MERCED - UC Merced
Professor Henry Formanhas been appointed by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger to the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution
Control District, the board that oversees air quality in the
eight-county region.
Forman, a founding faculty member and professor of chemistry and
biochemistry in the
School of Natural
Sciences, fills a vital new position on the board mandated by
state legislation last year. Senate Bill 719 added four new
positions to the 11-member board, including a scientist and doctor.
Forman becomes the first scientist to be appointed to the board,
which was previously comprised entirely of elected officials.
Forman is internationally known for an extensive body of
research and publication on the ways the lungs react to and protect
themselves from disease, including asthma, cystic fibrosis and
damage from air pollutants. His expertise is especially relevant in
the San Joaquin Valley, a region plagued by chronic lung disease
stemming from poor air quality.
In an editorial published shortly after Forman’s appointment was
announced by the governor’s office, the Fresno Bee lauded the
selection as “an excellent choice,” addressing a widely perceived
need to bring “a more rigorous and skeptical approach to the
board’s work.” The Bee also noted that both environmental groups
and agricultural leaders, often at odds over policy issues,
applauded Forman’s selection.
“Professor Forman brings more than 25 years of research
experience and a critical scientific perspective to the
deliberative work of this important body,” said Chancellor Steve
Kang. “I would like to congratulate him on his appointment and
thank him for the contribution he will undoubtedly make to the
people of the San Joaquin Valley and their quality of life.”
Before joining the faculty of UC Merced in 2003, Forman was a
professor and chair of the department of environmental health
sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Previously he
had held faculty appointments at the University of Southern
California and the University of Pennsylvania in the fields of
molecular pharmacology, toxicology, pediatrics, pathology and physiology.
Forman currently serves as associate editor of Free Radical
Biology & Medicine, as treasurer of the International Society
for Free Radical Research, and as co-director of the Lead Campus
Program in Atmospheric Aerosols and Health of the University of
California Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program. He holds
a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Queen’s College (NY) and a
Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Patti Waid Istas
UC Merced Office of Communications
(209) 228-4483
