ACT FOR NIH - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee

Bernadette Gray-Little was the first woman and first African American to lead the University of Kansas. Under Dr. Gray-Little's leadership, the university launched its Bold Aspirations Strategic Plan to foster research and scholarship across its campuses. In 2011, KU became a member of the Clinical and Translational Science Award consortium and the KU Alzheimer's Disease Center was designated by the National Institute on Aging. In 2012, the University of Kansas Cancer Center was designated as a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center. Born in North Carolina, Dr. Gray-Little is a psychologist who did her graduate work at St. Louis University. Prior to joining KU, she served as the executive vice chancellor and provost for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU). She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She left her position as Chancellor in 2017.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Nobel Prize Winner President Emeritus, California Institute of Technology

David Baltimore is considered one of the world's most influential biologists. At age 37, he shared the 1975 Nobel Prize for Medicine for "discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell". His current work focuses on control of inflammatory and immune responses, on the roles of microRNAs in the immune system, and on the use of gene therapy methods to treat HIV and cancer in a program called "Engineering Immunity". Born in New York City, he did his graduate research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rockefeller University. His distinguished career includes service as a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was the founding director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, president of Rockefeller University, and president of the California Institute of Technology. He co-chaired the 1986 National Academy of Sciences committee on a National Strategy for AIDS and was appointed to head the NIH AIDS Vaccine Research Committee in 1996. During his tenure as president of the California Institute of Technology, he was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Clinton.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Chairman of the Department of Immunology

Dr. James Allison is the Chair of the Department of Immunology, the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Research, and the Executive Director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor. He has spent a distinguished career studying the regulation of T cell responses and developing strategies for cancer immunotherapy. Among his most notable discoveries are the determination of the T cell receptor structure and that CD28 is the major costimulatory molecule that allows full activation of naïve T cells and prevents anergy in T cell clones. His lab resolved a major controversy by demonstrating that CTLA-4 inhibits T-cell activation by opposing CD28-mediated costimulation and that blockade of CTLA-4 could enhance T cell responses, leading to tumor rejection in animal models. This finding paved the wave for the emerging field of immune checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer. Work in his lab led to the development of ipilimumab, an antibody to human CTLA-4 and the first immune checkpoint blockade therapy approved by the FDA. Dr. Allison is one of the world's most renowned scientists. Among many honors, he is a member of the National Academies of Science and Medicine and received the Lasker-Debakey Clinical Medical Research award in 2015. His current work seeks to improve immune checkpoint blockade therapies currently used by our clinicians and identify new targets to unleash the immune system in order to eradicate cancer.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Member of the Departments of Molecular

Jennifer Doudna studies the "secrets of RNA", the molecules that carry out the work of DNA. Her groundbreaking research has yielded the Clustered Regularly Interspaces Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technology, which uses RNA like genetic "scissors" to precisely cut DNA so that mutations in cells and tissues can be repaired in ways previously impossible. In 2014, the Foundation for the NIH awarded Dr. Doudna with the Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences. Raised in Hawaii, she did her graduate work at Harvard University. She also worked at the University of Colorado with Dr. Thomas R. Cech, who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with RNA. Doudna's other accomplishments include determining the three-dimensional structure of a ribozyme for the first time. Dr. Jennifer Doudna is a member of the departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Chemistry at UC Berkeley, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, along with the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Director, Mayo Alzheimer 's Disease Research Center Professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
• National Leader in the Field of Alzheimer

Dr. Ronald Petersen is a national leader in the field of Alzheimer's research. He is the director of the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study on Aging. He has authored over 550 peer-reviewed articles and edited five books on memory disorders, aging, and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Petersen received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Minnesota and graduated from Mayo Medical School in 1980. He joined the staff of the Mayo Clinic in 1986. He became the Cora Kanow Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research in 2000, and was named the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator in 2011. Dr. Petersen is one of the recipients of the 2004 MetLife Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the 2005 Potamkin Prize for Research in Picks, Alzheimer's, and Related Disorders of the American Academy of Neurology. He also received the inaugural Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute Award in 2004 from the Alzheimer's Association and the inaugural Leon Thal Prize of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in 2007. In 2012, he received the Khachaturian award of the Alzheimer's Association and the Henry Wisniewski Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. In 2011, he was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to serve as the chair of the Advisory Committee on Research, Care, and Services for the National Alzheimer's Project Act and was appointed to the World Dementia Council in 2014 by UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Advocacy and Operations Manager

Prior to joining ACT for NIH, Emily Williams served as a fundraiser for various political candidates and non-profit clients. Her experience includes working on some of the most competitive and expensive senatorial and gubernatorial races in the country. In these roles, Williams developed and implemented successful fundraising strategies to exceed candidates' fundraising goals. She worked to cultivate strong donor networks across the country for each candidate and was responsible for crafting effective messaging to drive fundraising efforts. In addition to fundraising, Williams brings a strong background in event development to the ACT for NIH team. A native of Houston, Texas, Williams received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis and now resides in Washington, DC.

Job Titles:

• Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Moelis & Company

Eric Cantor is Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Moelis & Company as well as a member of the Moelis & Company Board of Directors. Mr. Cantor, who has more than 25 years of political and business experience, was formerly United States Representative for Virginia's 7th Congressional District and House Majority Leader. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives between 2001 and 2014. He was elected by his colleagues in the House to serve as the Majority Leader for the 112th and 113th Congresses where he led the public policy agenda for the House. During his time in office, Mr. Cantor was a leading voice on healthcare, the economy, job creation, and policies focused on improving the lives of the American middle class. He was a leading voice in calling for increased commitment to R&D and was responsible for passage of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act. This important legislation prioritized funding for pediatric medical research and has created a model for future bipartisan agreement around increased funding for medical research. He is also regularly featured in publications focusing on a wide range of topics including both domestic and international matters. Mr. Cantor received his undergraduate degree from The George Washington University, his law degree from The College of William and Mary, and his master's degree from Columbia University in New York.

Job Titles:

• Chief
• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Associate Professor, Howard University College of Medicine

Dr. Lori Wilson is the division chief of surgical oncology, which focuses on health disparities in underrepresented populations as well as breast, colorectal, and endocrine cancers. She is also the program director of the general surgery residency at Howard University Hospital. She is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed an internship and residency in general surgery at Howard University Hospital. During this time, she was honored with the university's Chairman's Award, the Resident's Choice Award from the Department of Surgery, and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, Gamma Chapter, Medical Honor Society, along with other honors. In addition, she completed a research fellowship at the University of Cincinnati with advanced coursework in cellular biology, molecular genetics, and bioethics. At the John Wayne Cancer Institute, she was honored as Chief Administrative Surgical Oncology Fellow, along with many other academic accolades. Dr. Wilson's own struggle with breast cancer is featured in the Ken Burns' PBS documentary "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies," which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Job Titles:

• Chairman
• Chairman of the Advisory Committee
• Chairman, the Milken Institute Public Health Advocate

Michael Milken has led a wide range of initiatives since the 1970s that have influenced public policy, supported public health, re-envisioned education, accelerated medical research and expanded access to capital for growing companies. He formalized his earlier giving in 1982 by co-founding the Milken Family Foundation. In 1995, he hosted the first Cancer Summit, an event that led to a 1998 March on Washington in support of increased biomedical research funding. Over the five years following the March, Congress nearly doubled NIH resources. When funding increases slowed in 2003, Milken founded FasterCures to remove barriers to progress against all life-threatening diseases. A Fortune cover story called him "The Man Who Changed Medicine." Milken is chairman of the non-partisan Milken Institute, whose annual Global Conference convenes 3,500 leaders from 50 nations. The Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University was renamed in recognition of a gift from the Institute. As a financier, Milken is often said to have revolutionized modern capital markets, making them more democratic and dynamic. Starting in 1969, he financed thousands of companies that created millions of jobs. He graduated with highest distinction from UC Berkeley and earned his MBA at the Wharton School.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Retired Policy Analyst

Michael Stephens is a retired policy analyst with over 30 years of federal legislative and budget experience. Prior to his retirement in April of 2014, Mr. Stephens served for four years as Senior Director of Policy for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, with a concurrent appointment with the lobbying firm of Cornerstone Government Affairs. At Cornerstone, Michael Stephens provided strategic advice in the areas of health, education, and natural and cultural resources policy. Prior to joining ASPPH and Cornerstone in 2010, Mr. Stephens served for more than thirty years as senior staff to the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives for over thirty years. This included service as Clerk and Staff Director of four of the Committee's twelve subcommittees. He served eight years as the Clerk of the Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee where he had budget oversight responsibility for the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Education. In May of 2014, in his work as a volunteer advocate for federal support of biomedical research, Mr. Stephens helped Mr. Jed Manocherian organize the newly incorporated ACT for NIH advocacy group and the Friends of Medical Research PAC (FOMR), serving as the initial president of Act for NIH and later as treasurer and board member of FOMR. Mr. Stephens has a B.A. from Duke University and completed his Masters of Public Health degree at the University of North Carolina. In addition to his legislative career, he served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1968 to 1971 and in the Marine Corps Reserves until 1995 when he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is married to Sharman Stephens and has three children, David, Julie and Sarah.

Job Titles:

• Professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology

Padmanee Sharma is a professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology in the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She has participated in 54 research outputs since 1996, focusing primarily on immunotherapy in her collaborations with Dr. James P. Allison. Sharma is a Cancer Research Institute Investigator who has tested new prostate cancer immunotherapies, looking for differences in T cell subsets and function between pre-therapy blood and tissue samples versus post-therapy blood and tissue samples. She has won multiple awards during her career including the 2012 MD Anderson Cancer Center Faculty Scholar Award and the 2008 Melanoma Research Alliance Young Investigator Award. With Allison, Sharma is exploring combinations of immunological therapies and targeted drugs in preclinical studies to more effectively treat a variety of cancers.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine

Dr. Ozuah is the President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, the umbrella organization for Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A nationally recognized physician, leader, executive, researcher, teacher and author, Dr. Ozuah previously served as President of Montefiore Health System. A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded researcher and award-winning educator, he also served as Professor and University Chairman of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM). In these roles, Dr. Ozuah expanded access for underserved communities, recruited and cultivated outstanding talent, advanced programs of excellence, fostered innovations in medical education, and improved financial and operational performance by integrating care across a rapidly growing and evolving Montefiore system that sees over six million patient interactions a year. Under his leadership, Montefiore Health System's specialties ranked in the top 1 percent of the nation's hospitals, and CHAM was recognized as one of "America's Best Children's Hospitals" according to U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Ozuah has been recognized locally and nationally for excellence in teaching and patient care, including as an inductee into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and a two-time recipient of the Academic Pediatric Association's prestigious Helfer Award for Innovation in Medical Education. Along with his various awards for teaching and clinical excellence, Dr. Ozuah has also been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the "Top 25 COOs in Healthcare." Dr. Ozuah earned his medical degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Southern California and a PhD in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He completed his Pediatric Internship and Residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore, and his Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Medical Education at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Vice President

Prior to joining ACT for NIH, Rachel Pollock served as a senior advisor to the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as Deputy Director of the NIH Executive Secretariat and as part of the NIH legislative affairs team. At NIH, she spearheaded efforts to transform NIH's communication of budget requests to Congress and supported NIH leadership endeavors to educate policymakers about the agency's life-saving research. Before moving to NIH, Pollock worked within the office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources at the Department of Health and Human Services as Appropriations Director for the agency. In this position, she led a team of congressional liaisons responsible for developing and advocating for the Secretary's priorities across nearly $90 billion in discretionary appropriations. Pollock started her career at the Office of Management and Budget, where she spent eight years as a Legislative Analyst. She also has experience working on public health issues in the United States Senate and in the non-profit community. Pollock holds an undergraduate degree in United States History from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from Washington College of Law at American University.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• President

Before joining ACT for NIH in January 2020, Richard Turman held multiple leadership positions on NIH budgeting and advocacy. He served as NIH's Associate Director for Budget, helping NIH make the case for continued investments in life-saving research. He advocated for the completion of NIH's doubling while leading the federal relations activities of the Association of American Universities. And he helped develop a decade's worth of NIH budgets while working as a program examiner and branch chief at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Turman has also held senior executive positions in the Federal and non-profit sectors, serving as the HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, the HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, the Deputy Director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, and most recently as the Chief Operating Officer of the People-Centered Research Foundation. Turman has worked in the California legislature and in the United States Senate, both times for appropriators. He earned a B.A. in economics and history from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee

Ron DePinho is internationally recognized for basic and translational research in cancer, aging, and age-associated degenerative disorders. His research has yielded better methods of early cancer detection, improved cancer patient care, and new cancer drug development. His scientific contributions include demonstrating that cancer risk rates increase with age. He became the president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in 2011, and stepped down from that position in 2017 to return to research. Born the Bronx, DePinho did his medical training at the Albert Einstein College of medicine. Prior to joining MD Anderson, DePinho spent fourteen years at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine) and the National Academy of Sciences.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Founder and Chairman, the Parker Foundation

Sean Parker is a philanthropist and entrepreneur with a record of launching genre-defining companies. He is the chairman of The Parker Foundation, which focuses on three areas: Life Sciences, Global Public Health, and Civic Engagement. In 2015, Mr. Parker announced a $600 million contribution to launch the foundation. Mr. Parker has been recognized for his leadership in funding and promoting research into the relationship between the immune system and cancer. Mr Parker helped to establish the Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C) and Cancer Research Institute's (CRI) Immunotherapy Dream Team. In 2013, he was honored by CRI with the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research. Mr. Parker was the co-founder of Napster at age 19 and Plaxo at 21. In 2004, he joined with Mark Zuckerberg to develop the online social network Facebook and served as Facebook's founding president. In 2007, Mr. Parker co-founded Causes on Facebook, which registered 180 million people to donate money and take action via Facebook; and, in 2014, he announced his backing of a new initiative called Brigade, an online platform for civic engagement. Mr. Parker is also a board member at Spotify.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Committee
• Physician
• Researcher

Siddhartha Mukherjee is a cancer physician and researcher. He is the author of The Laws of Medicine and The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction. Mukherjee is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center. He has been the Plummer Visiting Professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, the Joseph Garland lecturer at the Massachusetts Medical Society, and an honorary visiting professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. A hematologist and oncologist, Mukherjee is also known for his work on the formation of blood and the interactions between the micro-environment (or "niche") and cancer cells. Recently, the Government of India conferred its fourth-highest Civilian Award Padma Shri upon Mukherjee. A Rhodes Scholar, he graduated from Stanford University, University of Oxford, and Harvard Medical School. He has published articles in Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, and The New Republic. He lives in New York with his wife and daughters.