Gov. Martin O'Malley announced on Friday the members
of the new Maryland Life Sciences
Advisory Board. The board, which was created through
legislation during the most recent General
Assembly session, is tasked with developing a comprehensive
strategic plan for Maryland's life
sciences industry.
Stephen Desiderio, director of the university's
Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences and a
professor of molecular biology, is one of the 15 inaugural
members that include the state's secretary
of business and economic development; representatives from
the Maryland Technology Development
Corp., federal agencies with life science missions,
biotechnology businesses in Maryland and
institutions of higher education; and a member of the
general public.
Desiderio, also an HHMI investigator, received his
bachelor's degree from Haverford College
and his joint MD/PhD degrees from the Johns Hopkins School
of Medicine. He was nominated by
President Brody to be the Johns Hopkins representative.
In making the announcement, O'Malley said, "Growing
Maryland's life sciences industry is a
critical step toward a brighter future for all citizens. We
are fortunate to have brought together
some of the greatest scientists, educators and business
professionals to help us in the important task
of developing a roadmap to move this industry forward."
H. Thomas Watkins, president and CEO of Human Genome
Sciences in Rockville, will chair the
board.
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