Joslin Diabetes Center Names John Brooks Chairman

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John L. Brooks, III has been named Chairman of Joslin Diabetes Center’s Board of Trustees. He replaces Kevin E. Conley, President and CEO of Conley Search Group, who is stepping down after six years as Chairman.

A recognized leader in the life sciences industry, Brooks has played an important role in the Center’s fundraising efforts and was Chairman of the Finance Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board before being unanimously elected Board Chairman.

“I’m delighted for the opportunity to become Chairman of the Board,” says Brooks, whose son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three. “I feel very passionately that Joslin has a singular ability to ultimately change the landscape of diabetes. We face plenty of challenges, but with the great strength of the people here, our wealth of resources and our tight focus on the disease, we are bound and determined to turn those challenges into opportunities and then into successes.”

“John has provided strong leadership since he joined the Board, working very closely with Kevin Conley and with me to address key issues facing the Center,” says Kenneth E. Quickel, Jr., M.D., Joslin’s President and CEO. “With his dedication to Joslin’s mission and his deep expertise in finances and in life sciences, he will offer highly effective leadership in the years ahead.”

Brooks is principal of Healthcare Capital Consulting LLC, which advises early-stage life sciences companies, and a founder of Prism VentureWorks. He has co-founded three life sciences companies—Insulet, Locus Pharmaceuticals and Songbird Hearing—and sits on the boards of a number of early-stage firms. A native of Massachusetts, he holds an M.S. in Business and a B.B.A. cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

“I want to acknowledge the great leadership that my predecessor, Kevin Conley, put into the Chairman role,” Brooks says. “Kevin left some very big shoes to fill.”

“I’ve been honored to be able to contribute to Joslin,” says Conley, who joined the Board in 2001 and whose two daughters have type 1 diabetes. “I believe Joslin has the best scientists and clinicians in the world working together, treating patients and searching for a cure for diabetes.”

During Conley’s tenure as Chairman, Joslin made a measurable impact in the fight against diabetes. Its researchers made ground-breaking discoveries, including the findings that calorie-burning brown fat may remain active in adults and that the generic drug salsalate is a promising treatment for people with type 2 diabetes. Joslin also has pioneered new diabetes management initiatives, developed outcomes-driven online physician education initiatives, educated more than half a million doctors worldwide and expanded the number of its affiliates to 30, including a successful joint effort in Dubai.

Joslin Diabetes Center is the world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure. Founded in 1898 by Elliott P. Joslin, M.D., Joslin is an independent nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. For more information about Joslin, call 1-800-JOSLIN-1 or visit www.joslin.org. Get updates on research and clinical developments at the Inside Joslin news page, at www.joslin.org/news/inside_joslin.html.