PhRMA Foundation announces new members of Board of Directors
The PhRMA Foundation has announced the appointment to its Board of Directors of Aida Habtezion, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Pfizer, Maha Radhakrishnan, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Biogen, George Addona, PhD, Senior Vice President and Head of Discovery, Preclinical and Translational Medicine at Merck Research Laboratories, and Lori Reilly, Esq, Chief Operating Officer at PhRMA.
The PhRMA Foundation is a 57-year-old US non-profit that fosters biopharmaceutical innovation and value-driven health care by investing in the frontiers of research. It helps the careers of researchers through competitive, peer-reviewed grants and fellowships: since its founding in 1965, the Foundation has awarded more than $110m to over 2,700 researchers.
As chief medical officer, Dr. Habtezion leads Pfizer's Worldwide Medical & Safety organization responsible for ensuring that patients, physicians, and regulatory agencies are provided with information on the safe and appropriate use of Pfizer medications. Prior to joining Pfizer, she was a practicing physician and scientist at Stanford University's School of Medicine, where she led a large translation research lab focused on understanding disease mechanisms and identifying potential immune-based therapeutic targets for pancreatic and intestinal inflammatory diseases and their long-term complications such as cancer.
Biogen's Dr. Radhakrishnan is one of the foremost experts on medical affairs strategy and health outcomes research currently serving as chief medical officer. She brings extensive experience in overseeing external engagement approaches with academic institutions, key opinion leaders, patient advocacy groups, payers, and regulators. Prior to joining Biogen, Dr. Radhakrishnan held leadership roles at Sanofi, Bioverativ, Bristol Myers Squibb, United Health Group, and Cephalon.
Dr. Addona has worked at Merck since 2008 and currently oversees early-stage pipeline, early human studies, and biomarker development. Previously, he was Vice President of Quantitative Biosciences, playing a critical role in Merck's drug discovery organization by leading a multidisciplinary team focused on preclinical programs across all the company's therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Merck, he held roles with Novartis and Praecis Pharmaceuticals.
Due to a change in the Foundation bylaws, Ms. Reilly joins the Foundation's Board as PhMRA's ex officio representative. A longtime leader in developing and advocating for practical policy solutions that bring medicines to patients, Ms. Reilly oversees PhRMA's advocacy activities and alliance development work and provides strategic leadership to the organization and its members. Prior to her 20 years of service at PhRMA, she served as counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Commerce and to a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
