Five School of Medicine researchers and Nursing School Dean Margaret Grey Named to Institute of Medicine

Six researchers from Yale Schools of Medicine and Nursing, including Nursing School Dean Margaret Grey, have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, it was announced today.

Also elected were Kelly Brownell, chair and professor of psychology and director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity; Pietro De Camilli, M.D., investigator Howard Hughes Medical Institute and professor, Department of Cell Biology; Joseph Schlessinger, professor and chair Department of Pharmacology; Gerald Shulman, M.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and professor Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology; and Joan Steitz, Sterling Professor, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry.

The Yale researchers are among 64 new members elected to the IOM. Five individuals also were elected to foreign associate membership. The IOM was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to honor professional achievement in the health sciences and to serve as a national resource for independent analysis and recommendations on issues related to medicine, biomedical sciences, and health.

“Election recognizes those who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health,” said IOM President Harvey Fineberg. “It is considered one of the highest honors in these fields.”

Current active members elect new members from a slate of candidates nominated for their professional achievement. A diversity of talent among members is assured by the Institute’s charter, which requires that at least one-quarter be selected from fields outside the health professions, such as the social and behavioral sciences, law, engineering, and the humanities.

With their election, members make a commitment to involve themselves in the work of the Institute, which conducts studies and other activities addressing a wide range of issues in medical science, health service, public health, and health policy. Some current studies are a project to recommend appropriate nutritional standards for foods sold in schools, an evaluation of the nation’s system for ensuring the safety of prescription drugs after they have reached the market, and an assessment of emergency health care in the United States and recommendations for improving it.