Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer of City of Hope, has been reappointed to a second, six-year term on the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC), the governing board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
Friedman was first appointed to the ICOC in 2004 after California voters passed Proposition 71 to establish CIRM and fund stem cell research in the state.
 Michael Friedman (Photo by ©2007 Philip Channing) |
“I am honored to serve the people of California and help support innovative science that may lead to improved treatments and ultimately cures for patients with cancer, diabetes and other serious diseases,” said Friedman, Irell & Manella Cancer Center Director’s Distinguished Chair. “Patients entrust their lives to physicians and researchers, and we must live up to that expectation through responsible and thoughtful research that advances medicine.”
Since its inception, CIRM has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to research organizations in California. The ICOC comprises 29 Californians — representing patients, researchers and the biotechnology industry — who provide guidance to CIRM. The ICOC members serve on various subcommittees and working groups that provide recommendations to the governing board regarding research funding, ethical standards and facilities.
Friedman was reappointed to the ICOC by California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer.
“Dr. Friedman has provided valuable service to the ICOC and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine,” Lockyer said. “I am confident he will continue to do a great job and am pleased to reappoint him.”
Before joining City of Hope in 2003, Friedman served in the Food and Drug Administration, first as deputy commissioner and later as acting commissioner of the agency.
He has served as the associate director of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program and as associate professor of medicine and interim director of the Cancer Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.
