Distinguished Clinical Researcher, Biomedical Policy Leader Named President, Chief Executive Officer of City of Hope

City of Hope
Friday, 2 May 2003

Michael A. Friedman, Former FDA Acting Commissioner, NCI Associate Director and Pharmacia Senior Vice President, to lead scientific, strategic initiatives

The board of directors of City of Hope today named Michael A. Friedman, MD, president and chief executive officer. Dr. Friedman brings to City of Hope more than 30 years of leadership in public policy, academia and clinical research, and will oversee all aspects of the world-renowned biomedical research and treatment center, including its national research and development arms.

A former acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and associate director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health, Friedman will promote City of Hope's major contributions to biomedical research through continued innovation in biomedical and clinical research, philanthropy and patient care. He replaces retired City of Hope president and chief executive officer, Gil N. Schwartzberg.

Friedman is a distinguished clinical researcher with career roles in top advisory and public policy capacities, including executive positions with the FDA, the world's top regulatory agency. He has recently served as chief medical officer for Biomedical Preparedness at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, in response to the events of September 11, 2001. Concurrently, he held the position of senior vice president, R&D, Medical and Public Policy, for Pharmacia Corporation.

"Dr. Friedman's expertise in research and development, coupled with his distinguished career in regulation and public policy, are of enormous benefit to the scientific vision and strategic plan of City of Hope," said Jack R. Suzar, chairman of the board, City of Hope. "His formidable accomplishments in both the private and public sector will further City of Hope's leadership role in developing innovative therapies for serious diseases, including cancer and diabetes, in addition to numerous immunological and genetic disorders."

"An outstanding individual with impressive credentials in clinical, executive and academic leadership, Dr. Friedman is well-suited to steer an effective course for City of Hope in the prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening diseases," said Andrew von Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Friedman said, "City of Hope is recognized nationally and internationally for humanitarian biomedical research and for its profound contributions to modern medicine. I am honored to work with the organization's visionary scientists and leadership team to accelerate medical discovery toward cures for life-threatening diseases."

Friedman's distinguished career includes top-level appointments with some of the country's most important health care organizations. He spent nearly a decade at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, serving as an associate professor of medicine and eventually becoming interim director of the Cancer Research Institute.

Following this successful tenure in 1983, Friedman moved to the NCI as chief of the Clinical Investigations Branch of the Division of Cancer Treatment and would go on to become associate director of the Division's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program.

He was recruited to serve as FDA deputy commissioner and eventually tapped by President Clinton to serve as acting commissioner of the agency. Friedman is credited with helping to streamline the FDA's approval process and for spearheading the highest level of approvals for products, devices and food ingredients in a four-year period.

Friedman's career also includes the position of senior vice president of Clinical Affairs for Searle/Monsanto and senior vice president for Medical and Public Policy for Pharmacia Corporation.

His vision and leadership have yielded numerous awards, including the 1999 Surgeon General's Medallion, the American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award and the PHS Distinguished Service Medal. Friedman is certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Subspecialty Board of Medical Oncology.

Friedman also serves on the Harvard Medical School Industry Advisory Board and the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Dean's Councils. Past appointments include the board of governors of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, chair of the Education and Progress Committees of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the U.S. coordinator for U.S.-Japan Agreement on Cancer Research (NCI-Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science), among many others.

Friedman received his bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, from Tulane University and his MD from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical. He received postdoctoral training at both Stanford University and the NCI, and has authored more than 150 scientific papers.

For more information, or to contact City of Hope, see their website at: www.cityofhope.org