New members appointed to MRC Council
27 June 2012
Three new members have been appointed to the Medical Research Council (MRC) Council by the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts. Dr Ruth McKernan, Senior Vice-President and Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer Neusentis, and Dr Menelas Pangalos, Executive Vice President of Innovative Medicines at AstraZeneca have been appointed as industry representatives, and Baroness Onora O’Neill, member of the House of Lords, has been appointed as an expert lay member.
All three will serve initial terms from 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2016.
Six current members of the MRC Council have been reappointed. These are as follows:
§ Professor Jeffrey Almond (for two years to 30 September 2014)
§ Professor Michael Arthur (for two years to 30 September 2014)
§ Dr Richard Henderson (for two years to 30 September 2014)
§ Professor Dame Sally Macintyre (for four years to 30 September 2016)
§ Mrs Vivienne Parry (for four years to 31 March 2016)
§ Professor Michael Schneider (for four years to 30 September 2016)
The new members replace Dr Annette Doherty and Lord Patel whose terms will end on 30 September.
The MRC strives to improve human health and quality of life by supporting world class medical research. It is governed by its Council, which directs and oversees corporate policy, ensures effective management, and makes major policy and spending decisions.
Sir John Chisholm, Chairman of the MRC, said: “I am delighted to welcome Dr McKernan, Dr Pangalos and Baroness O’Neill to the Council. They are excellent appointments and I am certain that they will have a valuable and constructive input. I am also pleased that six of our members have agreed to extend their terms on Council. Dedicated Council members are vital to drive the MRC’s mission to tackle the major health challenges.”
The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. None of the new members holds any other ministerial public appointment.
All appointments to the Medical Research Council are made on merit, and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. None of the new members has declared any political activity.
Each member will receive remuneration of £6,850 per year for the appointment.
Biographies
Dr Ruth McKernan
Dr Ruth McKernan is Senior Vice-President of Pfizer and CSO of their newly formed Research Unit, Neusentis, having established the Research Unit from scratch in six months. Dr McKernan was previously Head of the Pfizer site at Sandwich and has worked in the Pharma Industry in the UK and US for 20 years. Dr McKernan is also Professor of Neuroscience at Kings College, University of London. She is on the Advisory Board of several Biotech companies, a member of the American Societies for Neuroscience, the British Pharmacological Society, and is an award winning science writer.
Dr Menelas Pangalos
Dr Mene Pangalos has been Executive Vice-President of Innovative Medicines at AstraZeneca since 2010, having previously held the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Neuroscience Research at Pfizer and Senior Vice President of Research at Wyeth. Dr Pangalos is a Visiting Professor of Neuroscience at King’s College London’s Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases. Dr Pangalos is on the Innovation Board for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the Enhancing Value Task Force for CIHE-UK, the Board of the British Pharmaceutical Group and on the Research Champion Group for Dementia. He is also a member of the Society for Biology, the American Society of Neuroscience, British Pharmacology Society and Association for the Advancement of Science and Associate of the Royal College of Science.
Baroness Onora O’Neill
Baroness Onora O’Neill has been a member of the House of Lords since 1999. She has served on numerous select committees, including the recent Science and Technology Committees on stem cell research, genomic medicine, nanosciences and food, and behavioural change, and the BBC charter review. Baroness O’Neill is also Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Political Philosophy at Cambridge University and is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Notably, she has held previous positions as a Fellow and president of the British Academy, an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society and principal of Newnham College, Cambridge. Baroness O’Neill is also a former member and chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and former chair of the Nuffield Foundation.
