President William R. Brody has announced that Thomas A. Etten, who joined Hopkins in March 1999 as executive director and assistant to the president for government relations, will be devoting full time to representing the Johns Hopkins Institutions in Washington, D.C.

"Tom's proven skills in effective lobbying at the federal government level and Hopkins' critically important needs there brought Tom and me to the conclusion that Hopkins needs to have him full time in Washington," Brody said. With the new administration, Brody noted, Hopkins must have a focused Washington presence. Hopkins, he said, has an opportunity, along with colleague universities, to affect the intrusive regulatory environment imposed on research institutions and those delivering health care.

"Tom has proven his effectiveness in Washington on many occasions," Brody continued. "It is important for Tom to help me and Hopkins' other senior leaders to establish and maintain the relationships necessary for us to influence the development of science, health care and general higher education policy."

Etten said, "I am pleased to focus my time solely on representing Hopkins in Washington. Hopkins is such a strong force in research and health care that I welcome the opportunity to devote all my efforts to promoting its interests in the arena with which I am most familiar and comfortable."

Before joining Hopkins, Etten was director of federal relations at the University of Minnesota, where he worked with Brody, then provost of Minnesota's Academic Health Center, on such issues as health research funding and graduate medical education. Previously he was director of legislative affairs at Penn State and spent nine years on the staff of Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., then chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.