The McCormick Group has assisted the Board of Directors of the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (AAMDSIF) in the placement of Brad Wong as their new Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director.
Starting December 5, 2022, Mr. Wong will take the reins of the world’s leading nonprofit health organization dedicated to supporting patients and families living with aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and related bone marrow failure diseases. Wong succeeds outgoing interim CEO, Janice Frey-Angel, who expertly led the Foundation for the past two years and has fulfilled her interim term.
Wong brings 20 years of experience successfully leading health-related nonprofit organizations to AAMDSIF. His most recent leadership role was at the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) where he served as President & CEO. Prior to that, he spent 16 years as the Executive Director at the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and more than 10 years in development leadership roles for academic medicine and higher education institutions. Mr. Wong received his BA (Science Technology and Society) and MA (Environmental Affairs) from Clark University in Worcester, MA.
“After a nationwide search, the Board selected Brad as the new CEO because we believe his combination of strategic nonprofit leadership experience, success in expanding and diversifying revenue, and his commitment to our mission, are what we need as AAMDSIF moves into its 40th year,” said Board Chairperson, Debby Ziff Cook. “We are excited to have Brad at the helm of the Foundation as we continue to serve the patients and families impacted by these rare bone marrow failure diseases. His compassion for those dealing with a rare disease, his knowledge of the pharmaceutical arena, his experience with medical professionals as well as his skill working with federal policymakers will all be great assets to the Foundation and those we support.”
While at PHA, Wong empowered the Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) community by expanding services including in-person and virtual meetings, advocating for the PH community to federal policymakers and regulators, and raising the visibility of PHA and PH.
“I deeply admire AAMDSIF’s strength and long history of serving as the heart of the bone marrow failure diseases community,” Wong said. “With great appreciation for AAMDSIF’s many achievements over the past 39 years, I am honored to have the opportunity to join the cause and lead efforts that further the mission to provide education, support, and hope to patients and families affected by bone marrow failure diseases around the world.”
“The AAMDSIF Board was impressed with Brad’s commitment to furthering the Foundation’s mission and successful record of helping patients and caregivers by promoting personal support, education, research funding, advocacy, and public visibility of rare bone-marrow disorders” said Harsha Murthy, AAMDSIF Board Member and Member of the Search Committee.
The Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation’s mission is to provide education, support, and hope to thousands of patients and their families around the world. Founded in 1983 by the parents of an Aplastic Anemia patient, the Foundation is now an established and well-respected entity in the rare disease and bone marrow failure disease spaces. Unlike conditions that impact larger populations, once diagnosed with a rare disease patients face additional challenges. AAMDSIF serves patients and families throughout the three phases of bone marrow failure diseases: the life-changing phase of diagnosis; the life-threatening phase of treatment; the lifelong phase of living with a chronic disease.
The McCormick Group is a nationally ranked executive search consulting firm based in the Washington DC metro area. TMG works nationally for a broad range of companies and across all functional disciplines.
The placement was handled by:
Elizabeth Humphrey
Vice President
(703) 312-6743
ehumphrey@tmg-dc.com
Susy Howard
Principal
(703) 312-6741
showard@tmg-dc.com
