Newswise — San Francisco – June 19, 2013 – Dr. Michael Roizen, Chair of the SmartTots Executive Board, announced the addition of two executive board members, Alastair J.J. Wood, M.B. Ch.B. FRCP FACP, and Holger Liepmann.
SmartTots funds research with the goal of making surgery safer for the millions of infants and young children who undergo anesthesia and sedation each year. The members of the Executive Board are champions of this effort and are essential to building awareness of and raising funds for pediatric anesthesia research.
“Dr. Wood and Mr. Liepmann are excellent additions to the SmartTots Executive Board,” shares Dr. Michael Roizen, SmartTots Executive Board Chair. “As we continue to grow our efforts to fund much-needed anesthesia research, adding strong champions like these two individuals will be critical to successfully raising the millions of dollars needed to fund quality research.”
Dr. Alastair Wood received his medical training at St Andrew’s University and Dundee Medical School in Scotland. Following fellowship training he joined the Faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he remained to become tenured Professor of both Medicine and Pharmacology and Attending Physician at Vanderbilt Medical School. He was Assistant Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research (1999-2004), and Associate Dean, Vanderbilt Medical School (2004-2006) before being appointed Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology in 2006. His current academic appointments are Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York. He is a Partner at Symphony Capital LLC, a New York-based Private Equity Company managing over $300 million dedicated to investments in the clinical development of novel biopharmaceutical products.
Dr. Wood was the chairman of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee until 2006. He previously served as a member of the Cardiovascular and Renal Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration, and the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee. Dr. Wood has also been both a member, and has chaired NIH Study Sections, and has served in a similar capacity for various philanthropic grant-giving bodies. He has served as a director of pharmaceutical companies including Antigenics (AGEN), Oxigene, Symphony Neurodevelopment, and Symphony Evolution. He has also served as a consultant to pharmaceutical companies, investors and academic institutions. He has provided Congressional testimony, and directly interacted with and advised senior White House officials, legislators, and the Secretary of Health on matters related to public health.
Mr. Holger Liepmann most recently served as Executive Vice President (EVP) of Global Nutrition at Abbott Laboratories, a leading global health care company, until his retirement in April 2011. He joined Abbott in 1986, and prior to his appointment as EVP of Global Nutrition in 2006, held various positions at Abbott Laboratories, including Executive Vice President, Pharmaceutical Products Group and Senior Vice President Abbott International. Before joining Abbott, he served as Marketing Manager, Europe of Cutter Laboratories, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Mr. Liepmann currently serves on the Board of Verenium Corporation and on the Board of Trustees of a nonprofit organization. Mr. Liepmann received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
About SmartTotsTo address the critical public health issues associated with the safe use of anesthesia and sedatives in young children, the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) partnered with the US Food and Drug Administration, and is working with multiple stakeholders (e.g., professional societies, academic research institutions, patient advocacy groups, industry and other government and nonprofit organizations), to address scientific and clinical gaps regarding the safe use of anesthetics and sedatives in children. For more information about SmartTots visit www.SmartTots.org or call (415) 296-6900.
About the IARSThe IARS is a non-political medical society founded in 1922 to advance and support anesthesia research and education. The IARS contributes more than $1 million annually to fund anesthesia research and provides a forum for leaders in anesthesia research to share information and ideas. The Society publishes the Anesthesia & Analgesia journal in print and online. For more information on the IARS visit http://www.iars.org or call (415) 296-6900.