Leadership
Senior Management
William F. Greenlee, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
William F. Greenlee, Ph.D. is president and chief executive officer of The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, and chief executive officer and chairman of the Health Research and Education Foundation at The Hamner. Based in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, The Hamner is an independent, nonprofit organization that unites academia, the private sector, and government to conduct translational research for improved human health assessments and the development of new and safer medicines.
The Hamner answers the FDA's Critical Path Initiative - an effort to stimulate and facilitate the modernization of the scientific process through which a potential human drug, diagnostic agent, or medical device is transformed from a discovery or "proof of concept" into a medical product. Dr. Greenlee is the visionary behind The Hamner and has spent his professional career treading intertwining paths of academe and translational research for the advancement of public health.
Rick Williams
Chief Business Officer
Rick Williams is the chief business officer at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences (The Hamner), an independent, nonprofit R&D organization located in the heart of Research Triangle Park. A leader in environmental safety research for more than 35 years, The Hamner brings together world-class scholarship and training, safety assessments for both chemicals and drugs, and accelerated technology development on a single, integrated campus. As a member of the executive team, Williams supports The Hamner’s mission to collaborate with academia, the private sector, and government agencies to conduct translational research and innovative educational programs, both of which are designed to improve human health assessments and the development of safer medical treatments.
In his role as chief business officer, Williams is responsible for working with the chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of Directors to shape the overall strategic direction of the institute. He also oversees The Hamner Accelerator for Translational Biosciences, which facilitates rapid technology development among North Carolina universities and serves as a gateway to establish research collaborations with industry (i.e., with chemical, consumer products, and bio/pharma companies) along with countries in Europe and Asia. The Accelerator is a program that transcends merely providing participating organizations with a “real estate solution.” Instead, it creates a partnership with emerging companies and academic institutions, which leads to shared resources, research collaborations, and increased funding opportunities. Key new programs include the Hamner-University of North Carolina Center for Drug Safety Sciences, the Hamner-University of North Carolina Metabolomic Core Facility, and co-development of a virtual liver computational modeling program with Entelos. Working in conjunction with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, and university business schools and entrepreneurial programs, Williams provides guidance to emerging companies and faculty members as they develop their initial technology, commercialization, and funding plans.
Melvin E. Andersen, Ph.D.
Director, Division of Computational Biology
and
Program in Chemical Safety Sciences
Melvin Ernest Andersen, Ph.D. is the director of the Computational Biology Division; director of the Program in Chemical Safety Sciences; and senior science advisor of the Center for Human Health Assessment at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Dr. Andersen guides research directions, mentors staff and ensures the adequate reporting of results from research programs at The Hamner. As director of the Computational Biology Division, he imparts a computational systems biology emphasis to dose-response assessments for the health effects of environmental chemicals. The systems biology approach is characterized by an iterative cycle of theory, computational modeling and experimentation to quantitatively describe chemical perturbations of cellular pathways or cell processes. His current research interests include the development of mathematical descriptions of control of cellular circuitry and the dose response and risk assessment implications of perturbations of these circuits.
Darol E. Dodd., Ph.D.
Director, Division of Toxicology and Preclinical Studies
Darol E. Dodd, Ph.D.is a Senior Research Toxicologist and Director of Toxicology and Preclinical Studies at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Dr. Dodd provides leadership and coordination of applied toxicology research projects and supports marketing efforts for new business opportunities for the Institutes. He is also the Director of Research and Support Services at The Hamner. With more than 25 years of experience in toxicology and health hazard assessments, Dr. Dodd focuses his expertise in the area of inhalation toxicology.
Dr. Dodd conducts research on the toxic effects of xenobiotics on laboratory animals or cell systems. A xenobiotic is a chemical foreign to a given biologic system. During a typical workweek, Dr. Dodd plans and carries out in vivo and in vitro laboratory experiments, following good laboratory practice standards and operating procedures. He spends his time in data analysis, writing reports and scientific papers, presenting the findings, and researching the scientific literature. Providing leadership and support for proposal projects for new research contracts is another of Dr. Dodd’s main functions at The Hamner Institutes. He enjoys building teams and acting as a spokesperson, and he has had an impact on the careers of predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars who have worked with him on research projects.