State Controller Chiang: Lubin Fills Children's Health Need on CIRM Board

Earlier today, the California Stem Cell Report asked the office of state Controller John Chiang to comment concerning the appointment of Bert Lubin to the CIRM governing board. Here is what Hallye Jordan, Chiang's spokesperson, sent.

"Controller Chiang was thrilled to appoint Dr. Bert Lubin for the position reserved for a California nonprofit academic and research institute because he is supremely qualified.

"Currently, there is no children's health representative on the ICOC(the stem cell agency's governing board), and Dr. Lubin fills this important gap. He has focused his career on health issues in minority communities, and is known for his research into sickle cell anemia.

"From the CHORI (which he founded) website: 'Under Dr. Lubin's leadership, basic, clinical and translational research activities expanded, and he transformed a small research program into a $50 million-a-year enterprise called Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. In 2008, CHORI ranked sixth in the nation for National Institutes of Health awards to children's hospitals.

"'CHORI investigators have organized programs in global health, cellular therapy, and personalized medicine. Grant support has increased 100-fold under Dr. Lubin's leadership due to the outstanding investigators he has recruited and supported.'

"Dr. Lubin was the unanimous choice of the Children's Hospital Association, and both Art Torres and Bob Klein were enthusiastic about his potential nomination.

"I've attached a letter of support that cites his 'long-standing interest in stem cells, basic research, clinical applications and technology transfer,' his interest 'in training young investigators interested in stem cell research,' and his worldwide recognition 'for the work he has done establishing the value of sibling stem cell cord blood banking.'"

Jordan additionally said, "Also, at the time we started our search, Salk was represented on the board so we were looking for new institutions."

You can find the letter of support here. It was written last October by Diana Dooley, now a member of California governor Jerry Brown's cabinet as secretary of the $83 billion state Health and Human Services Agency. At the time she wrote the letter, Dooley was president of the Children's Hospital Association.