Third UF faculty member appointed to state Biomedical Research Advisory Council

A third University of Florida College of Medicine faculty member recently was appointed to the state advisory council that oversees spending for the Florida Biomedical Research Program.

Dr. Sigurd Normann, a professor in the department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine, was named to the American Cancer Society seat on the Biomedical Research Program’s nine-member advisory panel. As the 1999 president of the cancer society’s Florida division, Normann was instrumental in the program’s creation.

The program is supported by the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund for Health and Human Services, which was created with money the state received when it settled its lawsuit against the tobacco industry. An investment in a biomedical research program was proposed by the Florida divisions of the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association.

On June 8, Gov. Jeb Bush approved the Florida Legislature’s bill to provide a $2 million program start-up budget beginning July 1.

The advisory council sets policy for the biomedical research program, which is designed to support research on the diagnosis and treatment of tobacco-associated diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke and pulmonary disease. The council will advise the secretary of the Florida Department of Health on priorities and budget, as well as submit an annual report outlining program activities and the progress in the treatment of disease related to tobacco use.

UF Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine Dr. Kenneth I. Berns, who serves as the council’s interim chair, was one of six members appointed by the governor. Dr. Edward R. Block, a professor of medicine and associate chief of staff for research at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville, was appointed by the American Lung Association. The ninth member was selected by the heart association.