WASHINGTON – FasterCures will bestow its first-ever Partner of the Year award upon Francis Collins for his commitment to expanding medical innovation, his demonstrated belief in the benefits of collaboration and his tireless work on behalf of patients throughout his career. Since 2009, Collins has served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he leads efforts to advance science and find solutions for patients.
Michael Milken, chairman of FasterCures, said, “Francis embraces the goal that has always driven FasterCures: extended and enhanced patient lives. His work over decades has accelerated the pace of research and given greater hope to all who face life-threatening diseases.”
Collins has been an advocate and catalyst for research throughout his career. He is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes (including cystic fibrosis, Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome and many others) and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. This year, under his leadership, the NIH is driving major components of the Precision Medicine Initiative® (PMI), including the All of Us Research Program, a landmark, longitudinal research study of at least 1 million U.S. volunteers to expand scientists’ understanding of ways to improve health and treat disease.
The award will be given during a dinner on Monday, Nov. 14 that will cap the first day of FasterCures’ annual conference, Partnering for Cures, which celebrates the power of collaboration, innovation and the patient to advance progress toward better treatments and cures.
“It is fitting that we are honoring Francis Collins with the first Partner of the Year award during Partnering for Cures. No one better embodies the power of collaboration in service to patients,” said Margaret Anderson, executive director of FasterCures. “He is a tenacious advocate for science and is driven by problem-solving for patients. It has been a privilege to be able to work with him over these past few years.”
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About Partnering for Cures
Partnering for Cures, Nov. 13-15 at the Grand Hyatt New York, connects hundreds of decision-makers from across diseases who are motivated by the same mission: to reduce the time and cost of getting new therapies from discovery to patients. The program – featuring interactive discussions, hands-on problem-solving and meaningful collaborations – is designed to explore creative, patient-centered solutions and to help attendees develop partnerships that will make a difference for patients. www.partneringforcures.org | #FCP4C
About FasterCures
FasterCures, a DC-based center of the Milken Institute, is driven by a singular goal – to save lives by speeding up and improving the medical research system. It focuses on cutting through the roadblocks that slow medical progress by spurring cross-sector collaboration, cultivating a culture of innovation and engaging patients as partners. FasterCures works across sectors and diseases to accelerate the process by which great advances in science and technology are turned into meaningful medical solutions for patients. www.fastercures.org | @fastercures
Contact
Anne Schroeder | Media Advisor, Milken Institute | [email protected]