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New VP of Research at Solve ME/CFS Initiative

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
He sounds like exactly the kind of guy they need... assuming he can get a real grasp of the illness having never (as far as I can tell) seen an ME/CFS/SEID patient.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Well, he's got a spectacular CV! He sounds as though he's someone we're very lucky to have.

He's a PhD, not an MD so won't have seen any patients clinically but I'm sure they'll be putting him in front of patients. Carol Head (the new CEO) is herself an ME patient (I believe she's in substantial remission).
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Well, he's got a spectacular CV! He sounds as though he's someone we're very lucky to have.
Yes, indeed! :thumbsup:

He's a PhD, not an MD so won't have seen any patients clinically but I'm sure they'll be putting him in front of patients.
As long as he really "sees" us and truly understands both the illness and how drastically affects our lives, I'll be happy. :D

If he thinks we can all function like Carol Head, though, all bets are off.
 

Simon

Senior Member
Messages
3,789
Location
Monmouth, UK
Frig, talk about a dream candidate:

  • Dr. Nahle has a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. He Nahle also completed post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard and Stony Brook.
  • Dr. Nahle has published more than 22 interdisciplinary research papers in prestigious journals, including Nature, Nature Cell Biology, the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Oncogene. His PhD thesis focused on studying the molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death and genomic instability using unbiased, high throughput technologies. This work used a range of innovative methodologies and large-scale bioinformatics; the discoveries remain highly cited in the fields of molecular biology and genetics.
  • He is cofounder of a charitable organization, Ibrak Partners, which has branches in the United States and Kenya and works to improve policies and provide services for children with physical disabilities in poor and neglected areas.
Kenneth Feinberg, who ...taught Dr. Nahle Alternative Dispute Resolution at Harvard Law School, agrees. “In a Harvard class of exceptional students, Zaher stood out as the finest student,”“His ability to synthesize and articulate complex concepts is extraordinary.”

The only thing missing from his CV is PR's highest honour, and I'd like to rectify that now:
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 

user9876

Senior Member
Messages
4,556
Frig, talk about a dream candidate:

  • Dr. Nahle has a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. He Nahle also completed post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard and Stony Brook.
  • Dr. Nahle has published more than 22 interdisciplinary research papers in prestigious journals, including Nature, Nature Cell Biology, the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Oncogene. His PhD thesis focused on studying the molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death and genomic instability using unbiased, high throughput technologies. This work used a range of innovative methodologies and large-scale bioinformatics; the discoveries remain highly cited in the fields of molecular biology and genetics.
  • He is cofounder of a charitable organization, Ibrak Partners, which has branches in the United States and Kenya and works to improve policies and provide services for children with physical disabilities in poor and neglected areas.
Kenneth Feinberg, who ...taught Dr. Nahle Alternative Dispute Resolution at Harvard Law School, agrees. “In a Harvard class of exceptional students, Zaher stood out as the finest student,”“His ability to synthesize and articulate complex concepts is extraordinary.”

The only thing missing from his CV is PR's highest honour, and I'd like to rectify that now:
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I think I'm paranoid but with good people I always think but if they are that good why take the job. His CV does look good both in terms of the medical side but the business side is also potentially a good thing as he may know how to talk with drug companies etc about developing products.

What of course would be really good is if we could get him to join PR as a way of interacting with patients and perhaps filling that gap in his knowledge.
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
The Solve ME/CFS Initiative is pleased to announce the appointment of Zaher Nahle, PhD, MPA, as its Vice President for Research and Scientific Programs, effective June 29. Dr. Nahle has a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Stony Brook University and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Nahle also completed post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard and Stony Brook

Jeez, the guy's a slacker.

Seriously, he sounds like a fantastic choice. Interesting how many impressive people from very different fields, not all of them essentially medical, are now getting drawn to the study of autoimmune disorders. I think someone here on PR who was at the IiME conference reported a feeling of real excitement growing around this kind of disease, a sense that this is the area to be in now, and a view of ME as an important gateway to some of the major emerging fields of biological science (and perhaps to an understanding of worrying emerging trends in human health itself).

I honestly think that in the next few years all the psychogenic/somatization claptrap is going to get blown into oblivion.
 
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sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
I think I'm paranoid but with good people I always think but if they are that good why take the job

Always good to be skeptical, but I do think that when you see people like James Dewey Watson (ok sort of cv) joining the advisory board of OMF's End ME/CFS Project rather than, say, going fishing, it does suggest that high calibre scientists are starting to see me/cfs as a genuinely fascinating area. Thank heavens.
 
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Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
I think I'm paranoid but with good people I always think but if they are that good why take the job.
Yes, with a CV like that, the question did cross my mind "why isn't he leading his own dynamic department at Harvard or some other elite academic institution?"

But anyway, casting aside my uninformed and ignorant cynicism, let's hope he can get the research dollars flowing, nurture research collaboration networks, inspire new blood into the field, seed research initiatives with huge potential, and help develop large-scale cutting-edge research initiatives. Not a small task really.

Solve ME/CFS seem to have got their house in order over the past year or two and are doing great work now. They have the potential to grow to be a major force, along the lines of cancer research non-profit organisations. Looking forward to watching them grow.
 
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Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
lol, the highest honour is cake? :) (You're very easy to please then, sasha!) :)

:cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake:

Alas, I can't eat it, only look at it...

Yes, I also found myself scanning this poor guy's CV to see what was wrong with it, which is an indication of what our history has been! I'm very grateful he's chosen us. Ron Davis recently said that this disease is a career-maker, for those with the intelligence to see it. Perhaps Dr Nahle can see it!
 

catly

Senior Member
Messages
284
Location
outside of NYC
I think this is great news and a wonderful addition to our scientific community, which seems to be slowly growing and strengthening now with Ron Davis and the End MECFS, the Stanford group with Montoya and Mark Davis, and Lipkin/Hornig at Columbia. Then there are a bunch of others in the US and across the globe.

Perhaps MECFS is catching on as the next great scientific challenge?

It sure would be nice to add another 20 or so researchers of this caliper in the next few years.

I hope all these groups hit up NIH for grants--after all they keep saying the reason for the low funding is the lack of grant applications. And with congress approving to add billions to the NIH budget along with the recent IOM and P2P reports it seems the time is now to start doing some meaningful research to solve this disease!
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
Gosh, we have become a bunch of battle-hardened skeptics.

I'm going to go with Sarah's and Sasha's take:
Seriously, he sounds like a fantastic choice. Interesting how many impressive people from very different fields, not all of them essentially medical, are now getting drawn to the study of autoimmune disorders. I think someone here on PR who was at the IiME conference reported a feeling of real excitement growing around this kind of disease, a sense that this is the area to be in now, and a view of ME as an important gateway to some of the major emerging fields of biological science (and perhaps to an understanding of worrying emerging trends in human health itself).
I'm very grateful he's chosen us. Ron Davis recently said that this disease is a career-maker, for those with the intelligence to see it. Perhaps Dr Nahle can see it!
 
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SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
I think I'm paranoid but with good people I always think but if they are that good why take the job
I think we're all a paranoid with our history of abuse, but I believe Dr Nahle has good reasons to hitch his wagon to ME/CFS/SEID.
Ron Davis recently said that this disease is a career-maker, for those with the intelligence to see it. Perhaps Dr Nahle can see it!
And I think this is the major reason. Soon ME/CFS is going to be fully understood to be the field where medical researchers can make a name for themselves big time. It's a very serious illness with huge personal and social consequences and there's practically no decent research. It's the pot at the end of the rainbow for ambitious medical researchers and policy-makers. They are finally starting to see that thanks to the XMRV issue, the Lipkin/Hornig work, and the IOM report.

Add to that the fact that Dr Nahle has a service mentality and an interest in serving under-served populations and we must look like, well, :cake::cake::cake: to him. :p