American Heart Association chairman named to NIH director's Council of Public

American Heart Association
Monday, 8 April 2002

American Heart Association Chairman of the Board Lawrence B. Sadwin has been selected to serve on the National Institutes of Health Director's Council of Public Representatives (COPR), effective immediately. COPR's first meetings for the new term will be held April 15-16.

The up-to-20-member council is a public committee that advises the NIH director on such key health issues as NIH priorities, clinical trials, managed care, privacy, genetics and health disparities. It was created in 1999 following an Institute of Medicine report which suggested NIH should seek greater public input on setting its priorities.

"It's an honor to be selected from such a large, distinguished group of candidates to serve on this council," said Sadwin. "I am committed to advancing the council's role as a key body for exchanging information between the NIH and the public."

He added, "This group has the potential to have a significant impact on how NIH operates and makes decisions across a broad spectrum of activities and programs. I would like the COPR to focus on the public's understanding of the NIH mission and its activities. It is mutually imperative for both the NIH and the public to know each other better. In addition, I would like the COPR to focus on health disparities and access to health care among various populations."

Sadwin, who has been a long-term volunteer for the American Heart Association, brings the passion of personal experience to the NIH council.

"Since I was a young boy, I have lived with the devastating effects of heart disease and stroke through the loss of my grandfather, my father and my stepfather, and, ultimately, through my own experiences with heart disease," he explained. "I have seen how NIH-sponsored research has helped me and others live a fuller life, and how things have dramatically changed since my grandfather's time. I am grateful that there is so much hope for the future."

Sadwin was elected chairman of the board of the American Heart Association in June 2001. Over the last 20 years, he has served the Association as a member on program, administrative, communications and advocacy committees at the local, regional and national levels. He is also a member of the National Leadership Council of Research!America, an organization dedicated to making medical research a higher national priority. He is a member of Mended Hearts, a national support and educational network of heart disease survivors and their families. In his home state of Rhode Island, Sadwin serves as vice chairman of both the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island and the Landmark Health Systems in Woonsocket.

For more information, or to contact American Heart Association, see their website at: www.americanheart.org