NEWS OF THE WEEK GOVERNMENT
BUSH NAMES NIH DIRECTOR Elias Zerhouni praised for mix of clinical, scientific, and business skills
PLEASED Bush congratulates Zerhouni (right) following nomination announcement at the White House.
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president George W. Bush announced that his pick to head the National Institutes of Health is radiologist Elias A. Zerhouni, executive vice dean of the Johns Hopkins School ofMedicine, Baltimore. Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said Zerhouni has the "experience creating the
BUSINESS
kind ofresearch efforts and teams that pursue and find answers to some of the great medical mysteries we face today," including cancer and diabetes. Bush's decision ends weeks of speculation about who might lead the sprawling health agency Bush also announced that he will name Tucson trauma surgeon Richard H. Carmona to be surgeon general. Both nominations need Senate confirmation. Johns Hopkins University President William R. Brody calls Zerhouni's nomination "outstanding." He says Zerhouni's
"mix ofclinical, scientific, and administrative abilities is particularly important during this period of significant growth in the NIH budget and rapid advances in biomedical science." Zerhouni's research has focused on the development of methods for imaging cardiopulmonary disease. For example, he developed the method of computed tomography (CT) densitometry for differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary nodules, high-resolution CT for lung disease, and magnetic resonance tagging for quantifying myocardial function. Zerhouni is able to "convince people with differing agendas to search for common ground," says Morton Goldberg, director ofthe Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. As a clinician, researcher, and businessman—who put together a radiology practice—he says, Zerhouni's "got the whole package."-WILLIAM SCHULZ
in a series of planned expansions that he wants to get under way within two years. Through the investment program, Pemex intends to strengthen its two key petrochemical complexes at Morelos and Cangrejera. Pemex will build one of two new polyethylene units at Morelos, where it will also expand ethylene and ethylene oxide output. A second new polyethylene petrochemical feedstocks in Mexico, would reform its feed- plant will be built at Cangrejera, stock pricing to allow long-term where the company is also excontracts in line with global panding ethylene and ethylene oxide capacity An existing low-dennorms. Beverido, who was tapped by sity polyethylene plant is already Mexican President Vicente Fox being expanded to 315,000 metric Quesada to lead a transformation tons. The company is also planin the Mexican petrochemical in- ning to expand aromatics reformdustry, admitted to being horri- ing there to 60,000 barrels per day fied by Pemex's failure to invest To help pay for the program, adequately "When I looked for Pemexplans to allowprivate-secthe result of the last 10 years," he tor partners to buy up to 49% of said, "I found nothing at all." its existing complexes, a formula New projects will help Pemex that investors have not found atrecover lost ground, Beverido tractive. However, there will be maintained. An ethylene cracker no restrictions on investment in and a styrene unit will be the first the new plants.-ALEX TULLO
PEMEX OUTLINES STRATEGY
Bold expansion plans may put Mexican petrochemicals back on track
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PEAKING AT THE NATIONAL
Petrochemical & Refiners Association's petrochemical conference in San Antonio last week, Rafael Beverido Lomelin, presBIG PLANS ident of Pemex PetMexico's Pemex is considering roqurmica, detailed a building spree a $1 billion expanCAPACITY sion program that is (METRIC LOCATION PRODUCT TONS) expected to evenCangrejera Polyethylene 300,000 tually cut Mexico's Sty re ne 500,000 $6 billion chemical 300,000 Morelos Polyethylene trade deficit in half. 140,000 Not yet set Benzene In addition, BeEthylene 1,200,000 verido pledged that p-Xylene 400,000 Pemex, which mainPolypropylene 300,000 tains a monopoly in 12
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