Ten researchers from Harvard Medical School have been elected members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Membership is extended to individuals who have made major contributions to advancing medical science, health care, or public health. Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine. The new members’ “leadership and expertise will be essential to helping the NAM tackle today’s urgent health challenges, inform the future of health care, and ensure health equity for the benefit of all around the globe,” NAM president Victor Dzau said.

The newly elected members from HMS are:

• Bradley Bernstein, professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS and professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in recognition of contributions to the understanding of chromatin structure and function.
• Maurizio Fava, the Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital and associate dean of clinical and translational research at HMS, in recognition of contributions to the development of many novel antidepressant compounds.
• David Grabowski, professor of health care policy in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, in recognition of his leadership in and contributions to the field of health economics and his work on the determinants of COVID-19 in nursing home deaths, which resulted in policy changes.
• Ursula Kaiser, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in recognition of international leadership in reproductive neuroendocrinology, including the unraveling of genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling pubertal timing and gonadotropin-releasing hormone activation and the regulation of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone secretion.
• Jeannie Lee, HMS professor of genetics at Mass General, in recognition of research that has been central for understanding the roles of non-coding RNA in gene regulation, including work using X-chromosome inactivation as a model that has uncovered potential therapeutics for diseases such as autism spectrum disorders, Rett syndrome, and fragile X syndrome.
• Lois Lee, HMS associate professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, in recognition of foundational research on firearm injuries and being the lead author for the American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 Technical Report/Policy Statement on pediatric firearm injury prevention, leading to thousands of prevented injuries.
• Mustafa Sahin, HMS professor of neurology at Boston Children’s, in recognition of work in the neurobiology of autism and pioneering translational studies for neurogenetic disorders, including identifying the mechanisms by which tuberous sclerosis leads to neuronal miswiring, leading to the identification of potential therapies.
• Timothy Springer, the HMS Latham Family Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Boston Children’s, in recognition of research on receptor-ligand interactions and transmembrane signal transmission relevant to immunology, hemostasis, and human disease.
• Rudolph Emile Tanzi, the HMS Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Child Neurology and Mental Retardation at Mass General, in recognition of work in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, neurogenetics, and translating pathogenetic mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases into novel therapeutics.
• Yi Zhang, HMS professor of genetics and the Fred S. Rosen Professor of Pediatrics at HMS and Boston Children’s, in recognition of fundamental contributions to epigenetics through systematic identification and characterization of chromatin-modifying enzymes, one aspect of which has led to a drug approved for epithelioid sarcoma and follicular lymphoma.

Refer to the HMS News & Research News Blurb for More Information