Maria Freire
Encyclopedia
Maria C. Freire, Ph.D., is President of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
, and is a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health
.
from 2001 to 2007.
Dr. Freire directed the Office of Technology Transfer at the National Institutes of Health from 1995 to 2001, where she oversaw the transfer of federally funded technology from the not-for-profit sector to the for-profit sector and ensured continuing availability of technology as to not limit basic research or encumber future products for public benefit. Prior to that, Dr. Freire established and headed the Office of Technology Development at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Dr. Freire was made a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
in 2009.
In 2008, Dr. Freire was elected to the Institute of Medicine
. She also served as a member of the Commission of Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health of the World Health Organization
and on the International Advisory Committee for the Instituto Carso de la Salud.
, Peru
, Dr. Freire trained at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. She received a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Virginia
and completed post-graduate work in immunology and virology at the University of Virginia and at the University of Tennessee
, respectively. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship as well as two AAAS Congressional Science Fellowships, sponsored by the Biophysical Society
and the American Society for Photobiology
.
Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary...
, and is a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
.
Career
Prior to her appointment to the Lasker Foundation, Dr. Freire served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Global Alliance for TB Drug DevelopmentTB Alliance
The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development is a non-profit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of new, faster-acting and affordable tuberculosis medicines....
from 2001 to 2007.
Dr. Freire directed the Office of Technology Transfer at the National Institutes of Health from 1995 to 2001, where she oversaw the transfer of federally funded technology from the not-for-profit sector to the for-profit sector and ensured continuing availability of technology as to not limit basic research or encumber future products for public benefit. Prior to that, Dr. Freire established and headed the Office of Technology Development at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...
and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Dr. Freire was made a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
in 2009.
In 2008, Dr. Freire was elected to the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
. She also served as a member of the Commission of Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
and on the International Advisory Committee for the Instituto Carso de la Salud.
Education
A native of LimaLima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Dr. Freire trained at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. She received a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and completed post-graduate work in immunology and virology at the University of Virginia and at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, respectively. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship as well as two AAAS Congressional Science Fellowships, sponsored by the Biophysical Society
Biophysical Society
The Biophysical Society is an organization consisting of over 9,000 researchers in academia, government, and industry. Based in the USA, its international membership has grown to about 1/3 of the total. Founded in 1957 by Ernest C...
and the American Society for Photobiology
American Society for Photobiology
The American Society for Photobiology is a scientific society for the promotion of research in photobiology, integration of different photobiology disciplines, dissemination of photobiology knowledge, and provides information on photobiological aspects of national and international...
.