On Wednesday, Dr Nir Barzilai, one of the co-founders of the Academy for Health & Lifespan Research took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that Dr David Sinclair, also a co-founder of the Academy, had resigned as President.
Sinclair, who is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, had been chosen by his peers for the position in June of last year, succeeding Dr Felipe Sierra (now Chief Science Officer at Hevolution).
Longevity.Technology: The Academy for Health & Lifespan Research (AHLR) is dedicated to studying the mechanisms of aging and developing interventions to slow and reverse the process. With a current membership of 60 of the worlds foremost researchers and geroscientists, it elects members annually based on their scientific contributions and commitment to the community.
Barzilai made Wednesdays announcement on behalf of Eric Verdin, Laura Neiderhofer, Andre Bertram and himself. He thanked Sinclair for his service, and indicated that the academys Executive Director Risa Starr will temporarily handle the administrative responsibilities of the Presidency until its board can confirm a new president. Barzilai also asked members of the academy to immediately submit their nominations, either for others or themselves, and said the academy plans to announce the new president at its meeting on 3rd April.
We regret all the events that led to Davids resignation and take the lessons to heart, wrote Barzilai in his tweet. We hope we can move past these events. The Academy is about science and scientists; all else is secondary [1].
He added that the academy has decided to postpone its 2024 election of new members until after the confirmation of its next president.
Sinclairs resignation comes a week-and-a-half after former academy member Dr Matt Kaeberlein tweeted that after careful consideration he was renouncing his academy membership, citing ongoing behavior by Academy President Dr. David Sinclair that I find both personally and professionally unacceptable [2].
Commenting on Wednesdays announcement of David Sinclairs resignation, Longevity.Technology CEO and founder Phil Newman said: Strong personalities are important in the early stages of a new industry some lead, some challenge, and some both lead and challenge; either way, we need to thank these individuals for their contributions and preparedness to take the lead publicly. This exposure brings the benefits of social followers and commercial opportunities, but it also brings the challenges of scrutiny.
[1] https://twitter.com/NirBarzilaiMD/status/1767981636405043227 [2] https://twitter.com/mkaeberlein/status/1764361555557380198
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