In March, Research!America alliance members elected three new individuals to serve on Board of Directors: Mikael Dolsten, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer & President, Worldwide Research, Development and Medical of Pfizer; Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, President & CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; and M. Roy Wilson, MD, MS, President of Wayne State University.

“Drs. Dolsten, Trautman, and Wilson have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of patients and supporting efforts to accelerate medical progress,” said Mary Woolley, president & CEO of Research!America. “They bring a wealth of experience – representing academia, private industry, and professional societies –  to our board. The Research!America alliance and the research advocacy community will benefit greatly from their commitment to research for medicine and science.” 

The board thanks outgoing board members for their terrific service: Susan Fitzpatrick, PhD, President of the James S, McDonnell Foundation; Larry Hausner, MBA, President of ConStrat; and Gregory Sorenson, MD, Executive Chairman of IMRIS. 

Mikael Dolsten, MD, PhD is Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development and Medical of Pfizer Inc. He focuses on advancing Pfizer’s scientific leadership in small-molecule medicines, biotherapeutics and vaccines. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and the company’s Portfolio Strategy and Investment Committee, which governs major pipeline investments and strategic end-to-end R&D priorities. Mikael leads the Worldwide Research, Development and Medical (WRDM) organization at Pfizer, which is responsible for the development of all compounds through proof of concept, and provides pharmaceutical sciences, safety and medical support to the entire R&D pipeline and all marketed products. The WRDM group contains all Pfizer research units, including Oncology, Internal Medicine, Inflammation & Immunology, Vaccines and Rare Disease, as well as the Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI). Mikael also has worldwide responsibility for Pfizer’s groups in medical, safety and external R&D innovation, in addition to science-based teams in pharmaceutical sciences, drug safety R&D, and large and small molecule discovery and development. He is a governor of the New York Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and serves on the Science and Regulatory Executive Committee of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) as well as the PhRMA Foundation Board of Directors. He is a member of the Board of Karyopharm Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, Mikael is a member of the Board of Overseers – Scripps Research Institute as well as a Foreign Member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Since 2014, Mikael has co-chaired the Accelerating Medicine Partnership (AMP) with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins. Mikael advised the Obama Administration on regulatory and drug development issues as well as Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative to accelerate cancer research. Through 2019, Dr. Dolsten was a council member of the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR). Mikael is a named inventor on several patents and has published approximately 150 articles in international journals, with contributions in molecular cell biology, immunology and oncology.

Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2014. Formerly the Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Transformation at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Trautman has held clinical and administrative leadership positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. She also served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services for Howard County General Hospital and as Director of Nursing for Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has held a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Trautman received a BSN from West Virginia Wesleyan College, an MSN from the University of Pittsburgh, and a PhD in health policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has authored publications on health policy, intimate partner violence, pain management, clinical competency, change management, cardiopulmonary bypass, the use of music in the emergency department, and consolidating emergency services. Since her appointment at AACN, Deb has been asked to join a number of high-profile boards and advisory groups. The Secretary of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Special Medical Advisory Group (SMAG), which advises the VA Secretary on matters related to healthcare delivery, research, education, training of healthcare staff and planning on shared care issues facing VA and the Department of Defense. In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) named her program director of the New Careers in Nursing project, and her colleagues with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) elected her to serve as Chair as of 2019. She also serves on the Joint Commission’s Chief Nurse Executive Council. Dr. Trautman has served as an advisory board member and past chair for Academy Health's Interdisciplinary Research Interest Group on Nursing Issues. Dr. Trautman is a 2007/2008 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow who worked for the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

M. Roy Wilson, MD, MS is a scholar, surgeon, and leader driving innovation in higher education, medicine, and research. Since his appointment as the 12th president of Wayne State University on August 1, 2013. Since assuming leadership, President Wilson has pursued his vision to transform the university into the preeminent, public, urban research university known for academic and research excellence. During his tenure, President Wilson has focused on dramatically improving student success, resulting in the nation’s most improved graduation rate; realigning the university’s research portfolio to emphasize team science; launching programs to improve the pipeline of underrepresented students in the health sciences; overseeing major initiatives to improve the campus experience, including the launch of a new business school, a comprehensive campus housing plan, and an office of multicultural student engagement; and implementing a project to overhaul and improve the university’s performing arts facilities. Prior to joining Wayne State, President Wilson served as deputy director for strategic scientific planning and program coordination at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health. Previously, he was dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for health sciences at Creighton University, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and concurrently, chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus and chair of the Board of Directors of University of Colorado Hospital. President Wilson also chaired the Board of Directors of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and was acting president during part of that time.