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LAS VEGAS, NV–(MARKET WIRE)–Feb 15, 2007 – The Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board (NEDAB) welcomes Emil Frei, M.D. to Nevada and endorses the inaugural Dr. Emil Frei III Symposium, to be held March 2 and 3 in Las Vegas. The symposium, a Certified Continuing Medical Education Program, will provide training for community-based medical oncologists, hematologists, fellows, primary care physicians and internists, based on the latest research regarding leukemias and lymphomas.
Dr. Frei will be honored for his lifetime of achievement in the field of medicine at the opening reception on Friday evening, at which several of these awards will be presented. The Dr. Emil Frei III Symposium may prove a watershed in Nevada’s growth, both from a medical as well as a general business perspective. The symposium comes at a time when the state is debating major funding for a health initiative that is unlike what is found in most other states. Currently in Nevada, as in most other states, the various medical programs offered by the state’s colleges, community colleges, and universities are not linked to one another. This leads to a “silo effect” in which institutions are unaware what is going on outside their own immediate environment. They also compete against one another for staff, space, and funding. Dr. Frei believes that an integrated university-based system fosters innovation by combining fundamental scientific research with clinical practice. “You need a cluster of physician scientists and basic scientists who will interact with each other to provide the necessary depth and breadth to be at the forefront of a given disease,” he said. Nevada university system Chancellor Jim Rogers hopes to change all that by creating an integrated Health Sciences System unifying the various programs offered around the state. Governor Jim Gibbons has already pledged $110 million towards construction costs, but operating costs are still a giant question mark. As Rogers told the Las Vegas Sun in a January 26 interview, “There is no sense building a building if we can’t put people in it.” Dr. Frei supports Rogers’ belief that this approach will help produce more doctors and nurses, expand and enrich community outreach and education programs, improve research and ultimately improve patient care. This is especially important in a state that already suffers from one of the worst doctor/patient ratios in the U.S. According to the Department of Health & Human Services, Nevada ranks 45th in terms of number of physicians per capita, 48th for dentists and 49th for registered nurses. This dismal ratio affects not only citizens, but also businesses, both those resident in the state and those considering coming here. Dr. Frei sees the Health Science System as critical to Nevada’s economic development. Besides the major economic impact of the system itself, a better health care system makes Nevada more competitive for population growth and corporate growth and helps to create a more productive workforce. It also keeps patient care dollars within the state. The legislature is debating an initial amount of nearly $200 million, but its support for any amount will be based in part on private contributions and public demand to support the effort. This is where Dr. Frei’s Symposium may be a catalyst, by helping raise awareness of the need and both public and private support of the initiative. Dr. Frei is very familiar with the challenges of funding and growing health care institutions, having been instrumental in obtaining both private and public funding for operating expenses at M. D. Anderson and for major new facility construction at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Frei is also in strong support of the new Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (LRBI), which broke ground February 9 on its new outpatient treatment and clinical research institute. The institute will focus on the research and treatment of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and memory disorders. “Living with Parkinson’s disease myself, I have a strong personal interest in the innovative work being done at LRBI,” said Frei. “I am committed to working with Rogers, Ruvo, and the leaders of other Nevada organizations to help bring world-class medical personnel to Nevada.” Dr. Frei is also working with NEDAB as chair of the Life Sciences Screening Committee. In this role, he is helping to identify and screen companies in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and related industries that are qualified for, and could benefit from, participation in the capital markets. Dr. James Eells, an internist practicing in Las Vegas for more than 15 years, is assisting him in this effort. “NEDAB is pleased to welcome Dr. Frei to Nevada and to endorse this symposium,” said Mark Daigle, CEO of Colonial Bank’s Nevada Region and Co-chair of NEDAB. “We hope to help bring more events like this to our state as we support the growth of a burgeoning life sciences industry in Nevada.” For more information or to register for the symposium or the opening reception, please visit http://www.DrEmilFreiIIISymposium.com or contact Christina Goodman at (702) 436-4220, x102 or via email at Christina.Goodman@lls.org. About Emil Frei III, M.D. Dr. Emil Frei III is one of the world’s leading oncologists, a pioneer of chemotherapy and a leader in medical research, clinical practice and education. His distinguished career includes 40 years in top leadership positions. He served as Chief of Medicine at National Cancer Institute, Associate Scientific Director at M.D. Anderson, and Director and Physician-in-Chief at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (formerly Sidney Farber Cancer Institute). He continues as Physician-in-Chief, Emeritus, at Dana-Farber. He has been a major contributor to the successful application of chemotherapy, particularly the use of chemotherapeutic agents in combination for acute leukemia in children and in Hodgkin’s disease and chemotherapy following surgical removal of the primary tumor in patients with the more common tumors including breast cancer and osteosarcoma. He produced major therapeutic advances in head and neck cancers. He has been particularly effective in applying the sciences of pharmacology, toxicology, clinical trial design and cytokinetics. Tens of thousands of patients have been cured by these treatments. His contributions have been acknowledged by numerous awards including the Albert Lasker Award, the Kettering Prize from the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation and most recently the Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Frei’s career in medicine began in 1948 after participating in the country’s V-12 program of the Navy. He served in both WW II and the Korean War as a general physician including time on the battlefield. He then served at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the National Cancer Institute division as Chief of Medicine and was principal investigator in the leukemia research program. He developed a reputation as a great institutional leader, particularly for his ability to secure funding and manage growing organizations. At M.D. Anderson in the late 1960s, he was instrumental in obtaining $1 million a year in operating funds from NIH for the development of cancer research programs. At the Farber Cancer Institute in the 1970s, he helped obtain a gift of $7 million from Charles A. Dana as seed money for partial construction of the institute’s new permanent facility, and with the help of Massachusetts Senator Edward W. Brooke III, he was able to obtain the additional $10 million from NIH to complete construction. He has been an industry leader, serving as past president of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) clinical research group. He has also served on the advisory or director boards of numerous companies and non-profit organizations, including Adherex Technologies, Angstrom, CaP Cure, Celator Pharmaceuticals, DIAD Research, Immunogen, Vion Pharmaceuticals, Aid for Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, Journal of Clinical Oncology and the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Frei has been a leader in medical education, serving as Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas from 1965-1972 and at Harvard Medical School from 1972-1996. He holds the chair of the Richard and Susan Smith Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Harvard, established through a $3 million gift from philanthropists Michael Milken, Marvin Davis and Edward Bennett Williams to fund oncology research. He has directed the education of over 300 oncologists, many of whom have become today’s top leaders and researchers, and has lectured to thousands. Together with Dr. James Holland, Dr. Frei co-authored the first text in medical oncology, “Cancer Medicine,” the seventh edition of which is primary standard text of the field. Dr. Frei has made Las Vegas his home with his family since 2004 and already has close ties to the community. He serves on the chapter board of the Southern Nevada Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He also previously worked with current Nevada Cancer Institute Director Nicholas Vogelzang, M.D., on the CALGB clinical research group, of which Dr. Frei was Chairman at the time. Dr. Frei also chairs the Life Sciences Screening Committee for the Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board (NEDAB). He lives next door to his stepson and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Kathryn Brock, and their four children. Kathryn Brock was born and raised in Las Vegas and her grandfather, Frank Scott, was one of the first economic development visionaries for the city. Stephen Brock is founder and CEO of Public Company Management Corporation and former President of the Nevada Business Journal. Retired from full-time practice, Dr. Frei now lectures, writes and offers consulting services in areas including grant applications and reviews, clinical trials, industry collaboration and management advice. For more information, visit http://www.Emil-Frei-III-MD.org. About Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board (NEDAB) Activities of NEDAB include:
NEDAB is in the process of expanding to its target of 10 members. Current members include:
Advisors to NEDAB include:
NEDAB is a program of Public Company Management Corporation (PCMC), which is publicly traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “PUBC” (OTC BB:PUBC.OB - News). For more information about NEDAB visit http://www.Nevada-EDAB.com. For more information about PCMC visit http://www.PublicCompanyManagement.com. Safe Harbor Contact: |
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