10.06.2006 – The Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health is pleased to announce that Janet Hock, BDS, PhD has accepted the position as director of the Institute. Dr. Hock brings a rare wealth of experience and leadership in research, academia, and industry. She is expected to officially begin her duties at the Institute’s headquarters at the Cianchette Building, in Brewer, by late December.

Dr. Hock’s career of more than thirty years in the biosciences has been highlighted by several renowned achievements. In 1990, she received a prestigious Department of Veterans’ Affairs Clinical Investigator Award for research on parathyroid hormone mechanisms of action in bone. In 1991, she was recruited by the global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Company to head a program for the discovery and development of anabolic drugs for osteoporosis, and then to direct their skeletal research program. She was the lead scientist for Forteo® (recombinant parathyroid hormone), a first-in-class anabolic drug for the treatment of osteoporosis. In 2000, she joined the Indiana University Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (IU) in anatomy and cell biology, as well as periodontics. It was at IU that she received the Outstanding Female Faculty award and in 2004 the Certificate of Excellence as a mentor in the Diversity Scholars Research Program. She also founded and directed the Indiana University Cancer Center Bone Cancers Research program, and founded Thetis Consulting LLC, a scientific advisory firm focused on the treatment of skeletal diseases and bone cancer at IU.

Dr. Hock’s most recent position was at Aastrom Biosciences, in Ann Arbor Michigan as vice president, global research and chief scientific officer where she served as an integral member of the senior management team participating in the direction of the company. At Aastrom Biosciences she managed all the company’s biological research activities and provided leadership to the preclinical research and clinical development of human cells for therapeutic use.

Associate director of the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health, Laurent Beauregard, PhD, said, “We are delighted to have Dr. Hock as part of our team and look forward to her creativity and strategic leadership.”

The Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health is a subsidiary of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS). EMHS founded the Institute in 2005 and has worked in close collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory, the University of Maine, and Eastern Maine Medical Center with its development. The Institute’s success will leverage valuable contributions brought forth by these nonprofit organizations in the field of bioscience research and medical care. Under Dr. Hock’s leadership, the Institute will focus on cancer, genetics, and regenerative medicine.