagnostic test, previous Fogarty grantee Dr. Robert Garry was selected by Foreign Policy magazine for its list of 100 Global Thinkers of 2015. Garry is a professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane University.

Former Fogarty scientist Nugent moves to RTI International

Former Fogarty scientist, Dr. Rachel Nugent, has joined the nonprofit RTI International as vice president of noncommunicable diseases. An economist by training, she directed a number of Fogarty grant programs and most recently was an associate professor at the University of Washington.

Dr. Rachel Nugent