MDI Biological Laboratory
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Longtime MDI Bio Lab Leader Joins Board of Trustees

  • August 13, 2025
Patricia Hand, Ph.D., has been vital to the Lab’s evolution to year round training and research programs

Bar Harbor, Maine — Patricia Hand, Ph.D., has been elected to the MDI Biological Laboratory’s Board of Trustees, marking a new phase in her long history of service to the non-profit biomedical research and training institute.

Hand was the Laboratory’s Administrative Director from 2001 – 2016, a period marked by significant growth of federal, state and private funding for the formerly seasonal institution.

“Dr. Hand maintained our cohesion through three transitions in leadership,” noted Ed Benz Jr., M.D, Ph.D., the Board’s Vice-Chairman, as he nominated Hand at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation in late July.

“Her leadership was critical in our successful applications for and renewal of major federal grants, and our central role in the Maine INBRE network of research and educational institutions,” he continued. “She has earned deep respect from colleagues across the state, Maine government, NIH, and the Maine congressional delegation.”

Last year, Hand was honored with the W. Fred Taylor award for outstanding contributions to the National Institutes of Health’s Institutional Development Award program (IDeA).

MDI Bio Lab President Hermann Haller, M.D., said that thousands of Maine students and young faculty have benefited from Dr. Hand’s scientific vision and administrative brilliance.

“Thanks to her high standards and hard work, the Maine INBRE is a shining example of how well-placed federal investments can unlock a rural state’s potential for scientific achievement and competitiveness in the biomedical economy,” he said.

Hand called the new posting an honor. “I’m looking forward to contributing in any way possible to the Laboratory’s continued success,”  she said.