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LEARN ABOUT >LETTER FROM |
FAREWELL FROM DR. JOSEPH BRAIN - April, 2008 After 10 years of rewarding work with the Francis Family Foundation as the Director of the Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program, I stepped down on March 31, 2008. More than ever, I appreciate the wisdom of this program. It is superbly designed to nurture lung biologists and pulmonary physicians at a critical stage in their development as research scientists. The PBF program is a powerful catalyst that helps diverse talented women and men make the transition to becoming independently funded academic investigators. I am proud to have collaborated with the late John and Mary Harris Francis and with their children who share an extraordinary vision. I thank a wise board of directors of the foundation who provide guidance and I thank exceptional scientific advisors who help improve the review process and help select the best of the best. I also thank Dr. Nancy Long Sieber, who has served as the PBF Fellowship Program Administrator. There is abundant evidence that the PBF Fellowship program has advanced the careers of hundreds of talented lung scientists over the past 3 decades. Each year, 15-18 awards are made – each for 3 years. Men and women from varied backgrounds are carrying out some of the most creative and significant research in the critical areas of preventing, diagnosing, and treating lung disease in infants, children, and adults. I have been amply rewarded by being part of this process. I will never forget and will always prize this opportunity. I leave with the conviction that the PBF fellowship program will continue to thrive. I send my deep thanks and warm wishes to the Francis family. They carry on the legacy of their mother and father and other visionary relatives. I congratulate Dr. Thomas R. Martin, the new director of the program, at the University of Washington and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Martin will work with Deborah Snapp, who will be the PBF Fellowship Program Administrator. This precious gem is in good hands.
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