FasterCures Names Margaret Anderson Executive Director

WASHINGTON (December 15, 2009) – FasterCures, an organization committed to saving lives by saving time in the research, discovery and development of new medical solutions, today announced the appointment of Margaret Anderson as its Executive Director. Anderson will lead the organization, defining its strategic priorities and positions on key issues, developing its programmatic portfolio, and managing its operations.

Prior to her appointment as Executive Director, Anderson was FasterCures’ COO for five years. Since its inception in 2003, FasterCures, the Washington-based center of the Milken Institute, has worked independently and with partners to break down the barriers that exist across the research continuum—from basic research to drug development—to clear the path to faster medical progress. These include the following programs: the Philanthropy Advisory Service, an online information marketplace designed to make philanthropic investment in medical research more effective and productive; “TRAIN” (The Redstone Acceleration and Innovation Network), established to create opportunities for medical research innovators to discuss and tackle the challenges that cut across diseases; and PHD (Patients Helping Doctors), an effort aimed to empower patients to contribute to medical research.

“Margaret has been a steady and inspirational leadership force at FasterCures for years," said Michael Klowden, President and CEO of the Milken Institute. "She's been instrumental in developing and implementing strategies that set the organization apart. And she has the unique combination of knowledge, leadership abilities and enthusiasm it takes to energize the biomedical research community.

"The FasterCures mission is to facilitate a medical research culture that encourages innovation and collaboration, operates efficiently and transparently, and - most importantly - gets results. Margaret has proven herself to be the right person to get this done in her new leadership position," added Klowden.

Most recently, FasterCures convened the inaugural Partnering for Cures meeting in New York City, the first‐of‐its‐kind effort that brought together philanthropy, medical research foundations, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in an effort to forge strategic collaborations needed to expedite the search for cures.