BETHESDA, MD, September 28, 2017 — The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is proud to announce that President and Executive Director Maria C. Freire, Ph.D. has won a Washington Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Award. Now in its 14th year, this prestigious award honors the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area’s most influential business women across every industry and profession. At the awards reception on November 1, 2017, Dr. Freire will be recognized alongside other honorees who are blazing a trail for women and making a difference in the community.

“We are delighted that Maria has been recognized as an outstanding woman in business by the Washington Business Journal,” said Steven M. Paul, M.D., FNIH Chairman of the Board. “Maria is a tenacious and exemplary leader who has shaped the FNIH into the go-to organization for the creation of biomedical public-private partnerships and a model for other foundations. The Board of Directors and FNIH staff are honored to work alongside her each day to make breakthrough biomedical discoveries possible.”

With more than 35 years of experience in business and biomedicine, Dr. Freire is an expert in technology commercialization and intellectual property management in support of human health. She focuses on the discovery, development and access to medical interventions – diagnostics, drugs and vaccines – for public good. Dr. Freire’s career path includes leadership positions in academic, governmental and not-for-profit organizations, serving as President and Executive Director of the FNIH since 2012. She is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves as a Director of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., a REIT focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in innovation clusters.

“I am truly honored to be recognized alongside the talented women receiving this year’s Women Who Mean Business Award. I am inspired by each and every one of them, as they are shaping the future of their respective industries and business in D.C. as a whole,” said Dr. Freire. “Our FNIH team works with the National Institutes of Health, academia, industry and philanthropy to advance biomedical research that can change and improve lives. It is a powerful mission to fulfill and one that motivates me each day.”

To qualify for the Women Who Mean Business Awards, women must work for a local business or organization and be established leaders with a strong record of innovation in their fields, outstanding performance and a clear track record of meaningful community involvement. Nominees are judged on their professional accomplishments, community leadership, as well as awards and other milestones. The Women Who Mean Business Awards program has more than 350 alumna, including some of the most powerful businesswomen in the Washington, D.C. area.

Read more about the Women Who Mean Business Awards and Dr. Freire in the September 29, 2017 issue of the Washington Business Journal. For additional information, visit fnih.org/Freire.

About the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health creates and manages alliances with public and private institutions in support of the mission of the NIH, the world’s premier medical research agency. The Foundation, also known as the FNIH, works with its partners to accelerate biomedical research and strategies against diseases and health concerns in the United States and across the globe. The FNIH organizes and administers research projects; supports education and training of new researchers; organizes educational events and symposia; and administers a series of funds supporting a wide range of health issues. Established by Congress in 1990, the FNIH is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For additional information about the FNIH, please visit fnih.org.