Contact: Sue Pondrom (619) 543-6163  

Dr. Gary Firestein Named Chair 
Of FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee   

Gary S. Firestein, M.D., professor of medicine and chief, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, has been appointed to chair the Arthritis Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a term beginning immediately and ending September 30, 2003.

A specialist in rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases, Firestein is also executive director of UCSD’s Center for Innovative Therapy, which evaluates innovative therapies for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (cit.ucsd.edu).  The goal of the Center is to identify novel therapeutic targets, facilitate their translation from research laboratory to patient care, and design and implement clinical trials of new therapies.

Firestein received his M.D. degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his A.B. in chemistry at Harvard.  His post-graduate residencies and fellowships were at UCLA Medical Center, UCSD and the La Jolla Cancer Research Institute.  Deputy editor of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, Firestein has written more than 150 papers and book chapters and is editor of the Kelley Textbook of Rheumatology. 

The FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee helps the agency make sound decisions based on good science in its review of regulated products.  The FDA’s advisory committees consist of individuals who are recognized as experts in their field from many different sectors including medical professionals, scientists and researchers, industry leaders, and consumer representatives and patient representatives.