Four Johns Hopkins University faculty members are among 90 new members selected to join the National Academy of Medicine, considered to be among the highest career honors for those in the fields of health and medicine. Colleen Barry, Sharon Gerecht, Elizabeth Jaffee, and Dorry Segev were selected for membership based on their outstanding professional achievement and their commitment to service.
The NAM collaborates with the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering to provide independent and objective analysis to the U.S. government and the international community on critical issues relating to the medical sciences, health care, and public health. New members are elected by current members through a selective process that stipulates that at least one-quarter of the organization is made up of individuals from fields outside the health professions. The newly elected members announced today bring NAM's total membership to more than 2,200 and the number of international members to approximately 180.
"These newly elected members represent the most exceptional scholars and leaders whose remarkable work has advanced science, medicine, and health in the U.S. and around the globe," said NAM President Victor J. Dzau in a message accompanying the announcement of new members. "Their expertise will be vital to addressing today's most pressing health and scientific challenges and informing the future of health and medicine for the benefit of us all. I am honored to welcome these esteemed individuals to the National Academy of Medicine."
More on the new members from Johns Hopkins:
Colleen L. Barry, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, was selected for her scholarly work on developing and measuring the impact of policies that support mental health and combat addiction. She is co-director of the Bloomberg School's Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy Research and works to show how governmental policies affect patients' access to health care and social services and the mortality rates for people with mental illness and addiction.
Sharon Gerecht is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering and director of the Institute for NanoBioTechnology. She was recognized for her seminal studies on the interactions between stem cells and their microenvironments. She was also selected for membership for engineering artificial cell microenvironments that are capable of guiding vascular differentiation and the regeneration of tissues.
Elizabeth M. Jaffee, a professor of oncology and deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, is an international leader in the development of immune based therapies for pancreatic and breast cancers. She was selected for membership to NAM on the strength of her work elucidating the complex interactions between T-cell subsets and cancer and for translating those findings into two generations of vaccine platforms.
Dorry L. Segev, professor of surgery and epidemiology and associate vice chair of the Department of Surgery at the School of Medicine, was selected for his pioneering work developing HIV-to-HIV transplants and kidney exchange. He was recognized for his contributions to the field that included initial research, a congressional bill, studies on implementation, and an examination of the national clinical impact of such transplants. His work has changed the landscape of understanding transplant risk prediction through novel big data approaches.
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