A Conflict of Interest Waiting to Happen? - NIH Nominee, Dr. Zerhouni

Submitted by a BuzzFlash Reader

March 27, 2002

Dear BuzzFlash:

I was reading this morning about Dr. Zerhouni's nomination to become the new NIH chief and decided to do a bit of sleuthing. It becomes quite clear early on that GWB and company are extremely interested in placing a Muslim into a highly visible position to counter worldwide criticism of its policies against people of Arab and Asian descent. Perhaps to mollify just a bit the criticism of an attack on Sadam?

In addition, Johns Hopkins--Dr. Zerhouni's employer--is the largest recipient of NIH grant money. Can he recuse himself from any future discussions as to whether Johns Hopkins grant proposals are worthy of NIH funding? In all likelihood, no. Why then would Dubya wish to place him into such a compromising situation? Again, he needs a token Muslim.

With his and his Attorney General's blatant renunciation of a woman's right to choose, why would Dubya nominate an Algerian who is [was] a very strong advocate of embryonic stem cell research prior to the nomination? How could a man with such convictions carry out his duties while hogtied by this administration?

Following are just a few hits from my Google search. Very interesting. Do read on.

Sincerely,

Sharon Andrews

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http://www.medeview.com/medad.html

Elias Zerhouni, MD, is the Chairman of the Department of Radiology and the Donner Professor of Radiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he is also the Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Services. A graduate of the Medical School at the University of Algiers, he completed his radiologic training at Hopkins and has been a leading developer of MR imaging methods, especially MR angiography and intravascular MR imaging probes.

http://www.lougehrigsdisease.net/als_news/01020158.5_million.htm

$58.5 million gift will fund JHU science

Anonymous donation to create institute for stem cell research;
Treatments, patents beckon; Study could enable repair, replacement of diseased organs

By Douglas Birch
SUN STAFF

The Johns Hopkins University's medical school will spend $58.5 million - the second-largest gift in the university's history - to create an Institute for Cell Engineering, where scientists will seek ways to use stem cells to repair or replace diseased organs.

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, executive vice dean of the medical school, said the institute's anonymous benefactor has made it possible for Hopkins to plunge into one of the new century's most promising areas of medical research.

http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/ncrrprog/clindir/SecB.htm#bay

Principal Investigator
Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.
410-614-6488; Fax: 410-955-0889
E-mail: ezerhouni@jhmi.edu

Gene Therapy: Treatment of cystic fibrosis; genetic therapies for prostate cancer and other malignancies.

Genetic Diseases: Carnitine deficiency; hyperammonemia; urea cycle enzymopathies; phenylketonuria; maple syrup urine disease; hereditary connective tissue disorders; malformation syndromes; mucolipidoses and mucopolysaccharidoses; neurological and mental retardation syndromes; gyrate atrophy; achondroplasia; pseudoxanthoma elasticum; Marfan syndrome; immunologic and therapeutic studies in patients with adrenoleukodystrophy; genetic studies of craniofacial disorder (Treacher Collins syndrome).

http://unisci.com/stories/20004/1212003.htm

Hopkins is the nation's largest recipient of biomedical research funding. Last year, its labs received more than $255 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, with approximately $50 million going to researchers in the eight basic science departments.

http://www.aau.edu/publications/WR3.13.02.html

PRESIDENT EXPECTED TO TAP JHU OFFICIAL TO HEAD NIH

Reports the week of March 4 indicate that the President intends to nominate Elias Zerhouni, executive vice dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as director of the National Institutes of Health.

Zerhouni, a radiologist, is the school's second highest-ranking official. He has been instrumental in developing the school's new Institute for Cell Engineering, which is devoted partly to stem-cell research. News sources indicate, however, that Zerhouni has given assurances that he will adhere to the President's policy on stem-cell research, and to the President's position on therapeutic cloning.

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