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DURHAM, N.C. -- Joanne Wilson, M.D., professor of gastroenterology at Duke University Medical Center, has been appointed a member of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases. The committee is charged with conducting an overview of research in digestive diseases and developing a strategic plan for the next 10 years of NIH digestive diseases research.

"The new members of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases bring a wealth of expertise in both basic and clinical digestive diseases research that will not only help NIH review the current state of its research, but ultimately lay the groundwork for research for the next decade and beyond. I am very pleased to welcome them to the Commission," said National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.

The Commission is composed of 16 members who are appointed for the duration of the Commission by the Director of the NIH. The members have broad expertise as members of academic or medical research and practice communities involved in digestive diseases research, patient-oriented organizations or have close personal or family experience with digestive diseases.

"As we embark upon this planning process for digestive diseases, the cross-section of scientific and professional knowledge represented by the new members will play a crucial role in initiating, evaluating, and completing this process," said Stephen P. James, M.D., Chair of the Commission and Director of the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition (DDN) at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), one of the institutes of the NIH.

Wilson was the first African American female to matriculate at Duke School of Medicine. She went on to train at The Brigham and Harvard Medical School and was the first female secretary of the American Gastroenterological Association.

For a full list of NIH committee members, please visit http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr2006/niddk-18.htm.