LA BioMed Board Chooses
New President & CEO

LOS ANGELES (July 22, 2009) – David I. Meyer, PhD, a prominent research administrator, educator and scientific leader, will become the new president and CEO of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Sept. 1, the Board of Directors announced today.

Dr. Meyer will replace Carole Wagner Vallianos, Esq., who has been serving as president and CEO in an interim capacity since September 2008. Wagner Vallianos, a former chair of the LA BioMed Board of Directors, will rejoin the board as its immediate past chair.

"Dr. Meyer is a dynamic individual with a great track record as a researcher, a teacher and an effective manager," said LA BioMed Board Chairman Scott Somers. "All of us who have had the chance to meet him during our selection process have come away with a sense of excitement about the possibilities and opportunities for LA BioMed to move forward under Dr. Meyer’s leadership."

A Los Angeles native, Dr. Meyer completed his undergraduate and doctoral work at UCLA. After obtaining a PhD in biology, he spent 13 years in Europe as a researcher, instructor and dean of graduate studies. In 1987, he returned to Southern California, where he has played a vital role in the advancement of medical and scientific research for more than two decades.

He was a professor and senior associate dean at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, vice president for research and scientific affairs at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and, most recently, executive vice president for research at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. He also has pursued his own research in biochemistry and cellular biology.

"I am thrilled to be joining a research institute with such a distinguished history and a promising future," said Dr. Meyer. "My goal is to create a research enabling environment that will allow LA Biomed to become highly competitive in the recruitment and retention of outstanding scientists. I look forward to working with the board, the faculty and the staff to continue to strengthen and build the research enterprise and train the scientific leaders of tomorrow."

Wagner Vallianos will continue as president and CEO until Dr. Meyer assumes his new post on Sept. 1.

"Speaking on behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I wish to express our gratitude to Carole for serving as president and CEO this past year," Somers said. "At no small personal sacrifice, she has stepped in to provide stability, continuity and good sense in leading LA BioMed."

About LA BioMed: Founded in 1952, LA BioMed at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is one of the country’s largest nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It conducts biomedical research, trains young scientists and provides community services, including childhood immunization and nutrition assistance. The institute’s researchers conduct studies in such areas as cardiovascular disease, emerging infections, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, dermatology, reproductive health, vaccine development, respiratory disorders, inherited illnesses and neonatology. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. For more information, please visit our website at www.LABioMed.org.