Frederick National Laboratory Names Chief Science Officer

FREDERICK, Md. -- Leonard P. Freedman, Ph.D., has been named chief science officer at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, effective this November. He joins the FNL staff after six years as founding president of the Global Biological Standards Institute.

“I am delighted to announce Dr. Freedman’s appointment and to welcome him with great enthusiasm to the leadership team here at the Frederick National Laboratory,” said Ethan Dmitrovsky, M.D., laboratory director of the Frederick National Laboratory and president of its current prime contractor, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.

“Dr. Freedman is a widely recognized and highly effective leader in basic biomedical research, drug discovery, and science policy,” Dmitrovsky said. “He has extensive experience in the private and non-profit sectors, as well as in academia. From this experience, he brings a wealth of relevant knowledge and a collegial, yet determined, manner that will serve him and us well in his new role.”

As chief science officer, Freedman will provide internal scientific leadership while building external partnerships and collaborations in science and technology development. His focus is on translating science into medicine to benefit patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, and emerging health challenges.

“I am extremely excited to join an incredible team doing amazing science and supporting the important mission that affects so many people,” Freedman said. 

“In getting to know the scientists and staff at Frederick, I am already impressed with the depth and breadth of the science and technologies coming out of this national facility,” he said. “I look forward to supporting the many important projects that are already under way and to further developing the promise of the Frederick National Laboratory.”

Freedman comes to the Frederick National Laboratory after working in science policy at the Global Biological Standards Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing life science standards and best practices through policy initiatives, thought leadership, and education. Previously, he served as vice dean for research and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University. 

As a vice president at Wyeth and executive director at Merck, Freedman also led discovery research efforts in the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, Freedman was a member and professor of cell biology and genetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weil Cornell Medical College. There, Freedman and his laboratory made decisive discoveries in the area of nuclear hormone receptor structure and function.

Freedman has received numerous competitively funded National Institutes of Health grants, and was the recipient of major research honors, including the Boyer Award for Biomedical Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a MERIT award from the National Institutes of Health. He was also the recipient of the Ernst Oppenheimer Award from The Endocrine Society. 

Widely published, Freedman has also served on influential scientific review panels and editorial boards. For 10 years, he was editor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. In addition, Freedman served on the board of directors of the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC).

Freedman earned a B.A. degree in biology from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Rochester. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Keith Yamamoto at the University of California, San Francisco.

Frederick National Laboratory news release

Image: Portrait of Leonard Freedman. Photo by Judy Licht.