FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2007
FY07-24
Degen Joins ORAU Board of Directors
Oak Ridge, Tenn.—The Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ (ORAU) Board of Directors welcomed Sandra J. Degen as a new director at the 62nd annual meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions held recently in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The board provides policy and fiduciary oversight of ORAU operations for its membership.
Degen currently serves as vice president for research at the University of Cincinnati (UC). She joined UC and the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation in 1985 as an assistant professor of pediatrics and became a tenured professor in 1997.
"I am excited to participate on the Board of Directors of ORAU and hope that during my tenure on the board that we can come up with additional ways to support young scientists so that they will continue to pursue careers in science," said Degen. "They are our future and we need to provide them with as much support as possible, both financially and through mentorship opportunities."
Degen earned her doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Washington and her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California-San Diego. She was also awarded postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Washington and Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel, Switzerland.
In her current role as vice president for research at UC, Degen has responsibility for all research compliance activities, the Office of Technology Transfer, the Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs, Laboratory Animal Medicine services, the Office of Sponsored Programs and various faculty development programs.
Among her accomplishments, Degen has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, various regional and national American Heart Association committees including the research committee of the national center, and on various National Institutes of Health review committees. She has also served on the board of trustees and executive committee of BIO/START, a regional biomedical, bioengineering, and biotechnology start-up business incubator.
Degen was also elected vice chair of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions and will serve in that role the next two years followed by two years as chair of the council.
Other directors elected to the ORAU Board were:
- Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel dean and professor, School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
- Brooks A. Keel, vice chancellor for research and economic development and professor of biological engineering, Louisiana State University
- Suzanne Laurich-McIntyre, assistant vice provost for graduate education, Carnegie Mellon University
- Felix A. Okojie, vice president for research development, support and federal relations, Jackson State University
- Winfred M. Phillips, vice president for research, University of Florida
- J. Paul Reason, admiral, United States Navy (retired)
- David D. Reed, vice president for research, Michigan Technological University
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 98 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.