ZACH HALL APPOINTED PERMANENT PRESIDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

SACRAMENTO, CA – The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC) for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) announced today that it has appointed Zach Hall, Ph.D. as permanent President of the CIRM, following an extensive search.

“Dr. Hall brings institutional knowledge and vision for the future of the institute,” said Robert Klein, chairman of the ICOC. “After searching the country to find the best person for this very important job, we realized that he is right here. Dr. Hall’s leadership as Interim President has been tremendous and I, along with the board, are delighted that he has agreed to accept this position.”

When Dr. Hall joined the CIRM in March 2005, he brought a distinguished background in academic and scientific leadership—including past positions as Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Executive Vice Chancellor of University of California, San Francisco, and, most recently, Director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and Senior Associate Dean at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. During the six months that he has served as Interim President of CIRM, Dr. Hall has led scientific and administrative planning, has worked with the ICOC to establish CIRM policies, and has begun to build a scientific and administrative team through hires of key personnel.

“Stem cell research is one of the frontiers of modern biomedical science and the CIRM will help American science take the lead in this area. The opportunity for me to continue as President in this exciting program is simply too important to forego.” said Dr. Hall. “We must build our scientific enterprise so that we may contribute to the ongoing discoveries leading to therapies that are occurring world-wide.”

Under Dr. Hall’s leadership, the Institute has achieved several of its goals, such as issuing awards for a CIRM Training Program in Stem Cell Research; planning the new headquarters in San Francisco and the formation of working groups to evaluate grant applications and to establish the highest scientific and ethical standards in stem cell research.

About CIRM

Governed by the ICOC, the CIRM was established in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was approved by California voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities. For more information, please visit: www.cirm.ca.gov.

 

CIRM Contact:	Nicole Pagano
	(415) 396-9100