Endocrine Society members Rexford Ahima, MD, PhD, Myles Brown, MD, Nancy Carrasco, MD, Mark Evers, MD, and Joel Hirschhorn, MD, PhD, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
They are five of the 90 regular members and 10 international members who were announced on October 19 at NAM’s annual meeting.
Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, healthcare, and public health.
- Ahima is a professor of medicine, public health, and nursing, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Diabetes, and director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He was honored for innovative laboratory and translational studies that have elucidated the pathophysiology and potential therapies for obesity, diabetes, and related diseases.
- Brown is the Emil Frei III Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and director of the Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. He was honored for his leadership in oncology and endocrinology, and whose seminal contributions have fundamentally reformulated the mechanistic understanding of hormone dependence of breast and prostate cancers, enabling the development of new therapies for these diseases.
- Carrasco is the professor and chair of molecular physiology and biophysics, and Joe C. Davis Chair of Biomedical Science, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn. She was honored for making exceptional contributions to elucidating mechanisms by which ions and other solutes are transported across biological membranes. Her work has broad impact and significance across biomedical fields ranging from biophysics and molecular physiology to cancer, metabolism, molecular endocrinology, and public health.
- Evers is the director, Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center; physician-in-chief of Oncology Service Line, UK Healthcare; professor and vice chair for research, department of surgery; and Markey Cancer Foundation Endowed Chair, University of Kentucky, Lexington. He was honored for his expertise on intestinal hormones and hormonal arcades in oncogenesis. His seminal insights defined the role of gut hormones on normal physiology and metabolism, pioneering innovative understanding of neuroendocrine cell biology and the role of neurohormonal pathways in the development and progression of neuroendocrine tumors.
- Hirschhorn is the chief, Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children’s Hospital; Concordia Professor of Pediatrics and professor of genetics, Harvard Medical School; and member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston. He was honored for his development of methods and standards for performing and interpreting genome-wide association studies. He leads the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium, which identified most currently known loci associated with stature and obesity.
“This distinguished and diverse class of new members is a truly exceptional group of scholars and leaders whose expertise in science, medicine, health, and policy will be integral to helping the NAM address today’s most pressing health challenges and inform the future of health and health care for the benefit of everyone around the globe,” says National Academy of Medicine president Victor J. Dzau. “It is my privilege to welcome these esteemed individuals to the National Academy of Medicine.”
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.
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