Five New IOM Inductees from CUMC
Five members of the Columbia University Medical Center community are among the newly elected members and associates of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine in the United States.
The 2012 IOM inductees from CUMC are:
SANDRO GALEA, M.D., Dr.PH. Anna Cheskis Gelman and Murray Charles Gelman Professor and chair, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health
Dr. Galea's research focuses on how determinants at multiple levels -- including policies, features of the social environment, molecular, and genetic factors -- jointly influence the health of urban populations. His research has documented the mental health consequences of mass trauma and conflict worldwide, including after the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, and the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Galea chairs the Community Services Board of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is a member of the New York City Health Board, and president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research.
GEORGE HRIPCSAK, M.D., M.S. Vivian Beaumont Allen Professor of Biomedical Informatics and chair, Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Dr. Hripcsak is a national leader in the creation and use of electronic health records. In the early 90s, Dr. Hripcsak led the effort to create the Arden Syntax, a language for representing health knowledge in computer systems that has become a national standard. His current research uses data mining techniques to capitalize on the clinical information stored in EHRs to improve patient safety and support clinical research. He is currently co-chair of the Meaningful Use Workgroup of HHS's Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology.
SALIM S. ABDOOL KARIM, M.Med., Ph.D., F.F.P.H.M. (named an IOM Foreign Associate) Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health; Director, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa
Dr. Abdool Karim is a leading HIV researcher focusing on microbicides and vaccines to prevent HIV infection, as well as implementation of antiretroviral therapy in resource-constrained settings. He led a landmark clinical trial of the vaginal microbicide tenofovir, finding that it significantly decreases the risk of contracting HIV in women who use it before sexual intercourse. He also led the first HIV vaccine trial in South Africa, and his clinical research on joint tuberculosis and HIV treatment was used by the World Health Organization as the basis for their treatment guidelines for co-infected patients. He also serves as head of the South African Medical Research Council.
TOM MANIATIS, Ph.D. Isidore S. Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Dr. Maniatis is one of the founders of molecular cloning, and the methods he pioneered for understanding gene expression have had a profound impact on biology, from advancing basic knowledge to creating new therapies to treat human genetic diseases. For this work, and his own research focusing on the way human genes are switched on and off in cells, Dr. Maniatis was awarded a 2012 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science.
STEVEN A. SIEGELBAUM, Ph.D. Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; professor of neuroscience and pharmacology and chair, Department of Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons
A member of the P&S faculty since 1981, Dr. Siegelbaum is a neuroscientist whose research is at the forefront of understanding the role of neural circuitry in learning, behavior and memory. Through investigation of the electrical properties of individual neurons and their synapses, he is uncovering how information flows through the brain's memory circuits and controls memory storage and recall. Earlier this year, Dr. Siegelbaum was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation's most prestigious and oldest honorary societies.
To read IOM’s press release about its new 2012 members and foreign associates, please click here or visit: http://www.iom.edu/Global/News%20Announcements/2012-New-Members.aspx.