PEMBROKE, Bermuda, March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Darwin National Assurance Company, a member company of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd , today announced that Sue Chmieleski, Senior Vice President, Risk Management, will moderate a panel at the PLUS Medical Symposium held on March 24 and 25 in Chicago, Illinois. The panel, titled "Do You Know Where Your Tissue/Organ/Medical Device Has Been? Exploring the Risks of Contaminated Medical Products," will take place on Tuesday, March 24. Ms. Chmieleski was a panelist at the PLUS Medical Symposium in 2008 and 2007, and also co-teaches the Medical Professional Liability modules at PLUS University.

Ms. Chmieleski is responsible for the development of products for healthcare-related business and client and risk management services for all Allied World U.S. products of which Darwin is a part. She provides consulting and client services to policyholders, helping them assess and manage their organizational risk. Ms. Chmieleski has written numerous comprehensive education tools and brochures and is author of many published risk management articles.

Ms. Chmieleski obtained her Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Hartford. She earned her JD degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Connecticut Law Journal. Ms. Chmieleski holds Connecticut Law and Nursing Licenses and is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.

About Darwin and Allied World Assurance Company

Darwin, a Farmington, CT-based specialty insurance group focused on the professional liability insurance market, underwrites errors and omissions liability insurance, medical malpractice liability insurance and other specialty coverages. Darwin member companies (Darwin National Assurance and Darwin Select Insurance) are subsidiaries of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd, a global provider of innovative property, casualty and specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions, offering superior client service through offices in Bermuda, the United States and Europe. Allied World's insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries are rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. For further information on Darwin and Allied World, please visit our websites at www.darwinpro.com and www.awac.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any forward-looking statements made in this press release reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in these statements. For example, our forward-looking statements could be affected by the ability to recognize the benefits of the Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. acquisition; pricing and policy term trends; increased competition; the impact of acts of terrorism and acts of war; greater frequency or severity of unpredictable catastrophic events; investigations of market practices and related settlement terms; negative rating agency actions; the adequacy of our loss reserves; the company or its subsidiaries becoming subject to significant income taxes in the United States or elsewhere; changes in regulations or tax laws; changes in the availability, cost or quality of reinsurance or retrocessional coverage; adverse general economic conditions including those related to the ongoing financial crisis; and judicial, legislative, political and other governmental developments, as well as management's response to these factors, and other factors identified in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or revise any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.