NDRI Announces New President

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Leinweber as President effective September 17, 2012.

Leinweber comes to NDRI in Philadelphia with over 25 years of experience in leadership positions advocating for the advancement of medical and health research, as well as public health. He previously served as the Executive Vice President of Research!America, a national alliance based in Alexandria, VA, dedicated to making medical and health research a higher national priority. Prior to Research!America, Leinweber served as the Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), as well as several leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels of the American Heart Association, and a member of the founding management team of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of NDRI, I want to share our strong enthusiasm and support for Bill Leinweber as the President of NDRI," said Meenhard Herlyn, DVM, DSc, Chair of the NDRI Board of Directors and Professor and Leader of the Program of Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. "Bill's experience and skills will be great assets to the continued growth and success of NDRI."

Lee Ducat, founder of NDRI, has served as the organization's President for thirty-two years and will remain a member of the NDRI Board of Directors. Ducat will continue to serve the Philadelphia community and will work to advance the use of human tissue in biomedical research internationally.

"Lee Ducat took a vision and translated it into a reality with NDRI," says Bill Leinweber, new President of NDRI. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build on Lee's vision of helping make research happen through the procurement, preservation and distribution of human cells, tissues and organs to scientists across the globe. As NDRI remains on the cutting edge of research and the lead organization of human tissue research, it will continue to serve scientists in hopes of affecting advances in the treatment and cure of human diseases."

About NDRI, The National Disease Research Interchange:
NDRI, The National Disease Research Interchange, is a non-profit, funded by the National Institutes of Health, pharmaceutical companies, foundations and the general public, founded in 1980 to provide donated human pancreas tissues for diabetes research studies.  The organization broadened its focus, by obtaining human tissue samples of all kinds sent to the nation's best researchers in hopes of effecting advances and discoveries.  NDRI works to help translational advances in almost every disease. By providing human cells, tissues and organs to researchers and scientists, NDRI works on the cutting edge of disease research. For more information, please visit www.ndriresource.org.

Media contact:
Kaitlyn McCrea, Cashman & Associates
215.627.1060 (o), 215.514.6495 (m)
[email protected]

SOURCE National Disease Research Interchange