The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research’s (MJFF) CEO, Todd Sherer, PhD has been selected to sit on The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Advisory Council, providing guidance and recommendations to overcome scientific and systemic barriers that slow the progress of research discoveries on the translational path toward practical patient relevance.

NCATS is the first National Institutes of Health institution dedicated to proactively driving translational research through the identification and advancement of innovative drug development, testing and diagnostic tools across all fields of human diseases.

Todd testified before Congress last spring on the importance of NCATS funding and lessons learned from MJFF’s model to speed translation. “Streamlining the drug discovery process from the lab to the pharmacy shelf has been a key focus of our Foundation since inception,” Todd Sherer said. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to gain insight into other diseases while applying learnings from our experience in Parkinson’s — all to help propel the drug development pipeline forward for the benefit of every American.”

Today marks the NCATS Advisory Council inaugural meeting, which will meet three times a year starting in 2013. Todd Sherer joins the company of Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Health and Human Services secretary, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, National Institutes of Health director, and Thomas R. Insel, MD NCATS acting director and many other prominent members to the Council and NCATS infrastructure.

You can watch future Advisory Council meetings via videocast and keep up to date on all of NCATS’ initiatives by visiting the NCATS’ Web site.

To read more about Todd Sherer’s seat on the Advisory Council and the work being down to bring a cure home faster, please visit www.michaeljfox.org