Miami, FL. May 12, 2002. Dr. George Thomas was appointed by the Bush Administration to serve on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Thomas will serve for a term beginning immediately and ending on October 31st, 2005.

The Advisory Council, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, advises the HHS Secretary, Assistant Secretary for Health, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel and blood diseases.

"I am extremely honored and pleased to be appointed to this important Council," said Dr. George Thomas. "The Council makes recommendations on applications for research and research training grants. This will allow me to focus on cutting edge research and permit me to help set national medical research priorities and policies."

Dr. Thomas is a past chairman of the American Medical Association's IMG section and a past president of the Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), which represents over 35,000 Indian American physicians in the U.S. Dr. Thomas is also the past chief of staff and member of the board of directors at Manatee Memorial Hospital, president of the Manatee Medical Society in Florida and has served as a member of the state board of community colleges of Florida. Dr. Thomas has practiced cardiology at the Bradenton Cardiology Center for over 20 years. Dr. Thomas, a native of India, and his wife Mary and four sons currently reside in Bradenton, FL.

For more information, contact Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal at the numbers/address given below.