ABRC Commission Members

Nine Commissioners guide the work of the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission. They are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Commission is divided into three communities: General Public, Medical, and Scientific Research. Each community is represented by three Commissioners appointed for three- year terms. Generally, the terms of the three members expire each year; Commissioners may be reappointed.

Medical Community Commissioners:

Dr. Robert Cannell, M.D.
Medical Director
Yuma Regional Medical Center School Health Program

Dr. Robert Cannell is a pediatrician who has lived in Yuma, Arizona since 1969. He came to Yuma as a Navy General Medical Officer serving at the Marine Corps Air Station Dispensary. After completing his pediatric residency in Tucson, he returned to Yuma in 1972 and started Yuma Pediatrics, Ltd, a general pediatric group practice which is still caring for patients.

Dr. Cannell became medical director of the Yuma Regional Medical Center School Health Program in 1996. He also spent several years as Medical Director of Yuma Children’s Rehabilitative Services. Dr. Cannell took a break from the School Health Program to serve in the Arizona State House of Representative and State Senate from 2000 to 2006. While there he served as co-chairman of the Children’s Caucus, a group of state legislators advocating for children during legislative and budget negotiations. He served on the Health Committees as the ranking minority member of the House Health Committee. He was chosen to be a member of a group of Arizonans who accompanied Governor Jane Hull to Washington, D.C. to recruit the Translational Genomics Research Institute to Arizona.

Dr. Cannell continues to serve as medical director of the Yuma Regional Medical Center School Health Program which provides medical care to elementary school children and their younger siblings. Care is provided at three elementary schools in Yuma and San Luis and through a mobile van serving three elementary schools in East Yuma County. Dr. Cannell and his wife, Leslie, have been married for 46 years, live in the Yuma Foothills, and have three married children and eight grandchildren.

Dr. Cannell was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer. His term expires in 2011.

Dr. Mitchell Shub, M.D.
Medical Director of Research
Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Commissioner Mitchell Shub is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist and received his M.D. from the University of Vermont in 1976. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in 1979 and a fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 1982. After serving on the faculty at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he joined the full time faculty at Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) in 1985. He served as Co-director of the Pediatric Residency Program from 1986 to1999 and as Division Chief of Gastroenterology from 1992 to 2003. In 2004 he was elected President of the Medical Staff and served a 2-year term. He was appointed the first Director of Research at PCH in 2008. Dr. Shub is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Associate Head, Department of Pediatrics for the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix Campus. He has been actively engaged in research throughout his career and recently was part of a team that identified the gene mutation for a rare digestive disorder, microvillous inclusion disease. On a national level, Dr. Shub has been appointed to various leadership positions in the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. He is also the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Southwest Chapter of the Crohn and Colitis Foundation of America and was honored with the Chapter’s “Physician of the Year Award.”

Scientific Community Commissioners:

T. Lon Owen, Ph.D.
Professor of Medical Anatomy and Physiology
Northern Arizona University

Commissioner Owen received his B.A. in Zoology from the University of California, a Master's Degree in Biology from California State University at Sacramento, and his Ph.D. in Physiology from U.C. Davis in 1972. He was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at Michigan State University, and Visiting Associate Professor in the Pharmacology Department of the University Of Arizona College Of Medicine. He is a member of the American Physiological Society, and has chaired the Research Committees of the American Heart Association at both the Arizona Affiliate and Southwestern Regional levels. His publications are in the areas of cardiovascular, aging, and environmental physiology. He has taught physiology and pathology at Northern Arizona University since 1974. Commissioner Owen was appointed to the Commission by Governor Hull in 1998 and 2001. His term expired in 2004, and he was reappointed by Governor Brewer for a term set to expire in 2012.

Joan Shapiro, Ph.D.
Human Geneticist & Neurooncologist
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center

Commissioner Joan Rankin Shapiro is a human geneticist, and received her M.D., Ph.D. from Cornell University Medical College in 1979. Her initial research was in human birth defects at Rockefeller University. She began her cancer career at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York. In September,1989, she relocated to the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, where she became the Director of Neuro-Oncology Research. Her research involved the characterization of genetic abnormalities associated with central nervous system malignancies. Since 1979 her grant awards have totaled more than fourteen million dollars. In November 2007 she received a Life Time Achievement Award from the Society of Neuro-Oncology for her contribution to the field. She served thirteen years as an NIH Reviewer on Pathology A and on Experimental Therapeutics study sections. In 2001 Dr. Shapiro retired from the laboratory and has assumed the role as V.P., Research and Development at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. She is the Past-President of the national organization Women in Cancer Research. Dr. Shapiro has also retained a strong commitment to community education. She has developed and continues to teach numerous school enrichment programs. In conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology, she conducted K-12th grade neuroscience enrichment workshops for physicians and scientists. She is the past Chairman of the National Neuroscience Prize for high school students. She is the St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center Vice President for Clinical and Translational Research.

General Public Commissioners:

David Landrith, M.P.A.
Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs
Arizona Medical Association

Commissioner Landrith received his undergraduate degree in philosophy and history from Arizona State University. He received a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. He was a Dougherty Foundation Fellow. Commissioner Landrith is o-chairman of the ASU Dean's Advisory Council, a member of the Arizona Town Hall Board of Directors, member of the ST. Vincent De Paul Free Medical and Dental Clinic Endowment Committee, Director of the Arizona Bioethics Network, and past chairman and executive secretary of the Arizona Council of Governments Directors' Association. He has received the Partnership Award from the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Presidential Award for the Arizona State Association of Physician's Assistants. Commissioner Landrith was appointed by Governor Napolitano in 2004. His term expires in 2010.

Gregorio Garcia, Esq.
Attorney
Shughart, Thomson & Kilroy, P.C.

Commissioner Garcia received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Arizona State University. He holds a Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration. He is currently pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Biotechnology and Genomics. Commissioner Garcia is an attorney and practices with the firm of Shughart, Thomson & Kilroy, P.C. He sits on the board of directors for Arizona’s largest legal aid law firm, Community Legal Services and has held other leadership positions within the State Bar of Arizona and other legal organizations. Commissioner Garcia was appointed by Governor Napolitano in 2006 and reappointed by Governor Brewer. His term expires in May 2012.

Kenneth Lewis, M.P.A.
Principal Planning Analyst
Salt River Project

Commissioner Lewis received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Technology from East Texas State University and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. Commissioner Lewis’ first career was in fire service. He worked as a firefighter, paramedic, and hazardous materials technician. He rose through the ranks to serve as the Fire Chief in Pinewood/Munds Park, Arizona and Tahoe City, California. He is past president of the Arizona Fire Chief’s Association.
Commissioner Lewis now serves as a Principal Planning Analyst in the Business Continuity and Emergency Management department for Salt River Project. He was appointed by Governor Brewer and his term expires April 2011.

Commission Staff:

Dawn C. Schroeder, D.D.S., MA Executive Director
James Matthews, M.P.A., HR-CP Deputy Director
Daniel Powell, Program Specialist II
Ismene Quintanilla, Fiscal Service Specialist I
Michelle Anderson, Administrative Assistant