Newswise — Bethesda, MD (November 1, 2011) -- The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce the selection of Adam P. Fagen, PhD, as its new Executive Director. Dr. Fagen comes to GSA from the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), where he is director of public affairs, with chief responsibility for government relations, education, and communications. He will begin his tenure at GSA on December 1, 2011. Phyllis Edelman will continue to serve as Interim Executive Director until his arrival.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Fagen to GSA as Executive Director,” said Paul Sternberg, GSA President. “He brings a breadth of experience in science policy and leadership, including several areas of particular importance to GSA members: science education and training, outreach, and government relations. More generally, his knowledge of genetics, understanding of the scientific community, energy, vision, and communications skills will bring a fresh intensity to GSA in helping us meet our goals and ensure a vibrant future for the society.”
Dr. Fagen has served as ASPB’s senior representative to policymakers at federal agencies and Congress, advocacy partners, educators, the media, and the public. Prior to joining ASPB in 2010, Dr. Fagen was a senior program officer with the Board on Life Sciences at the National Academies where he directed National Research Council studies, workshops, and other activities on a wide range of topics from postdoctoral training to stem cell research, biosecurity to undergraduate education. He earned a PhD in molecular biology and education from Harvard University and a master’s, also from Harvard, in molecular and cellular biology, which is based on laboratory research in molecular evolutionary genetics. He holds a BA in biology and mathematics from Swarthmore College. Dr. Fagen was a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow and NSF Graduate Teaching Fellow in K-12 Teaching.
Dr. Fagen served as co-director of the 2000 National Doctoral Program Survey, an on-line assessment of doctoral programs organized by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS), supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and completed by over 32,000 students. He was honored with two NAGPS President’s Awards and the NAGPS Lifetime Achievement Award.
ABOUT THE GENETICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional membership organization for scientific researchers, educators, bioengineers, bioinformaticians and others interested in the field of genetics. Its nearly 5,000 members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. The GSA is dedicated to promoting research in genetics and to facilitating communication among geneticists worldwide through its conferences, including the biennial conference on Model Organisms to Human Biology, an interdisciplinary meeting on current and cutting edge topics in genetics research, as well as annual and biennial meetings that focus on the genetics of particular organisms, including C. elegans, Drosophila, fungi, mice, yeast, and zebrafish. GSA publishes GENETICS, the leading journal in the field and a new online, open-access publication, G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. For more information about GSA, please visit www.genetics-gsa.org.
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