Sabin Vaccine Institute Announces the Election of Four New Members to Board of Trustees

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) is pleased to announce the election of Baroness Helene Hayman, Gary Rosenthal, Marc Shapiro, and Alisa Swidler to the organization's Board of Trustees.

"We are honored to have such distinguished individuals join the Sabin Board," said Morton Hyman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. "We appreciate their trust and confidence in the Institute and their commitment to our mission to treat and, where feasible, eliminate the diseases that afflict the world's poorest people. Their contributions to our endeavors will be particularly important at this time as we embark on programmatic and geographic expansion of our activities."

Rt Hon Baroness Hayman has just completed a five year term as Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the United Kingdom parliament, where she had previously served as a Government Minister of State, but having begun her parliamentary career in the House of Commons in 1974.  Whilst raising a family in the intervening period, Helene Hayman was a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Ethics Committee for fifteen years, and of the University College of London's Committee on Ethics of Clinical Investigation.  Former public service roles also include the inaugural Chairmanship of Cancer Research UK, the largest charity in the UK; and of the Human Tissue Authority, including membership of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and whilst Lord Speaker, President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Mr. Gary Rosenthal is a partner at The Sterling Group, LP and has been associated with the firm since 1987.  Mr. Rosenthal also serves as Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee of Oil States International Incorporated.  Mr. Rosenthal is Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Texas Children's Hospital, the largest pediatric research, teaching and clinical care institution in the United States.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of Commentary Magazine.  Mr. Rosenthal also is Chairman of the Board of the Gordon and Mary Cain Pediatric Research Neurology Foundation, which he founded in 1989.  Previously, Mr. Rosenthal was president of Heaney Rosenthal Incorporated.   Past business directorships have included Dresser Incorporated, Pioneer Companies and CrossCountry Energy Corporation.  Mr. Rosenthal also served as the Chairman of the Board of Regents at the University of Houston System.

Mr. Marc Shapiro serves as Non-Executive Chairman of Chase Bank of Texas. He is also a Director of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, The Mexico Fund and Weingarten Realty Investors.  Mr. Shapiro is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Baylor College of Medicine and also serves on the boards of the Texas Medical Center Incorporated, The Menninger Clinic and BioHouston.  Previously, Mr. Shapiro served as the Chairman of the Board of Visitors of MD Anderson Cancer Center.  Mr. Shapiro has a long history of community involvement, having served as Chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership, Chairman of the Houston United Way Campaign, and founding Chairman of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.    

Mrs. Alisa Swidler is an active partner with the William J. Clinton Global Foundation and Sir Richard Branson's Foundation, Virgin Unite. Since 2008, Mrs. Swidler has served on the Leadership Council of Women for Women International. Mrs. Swidler was co-chair of the One Foundation based in the United Kingdom, a Trustee at Save the Children UK and a founding member of the Clinton Global Initiative-Asia. Mrs. Swidler has experience both in the private sector and in philanthropic endeavors.  She is currently a Trustee at Millennium Promise UK, Chairs The Walkabout Foundation and served for 13 years as a Trustee at the Louise and Arde Bulova Foundation in New York City.

About Sabin Vaccine Institute
Sabin Vaccine Institute is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization of scientists, researchers, and advocates dedicated to reducing needless human suffering caused by vaccine preventable and neglected tropical diseases. Sabin works with governments, leading public and private organizations, and academic institutions to provide solutions for some of the world's most pervasive health challenges. Since its founding in 1993 in honor of the oral polio vaccine developer, Dr. Albert B. Sabin, the Institute has been at the forefront of efforts to control, treat, and eliminate vaccine preventable and neglected tropical diseases by developing new vaccines, advocating use of existing vaccines, and promoting increased access to affordable medical treatments. For more information please visit http://www.sabin.org.