Mayo Clinic Physician Appointed to the Florida Biomedical Research Advisory Council

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Senate President Jeff Atwater (R–Palm Beach) has appointed Mayo Clinic physician Edith Perez, M.D., to the Florida Biomedical Research Advisory Council.

The Biomedical Research Advisory Council is an eleven member board charged with developing strategic objectives for Florida's state-funded research programs, including the James and Esther King grant fund for smoking related illness and the Bankhead-Coley cancer grant fund. The Council recommends to the Surgeon General which grant proposals should be funded, based on scientific merit as determined by open, competitive peer review. The Legislature recently expanded state-funded research efforts with $50 million from the tobacco surcharge.

"It is an honor to work with my colleagues from across Florida to advance biomedical research," Dr. Perez says. "The legislature has made a significant investment in research and as scientists we have an obligation to help ensure that the most promising investigations are funded."

Dr. Perez, an internationally recognized researcher, specializes in the treatment and management of breast cancer. She is the director of Mayo Clinic's breast center in Florida and leads multiple clinical trial initiatives, including a global study with more than 8,000 participants in 50 countries. Dr. Perez is an active member of committees with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association of Cancer Research and the National Institutes of Health, and serves as a scientific advisor to the National Cancer Institute.

Visit the Biomedical Research Advisory Council for more information.

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