Stem Cell Board Members Lubin and Sheehy Honored

A couple of members of the governing board of the $3 billion California stem cell agency were honored for their work this month.

Jeff Sheehy
UCSF Photo

One is Jeff Sheehy, a UCSF communications manager and nationally known HIV/AIDS advocate, who has served on the CIRM board since its inception. He was named by POZ magazine as one of the top 100 “soldiers” in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

CIRM's Amy Adams filed an item on Sheehy on the agency's blog yesterday. She said, 

“Jeff once told me that when he joined CIRM’s board eight years ago, he didn’t see a role for stem cells in an HIV/AIDS treatment. Now, CIRM has committed $40 million toward HIV/AIDS projects and two teams of researchers from City of Hope and UCLA are working toward clinical trials.”

Sheehy was also invited to the White House to commemorate World AIDs day Dec. 1.

Bert Lubin
Childrens Hospital Photo

Also honored was Bert Lubin, CEO of Childrens Hospital in Oakland, where he has worked since 1973, a remarkable achievement in today's world of transitory employment. The San Francisco Business Times named Lubin as the “most admiredCEO” in the San Francisco Bay Area. The newspaper said that since he took charge at Childrens in 2009,

“He recruited a new senior management team, chopped away at the pediatric hospital’s operating deficit and worked to heal relationships with the local community and governmental and political leaders that were deeply frayed...”

On a personal note, a friend who has long volunteered at Childrens gives him high marks as well, citing several encounters where he exceeded the usual CEO effort.