BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced that President and CEO Preston W. Campbell, MD, plans to retire at the end of 2019. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees has selected Michael P. Boyle, MD, currently Senior Vice President, Therapeutics Development at the CF Foundation, and former director of the Johns Hopkins Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program to succeed Dr. Campbell as President and CEO. The two will work closely together during the transition period preceding Dr. Boyle’s appointment on Jan. 1, 2020.

Dr. Campbell has dedicated his career to expanding opportunities for people with CF to live longer and healthier lives and fostering hope for all who are touched by the disease. He has served in a leadership position at the CF Foundation for more than 20 years, including President and CEO since 2015. Over the course of his career, the average life expectancy for a person with CF has increased by more than 15 years, the number of adults has surpassed the number of children with the disease, and the CF Foundation has enabled the research and development of multiple therapies to improve the lives of people with CF.

“Preston’s tireless commitment to people with CF has been essential to the amazing progress we have achieved in the treatment of this disease,” said Catherine C. McLoud, chair of the CF Foundation Board of Trustees. “He has played an instrumental role in advancing research and care, leading with heart while attracting world-class talent to the Foundation and the field of CF, and investing in programs to support and engage all people with the disease. As we look to the future, we are confident Mike will continue to accelerate that progress, furthering transformational science, care, and programs to meet the needs of people with CF and their families.”

“It has been an honor to lead the CF Foundation and to stand alongside people with CF and their families in the relentless pursuit of our mission, and I believe that now is the right time for a leadership change,” said Preston W. Campbell, MD. “Today, we are on the cusp of advances in treatment that are the result of decades of hard work, collaboration, and commitment by the CF community. The best is yet to come in CF, and there is no one better prepared to lead the CF Foundation in achieving our ultimate goal of a cure than Mike Boyle.”

In his current role at the CF Foundation, Dr. Boyle oversees the clinical development programs of new treatments, as well as the Foundation's Therapeutic Development Network of 92 academic research centers. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Boyle served as founding director of the Johns Hopkins Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program from 1999 to 2015. He is internationally recognized for his clinical research supporting the development of CFTR modulators and his impact on improving care for adults with CF.

“Since its inception, the CF Foundation has been a powerful engine of progress in CF, shaping and powering advances in medical innovation and care that are helping people with CF to live longer, fuller lives than ever before,” said Michael P. Boyle, MD. “Still there is much to be done in our work to support best health for each and every person with CF and illuminate the path to a cure. I am honored by this opportunity to serve the CF community and partner with people with CF, their families, and our outstanding team at the CF Foundation to chart our course for the future.”

About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, visit cff.org.