We have known and worked with Dr. Gil Ross for various periods of time during his almost eight years at the American Council on Science and Health. Some of us have worked with Gil during his entire tenure, others for shorter periods. We are unanimous in our support for him personally and in our enthusiasm about his performance at ACSH.
As a professional colleague whose goals are to communicate science-based messages about health issues to the public -- thereby making individuals more knowledgeable and empowered -- Gil has worked tirelessly and effectively, and has consistently displayed the highest standards of scholarship and ethics. He has supervised the scientific output of our organization, leading to the high level of respect and credibility enjoyed by ACSH with both the media and public. He has worked with the ACSH staff collegially, and with the numerous young people who come and go at ACSH, each one gaining from his mentorship in many ways. Our "graduates" now study and work in widespread areas, a tribute to ACSH under Gil's leadership. His interactions with us, his senior colleagues, have been marked by civility, collaboration, and warmth.
The negative and unprovoked attack on him by the fringe magazine Mother Jones is a deplorable maneuver by those who reject our message of sound science as the basis for public policy and individual action. Unable to discredit our work, which is meticulously peer-reviewed, they have resorted to ad hominem attacks, hoping to distract the public from the bankruptcy of their own agenda. They will not succeed. Dr. Ross's achievements are a testament to the hopeful message of giving someone "a second chance." We stand behind Gil Ross and his accomplishments -- past, present, and future -- in the service of public health. He is living proof that in American life, there are second acts.
