Wistar chooses new director

The Board of Managers of the Wistar Institute has selected a new director and has created a new position of president. Earlier this month, the board named molecular biologist and Associate Director Giovanni Rovera as director. In addition, former Director Hilary Koprowski was moved into the new presidential position. Wistar, a leading biomedical research institute, is a private institute located on the University's campus but separate from the University. Wistar works closely with the University through adjunct faculty and research projects. After receiving his doctorate at the University of Torino in Italy, Rovera came to Temple University for his residency in pathology. He came to Wistar in 1976. Rovera is known for his research of childhood leukemias. Currently, he is developing a way to detect and treat children who have a chance of the leukemia relapsing. As director of Wistar, Rovera will assume responsibility and authority for scientific research and the administration of the institute. Rovera said one of his main tasks will be to maintain a balanced budget and bring additional funds into the institute in the form of grants and royalties. "We have a slight problem of cash flow because of the increases in expenditures and the decrease in the amount of new royalties coming to the institute," Rovera said. "But the number of grants we receive has increased." Rovera also said he plans to decentralize the bureaucracy of the institute and to improve the relationship between it and the University. Rovera said he was glad he was chosen, but stressed that his research is still very important. "I plan on spending 50 percent of my time researching," he said. The purpose of the new position of president is to maintain a relationship with institutions that fund research and to bring additional funds to Wistar, officials said. Koprowski has been the director of the institute since 1956 and has overseen the growth of Wistar from 11 scientists to a staff of over 600 people. After dedicating a lifetime of work to Wistar, Koprowski said his reaching the usual retirement age will not prevent him from influencing the institute. "I have created this institute from ashes, and I am going to see it through so it that it won't be harmed," Koprowski said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.