President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2010) -- Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues:

Lonnie Ali, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Anita L. Allen, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Barbara Atkinson, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Nita A. Farahany, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Alexander G. Garza, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Christine Grady, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Stephen L. Hauser, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Raju Kucherlapati, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Nelson Michael, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Daniel Sulmasy, Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

The Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues will advise the President on bioethical issues that may emerge from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology. It will work with the goal of identifying and promoting policies and practices that ensure scientific research, health care delivery, and technological innovation are conducted in an ethically responsible manner. These candidates will join the current Chair, Amy Gutmann, and Vice-Chair, James Wagner, as Members on the Commission.

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have decided to dedicate their talent and experience to this important Commission. I look forward to their recommendations in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key administration posts:

Lonnie Ali, Appointee for Member, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues Lonnie Ali is the wife of Muhammad Ali and has been an outspoken advocate working to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease as well as increase funding for research. In December of 2009, she and her husband opened the Lonnie and Muhammad Ali Pavilion which houses the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center on the campus of Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. The Center’s mission is to provide excellence in treatment, research, and education for patients and families affected by Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. She also helped found the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky in 2005, where she serves on the Board of Directors. In 1992, Mrs. Ali formed the Greatest of All Time, Inc. (G.O.A.T.) to manage the licensing and business of her husband’s intellectual properties and personal appearances. She served as G.O.A.T.’s Vice President and Treasurer until 2006 when the company was sold and renamed to Muhammad Ali Enterprises. Mrs. Ali remains on the board of Muhammad Ali Enterprises. Mrs. Ali has also served on the Board of Directors for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. She currently serves on the Michael J. Fox Foundation Founder’s Council and the Emory Neurosciences Community Advisory Board. Mrs. Ali holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from U.C.L.A.’s Anderson School of Management.