Biotech/Pharma Executive Dan Hayden Named Interim Executive Director of FightSMA

July 9, 2012 - PRLog -- (Alexandria, VA) FightSMA is pleased to announce that Daniel O. Hayden has been appointed Interim Executive Director for FightSMA ( http://www.fightsma.org ), an international nonprofit created to find a treatment or cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Mr. Hayden will focus on providing management and strategic oversight for the organization, including support for the national FightSMA office in Alexandria, VA.

Mr. Hayden is the Principal of an independent management consulting business and serves on the FightSMA Board of Directors. In 2011, he completed a 40-year career in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and specialty chemical industries. He last served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Pharmaceuticals Division of the Genzyme Corporation, now a Sanofi Company. As a senior executive, Dan has broad experience in global business management, strategic planning and alliance partnering.

"Mr. Hayden is a well respected professional who has been committed to FightSMA for several years as a member of our Board of Directors," said FightSMA Chair Michael R. Calise. "We are all very excited about Dan’s commitment to lead our organization as Interim Director.  Dan will provide us with strong strategic thinking and vision to help us fulfill our mission of finding a treatment or cure for SMA."  

"I am delighted to be in this position to further support the FightSMA organization in its efforts to help find a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy," said Mr. Hayden. "These are exciting times for the FightSMA organization as it continues to fund advancements in critical research, work with Congress, and provide ongoing support to SMA children and their families!"

For more information about spinal muscular atrophy, please visit http://www.fightsma.org.

About FightSMA
Headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metro area, FightSMA is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to strategically accelerate the search for a treatment or cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic cause of infant death.  FightSMA has awarded SMA research grants at more than 40 universities and research institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.