Ronald L. Krall, MD, Former Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of GlaxoSmithKline, Elected to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health’s Board of Directors

BETHESDA, MD, July 9, 2012 — Ronald L. Krall, MD was elected to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Board of Directors. He began his term May 16, 2012.

Prior to GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Krall was senior vice president for AstraZeneca and ZENECA Pharmaceuticals, as well as medical director for Abbott Laboratories and Lorex Pharmaceuticals.

“The FNIH continues to build relationships with the pharmaceutical industry and we know that Ronald’s insight will be very valuable as we further our private-public partnerships,” according to Charles A. Sanders, MD, FNIH chairman.

Dr. Krall is also an Associate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics and a member of Kala Pharmaceutical’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“Dr. Krall is one of the nation’s most distinguished drug developers and a well-known authority on the safety of medicines,” according to Freda C. Lewis-Hall, MD, FNIH board member. “His expertise in translational research—the science of driving promising compounds from laboratory concept to a therapy proven in the clinic as safe and effective—will be highly welcomed by all of us on the FNIH board as well as by millions of patients awaiting new cures.”

“A long time ago I was privileged to train at the National Institutes of Health. I feel honored to be able to return to now serve the Institution,” says Dr. Krall. “I hope to bring my 25 years of research and development to better serve patients through research.”

Among the board members’ responsibilities are helping guide the FNIH’s mission and purpose; ensuring effective organizational planning; ensuring adequate resources and managing them effectively; reviewing, monitoring, and strengthening FNIH’s programs and services; and enhancing FNIH’s public standing.

In total, eight people were elected to the FNIH Board of Directors this spring. They are: Mr. Jim Donovan; Paul Herrling, PhD; Edison Liu, MD; Mr. Joel S. Marcus; Mr. Steven C. Mayer; Garry A. Neil, MD; and Mrs. Nina Solarz.

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About the Foundation for the NIH
Established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the NIH — improving health through scientific discovery in the search for cure — the Foundation for the NIH is a leader in identifying and addressing complex scientific and health issues. The Foundation is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization that raises private-sector funds for a broad portfolio of unique programs that complement and enhance the NIH priorities and activities. For additional information about the Foundation for the NIH, visit www.fnih.org.