NIAMS appoints new advisory council members

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases announced it has appointed five new members to its advisory council.

Council members provide advice to the Institute on broad policy issues and make recommendations on research proposals, according to a press release from the Institute.

The new council members include:

Gary A. Koretzky, MD, PhD: Dean of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and senior associate dean for research at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City. Koretzky studies how certain biochemical events activate T cells and has identified several proteins that play a role in stimulating cellular response.
Grace K. Pavlath, PhD: Professor in the department of pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta. Pavlath researches the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the function of satellite cells — stem cells found in skeletal muscle that are critical for muscle growth and repair.
Christy Sandborg, MD: Professor of pediatrics in the division of pediatric rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. Sandborg focuses on providing research and training opportunities to nurture and challenge the next generation of pediatric rheumatologists and subspecialists.
Alexander Silver, MBA: Co-founding partner of P2 Capital Partners LLC in New York City. Silver is also founder and chairman of the Jackson Gabriel Silver Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare blistering skin disease.
Gwendolyn Powell Todd, EdD: Professional leader, educator and advocate for patients with cicatricial alopecia.

For more information about NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877) 22-NIAMS (toll-free), or visit the NIAMS website at http://www.niams.nih.gov.