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Arbor Research Collaborative for Health is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert Merion, M.D., has been appointed as president and chief executive officer, effective March 1, 2009.

Dr. Merion, a professor of surgery and a highly respected researcher from the University of Michigan (UM), has previously held leadership roles on several important projects at Arbor Research. As a professor at the UM, he has worked closely with the organization on major projects over the past eight years, including as clinical transplant director of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), a national database and analytic resource for research on solid organ transplants. The project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is coordinated by Arbor Research and the UM.

The president-elect of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Dr. Merion’s clinical and research experience is well-established over his 20-plus year career at the UM. He is the director of the UM transplant fellowship training program and previously served as chief of the Division of Transplantation and director of the UM Transplant Center. He has taken lead roles on numerous clinical and basic science research studies. Currently, he is principal investigator on two projects funded by the National Institutes of Health: the Adult to Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Study and RELIVE (Renal and Lung Living Donors Evaluation Study). Under his leadership, the SRTR has engaged hundreds of experts in the transplant community to participate in collaborative studies and research publications to benefit the field.

“Dr. Merion’s clinical experience, solid grasp of analytic techniques, and longstanding interest in medical informatics are a perfect fit for the established success of Arbor Research in producing high quality, clinically relevant, and meaningful research analyses from a wide variety of data sources,” said Dr. Robert Wolfe, vice president of Arbor Research and chair of the Arbor Research Board of Directors’ search committee.

Mark L. Barr, M.D., associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Southern California and a member of the Arbor Research board, concurred. “I can think of no one in the U.S. better to build upon the unique collection of talent and energy that Arbor Research has assembled.”

Arbor Research was founded in 1997 and serves as a center for projects focused on improving medical care throughout the world, including the international Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) and the SRTR. A not-for-profit organization, Arbor Research (www.ArborResearch.org) conducts major studies in epidemiology and public health. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Arbor Research offers expertise in biostatistical analysis, clinical practice, management and integration of large data sets, economics, and public policy. Since 1997, the organization has engaged in health outcomes research on chronic disease and end-stage organ failure, including the DOPPS (www.dopps.org), the SRTR (www.ustransplant.org), and numerous other studies for HHS.

Dr. Friedrich Port, past president of Arbor Research, has guided Arbor Research through a period of growth since 2002, and will remain with the organization in the role of senior investigator on several major projects, including the DOPPS. Dr. Wolfe will continue as vice president, and both he and Dr. Merion will continue their roles as team leaders of the SRTR.

Dr Merion notes that “Arbor Research has created a unique, vibrant, and successful scientific research enterprise that is making important contributions to the study of chronic disease, understanding of organ failure, and every aspect of organ transplantation in the United States and abroad. It is a privilege to succeed Dr. Port and to have the opportunity to join such a remarkably talented team of researchers committed to improving patient outcomes.”

Contact: info@ArborResearch.org or 734.665.4108