Diabetes expert Rexford Ahima, who joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2016 as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest learned societies in the U.S. Membership in the academy is considered a career honor and recognizes individuals for their excellence and leadership, their distinction in working across disciplines, and their achievements in advancing the common good.
Image caption: Rexford Ahima
Ahima is among 269 scholars selected for membership in the academy this year across a range of disciplines in the mathematical and physical sciences; the biological sciences; the social and behavioral sciences; the humanities and arts; and leadership, policy, and communications. The academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, and others.
A world-renowned scientist with board certifications in internal medicine and in endocrinology/diabetes/metabolism, Ahima is known for uncovering connections between diabetes and obesity by studying the physiological mechanisms of obesity. He has faculty appointments in the university's schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, directs the School of Medicine's Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and leads the Johns Hopkins Diabetes Initiative.
Ahima earned an MD from the University of Ghana and a PhD from Tulane University in New Orleans. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among other recognitions and awards.
Posted in Health, University News
