For Immediate Release:

Monday, October 17, 2005

 

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Launches Science Advisory Board  

 

Renowned Scientists Arthur L. Frank, M.D., Ph.D. and Richard A. Lemen, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. to Serve as Co-Chairs

 

Redondo Beach, CA … October 17, 2005 --- The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) today announced its Science Advisory Board, to be chaired by distinguished scientists Arthur L. Frank, M.D., Ph.D.  and Richard A. Lemen, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. The ADAO Science Advisory Board will establish the strategic perspective for identifying asbestos-disease medical criteria and raise increased awareness on the dangers of asbestos exposure and the need for expanded research and treatment.

Co-Chair Dr. Frank, serves as Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia. Trained in both occupational medicine and internal medicine, Dr. Frank has been interested in the health hazards of asbestos for more than 35 years.  He has published extensively on the hazards of asbestos, and clinically cared for asbestos effected patients. He has lectured internationally about the problems of asbestos, and worked in many settings looking at the diseases caused by this material.    

 

Co-Chair Dr. Lemen is a former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States and also served as the Acting Director and the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health before his retirement. He has been a practicing epidemiologist for more than thirty years and has taught graduate level classes on environmental and occupational health issues, including asbestos, at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.  He has also testified in litigation on behalf of asbestos victims and is a world renowned author, speaker and lecturer on this topic.

 

“I am looking forward to helping ADAO in its mission of not only connecting those suffering from the effects of asbestos disease, but helping to create an environment where these afflictions will some day become a thing of the past,” stated Dr. Lemen. “The facts must be continually uncovered, examined and shared to reach this visionary goal.”

                    

 “I want to support the work of ADAO because it seeks to educate people about the hazards of asbestos, and education is always vitally important for disease prevention,” stated Dr. Frank. “It also is active in protecting people from the forces that are arrayed against just compensation for disease caused by past exposures.”

 

“ADAO is enormously blessed to have both Dr. Frank and Dr. Lemen lead our Science Advisory Board,” stated ADAO Executive Director, Linda Reinstein. “These men have given their hearts, minds and souls to help fight asbestos disease and we look forward to benefiting from their tremendous expertise as we work to expand awareness about the dangers of asbestos.”

 

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About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to help ensure that their rights are fairly represented and protected, while raising public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and often deadly asbestos related diseases. ADAO is an independent organization funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers. For more information visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org