NORD 20th Anniversary Gala Images

The U.S. Congress passed a resolution honoring NORD and the Orphan Drug Act.	NORD President Abbey Meyers, Vice President for Public Affairs Diane Dorman, NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, MD, NORD Board member Carolyn Asbury, PhD, and Stephen Groft, Pharm.D., Director of the NIH Office of Rare Diseases.	Abbey Meyers, NORD Board Member Frank Sasinowski, FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, and Marlene Haffner, MD, MPH, Director of the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development.
Members of the NORD Board of Directors presented a gift to Abbey Meyers. A complete listing of NORD’s Board members appears on the About NORD page.	Congressman John M. Shimkus (R-IL), with Diane Dorman of NORD’s staff and Frank Sasinowski of NORD’s Board.	Larry Weaver, a founder of Orphan Medical, was applauded for his long-term commitment to seeking new therapies for rare diseases.
Several NORD staff members attended the Gala.	The emcee was Susan Dentzer, PBS health correspondent on the nightly NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.	Susan Dentzer
Lars-Uno Larsson (left) of Swedish Orphan International AB, with Jan Eliasson, Swedish ambassador to the United States, and Bo Hanson, also of Swedish Orphan.	Marlene E. Haffner, MD, MPH, Director of the Office of Orphan Products Development at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).	Stephen C. Groft, Pharm.D., Director of the Office of Rare Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Steven Pal of Allergan, one of the “top 20” companies honored for their commitment to developing new therapies for rare diseases.	FDA Commissioner Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD	NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, MD