News From CIIT - Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology Contact: Bob Nellis, 919 558-1310
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Prof. William Greenlee Named President of CIIT
Professor William F. Greenlee of the University of Massachusetts Medical School has been named the fourth president of the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT). Greenlee succeeds Roger O. McClellan, who announced his retirement in January. Greenlee will take over as president on August 2.
He will provide the leadership and guidance to CIIT as it embarks on its research partnership established in January, 1999 with the Chemical Manufacturers Association. CIIT is the chemical industry's scientifically independent institute performing environmental health research and fostering collaborations with scientists in academia, government, and industry. It publishes its research in critical peer-reviewed journals.
"Dr. Greenlee will be a strong force for change and a dedicated champion for CIIT. He has the full support of the Board of Directors to ensure that CIIT strengthens its position as a world class research institution," said Dr. Gary Ter Haar, Chair of CIIT's Management Committee. "His experience, expertise and commitment will allow him to continue CIIT's culture of scientific excellence and preeminence."
Helge H. Wehmeier, president and chief executive officer of Bayer Corporation and chairman of the CMA Board Research Committee, said the selection of Greenlee advances CIIT's long tradition of strong, capable leadership for an organization of outstanding scientific talent and integrity.
"We are delighted to have Bill on board at CIIT to continue building the momentum of our long-term research initiative. With sound governance and transparent decision-making, this initiative promises a new era of openness and mutual respect between the chemical industry and the society and communities in which we live and work," Wehmeier said.
Greenlee knows CIIT well, having studied as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute from 1978 to 1980. He also served as a staff scientist from 1982 to 1990, and as Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology from 1988 to 1990.
"CIIT is a unique and extraordinary institution," Greenlee said. "It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve as its fourth President and I look forward to leading a community of scientists committed to conducting science of the highest caliber that will have a positive impact on the protection and preservation of human health."
From 1980 to 1982 he was Assistant Professor of Toxicology at the Harvard School of Public Health and held a joint appointment in the Program in Cell and Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Medicine. He has also served in staff positions at Duke University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. From 1991 to 1995 he served as Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Purdue University. Concurrently, he was Professor at the Purdue Cancer Center. Since 1995 he has been Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Toxicology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester. In 1996 he was also named Professor in the Medical Center's Comprehensive Cancer Center. Greenlee received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Rochester in 1978.
Greenlee's research has focused on cancer-causing mechanisms at the cellular and genetic level, specifically the mechanisms of dioxin action and risk assessment relating to dioxin-like compounds.
"Dr. Greenlee is an outstanding scientist, internationally recognized for his research on the molecular mechanism of action of chemicals," said retiring president Dr. Roger McClellan of his successor. "I am confident he will lead CIIT forward in the next millennium in an exemplary fashion."
Greenlee is a native of San Jose, California. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have a daughter and two sons.
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