Governor Doug Ducey has named three new Commissioners to the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission. The new Commissioners are: John Cover, who will represent the medical community; Howard Eng, who will represent the scientific community; and Cosmo Magliozzi who will serve as a public member. The Commissioners guide the work of ABRC by establishing research priorities and identifying key challenges and potential solutions to advancing biomedical research in Arizona.

ABRC has nine positions representing the general public, the medical community, and scientific community and are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. ABRC will now have seven of nine positions filled. Click here for a list of the current commissioners. There will still be two vacancies for scientific members. People interested in serving as a commissioner, can find applications on the Arizona Boards and Commissions website.

ABRC, originally called the Arizona Disease Control Research Commission, was established by the Arizona Legislature and signed into law by Governor Bruce Babbitt in 1994. ABRC was placed under the direction of the Arizona Department of Health Services in 2011.

The new Commissioners will start serving on May 1. I want to thank each of them for their willingness to serve on the Commission. I also want to thank Dr. Peter Kelly who served four and a half years on the Commission. Dr. Kelly’s term is ending at the end of April, and his expertise and dedication to ABRC will be greatly missed.