Meeting Committee

Members of the Planning Committee 

Leslie B. Gordon, MD, PhD – Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee; Organizing Committee
Medical Director, The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF), Peabody, MA; Professor of Pediatrics Research, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Dept. of Pediatrics, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Providence, RI; Research Associate, Department of Anesthesia, Boston Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Dr. Gordon, founder of The Progeria Research Foundation, and co-author of the Progeria gene discovery has served as Chair of PRF’s seven previous international scientific workshops.  She serves as Principal Investigator for The PRF International Registry, Diagnostic Testing Program, Cell & Tissue Bank, and Medical & Research Database. Dr. Gordon has co-chaired four clinical treatment trials for children with Progeria, all conducted at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Audrey Gordon, Esq – Chair, Organizing Committee
President and Executive Director, The Progeria Research Foundation, Peabody, MA

Attorney Gordon, co-founder of PRF, is responsible for ensuring PRF’s financial growth, program development, and day-to-day management. She has been the project administrator for all seven PRF international scientific workshops on Progeria.

Frank G. Rothman, PhD – Scientific Advisory Committee; Organizing Committee
Professor of Biology and Provost, Emeritus, Brown University, Providence, RI

Dr. Rothman has served as the Dean of Biology at Brown University and conducted courses on the Biology of Aging. He has co-coordinated four previous PRF international scientific workshops, and is an emeritus member of PRF’s Medical Research Committee.

Tom Misteli, PhD – Scientific Advisory Committee; Organizing Committee
Senior Investigator, Senior Deputy Director for Research, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Misteli and his team are elucidating the cell biological basis of HGPS and are developing novel therapeutic strategies for HGPS based on correction of the disease causing pre-mRNA splicing defect. He co-coordinated the 2013 PRF international scientific workshop, and is a member of PRF’s Medical Research Committee.

Vicente Andrés García, PhD – Scientific Advisory Committee; Organizing Committee
Professor, Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Cardiovascular Pathophysiology, Vascular Pathophysiology Area, and Director of Department of Basic Research, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain

Dr. Andrés and his team are investigating the role of A-type lamins in the regulation of pathophysiological processes, including HGPS. Major efforts in his laboratory are directed towards the generation of new animal models of HGPS with the goal of elucidating mechanisms of the disease and testing novel therapies, with special emphasis on cardiovascular alterations. He is a member of PRF’s Medical Research Committee.

Maria Sullivan – Organizing Committee
CME Director, Office of Continuing Medical Education, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI

Ana L. Valverde – Meeting Coordinator
Executive Administrative Assistant to the Medical Director, Research Grants Administrator, The Progeria Research Foundation, Peabody, MA

Ms. Valverde joined the PRF team in December 2015. She has extensive event/meeting planning experience, and can be reached at workshop@progeriaresearch.org or 978-535-2594 for all workshop-related matters.