Dr. Ralph Snyderman, Chancellor Emeritus, Duke University, and Founder and Chairman...
Dr. Ralph Snyderman, Chancellor Emeritus, Duke University, and Founder andChairman of Proventys, Inc., Receives 2007 Leadership in Personalized MedicineAward- Award presented November 29 at Harvard personalized medicine conference -BOSTON, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Chancellor Emeritusat Duke University and Founder and Chairman of Proventys, Inc., receives the2007 Leadership in Personalized Medicine Award today from the PersonalizedMedicine Coalition (PMC) for his efforts in advancing predictive and targetedtherapies on a national scale.
The annual PMC award recognizes the contributions of a visionaryindividual whose actions in science, business, or policy have advanced thefrontier of personalized medicine. Dr. Snyderman accepts the award today at12:15 p.m. at the Harvard Medical School - Partners HealthCare Center forGenetics and Genomics (HPCGG) and Harvard Business School conference,Personalized Medicine: A Call for Action, in Boston, MA.
(http://www.hpcgg.org/PM/2007/index.jsp)
"The PMC Leadership in Personalized Medicine Award publicly recognizesthose individuals who support and contribute to the innovative and deeplycollaborative nature of personalized medicine," said Mara G. Aspinall,President of Genzyme Genetics, Vice Chair of the PMC, and Chair of thecommittee that selected Dr. Snyderman. "Dr. Snyderman has helped advance thefrontier of personalized medicine across a broad front, including clinicalcare, business, and as an outspoken supporter of the new paradigm."
Personalized medicine is the use of molecular analysis to better manage apatient's disease or predisposition to disease in order to achieve optimalclinical outcomes by helping physicians and patients choose the approachesbest suited to the patient's genetic and environmental profile.Dr. Snyderman was appointed as a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator,assistant professor of medicine and immunology, and Chief of Rheumatology atthe Durham Veteran's Administration at Duke University Medical Center in 1972.Since the beginning of his career, he has recognized the important role thatemerging technologies play in the advancement of medicine. His dual focus onboth the intricate biological relations between the human body and diseasepathogens, and the centrality of technology in driving the future ofhealthcare led Dr. Snyderman to actively advocate for an interrelated andintegrated healthcare system.Dr. Snyderman left Duke in 1987 to join Genentech, Inc., as VicePresident, later becoming Senior Vice President. While at Genentech, he ledthe development and licensing of several novel therapeutics and supervised 300staff members working in pharmacology, clinical research, and regulatoryaffairs. The monoclonal antibody that is now marketed as Herceptin was putinto preclinical development under Dr. Snyderman's leadership as Sr. V.P.,Medical Research and Development at Genentech.
As the Chancellor of Health Affairs at Duke from 1989 to 2004, Dr.Snyderman drew on his experience in biotechnology and healthcare delivery toconceive, pioneer, and implement a comprehensive healthcare approach based onthe concept of "Prospective Health Care." The foundation of this healthcareapproach is strategic, personalized, and predictive health planning, ratherthan reactive treatment. As a successful and integral part of the Duke HealthSystem for six years, "Duke Prospective Health" uses technology to provideindividualized and integrated healthcare for patients. This approach, led bySnyderman, has made the Duke Health System one of the leading academic healthsystems in the United States and has firmly placed it at the leading edge ofpersonalized medicine.
In addition to his pioneering work at Duke, Dr. Snyderman has workedcontinually to put personalized medicine on the national agenda by developingconcepts for its implementation and by convening key leaders of the majorstakeholders in healthcare -- payers, legislators, patients, physicians,economists -- and engaging them in a dialogue about this new trend inmedicine. Snyderman also made individualized healthcare a focus of his tenureas both the Chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC)Council of Deans (1999 - 2000) and Chair of the AAMC (2000 - 2001),understanding the importance of educating new physicians and other healthcareprofessionals about personalized medicine.
Today, Dr. Snyderman continues to develop and advance his concept ofprospective healthcare. After stepping down as Chancellor for Health Affairsat Duke, he founded the Center for Research on Prospective Health Care
(CRPHC). In addition, Snyderman is the Founder and Chairman of Proventys,Inc., a company providing physicians and researchers with clinical decisionsupport systems that integrate data from advanced clinical databases todevelop personalized risk assessment tools.
(http://www.proventys.com/index.html)
"Dr. Ralph Snyderman has been a driving force for personalized medicinenationally," said Geoffrey S. Ginsburg, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Centerfor Genomic Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, Duke University,and a PMC Board Member. "As a leader of one of the largest academic healthsystems in the United States, he has been a strong and consistent voice toimprove the fundamental basis of healthcare delivery and to promotepersonalized medicine."Edward Abrahams, Ph.D., Executive Director of the PMC stated whenannouncing the award at the conference, "The PMC recognizes the impactpersonalized medicine will have on the healthcare system, works to overcomethe obstacles that may prevent its implementation, and develops strategies forits widespread adoption. We applaud the innovative and influential work ofthose pioneers, such as Dr. Snyderman, as well as previous awardees Dr. JanetWoodcock, Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer of the FDA, and Dr.Elizabeth G. Nabel, Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health, who are also dedicated to movingthis effort forward."
About the Personalized Medicine Coalition
The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), representing a broad spectrumof academic, industrial, patient, provider, and payer communities, seeks toadvance the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine concepts andproducts for the benefit of patients. For more information on the PersonalizedMedicine Coalition, please visit www.PersonalizedMedicineCoalition.org.
Contact:
Christine Mackenzie
Feinstein Kean Healthcare
617-577-8110
cmackenzie@fkhealth.comSOURCE The Personalized Medicine CoalitionChristine Mackenzie of Feinstein Kean Healthcare, +1-617-577-8110,cmackenzie@fkhealth.com
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