PHILADELPHIA — Seven University of Pennsylvania faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the nation's highest honors in biomedicine. They are among 70 new U.S. and 10 international members of the globally renowned organization.
The Academy, formerly the Institute of Medicine, was established in 1970 to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for their accomplishments and contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. The newly elected members bring the Academy’s total membership to 2,127 and the number of international members to 172. With five new members, Penn Medicine’s total membership in NAM is now 66.
The new Penn inductees are:
Lewis A. Chodosh, MD, PhD is chair of the department of Cancer Biology; professor of Medicine; associate director for basic science, Abramson Cancer Center; and co-director of the 2-PREVENT Translational Center of Excellence, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on mechanisms of cancer progression using basic, translational, and clinical approaches, with an emphasis on preventing and treating breast cancer recurrence. Particular areas of interest include: pathways regulating cancer development, metastasis, tumor dormancy and recurrence, the use of genomics and computational approaches to understand genetic programs in cancer, the effect of obesity on cancer recurrence, how pregnancy protects against breast cancer, and the use of non-invasive imaging approaches to study tumor biology. He is editor-in-chief of
Breast Cancer Research and serves on the scientific advisory boards of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Harvard Nurses' Health Studies I and II.
Christos Coutifaris, MD, PhD, is the Celso Ramon Garcia Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and chief of the division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular basis of human trophoblast function and abnormal development of the placenta. (The trophoblast supplies the embryo with nourishment). He has served on and chaired many federal advisory committees and review panels and is chair of the oversight committee for the perinatal research branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He was president of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and on the executive board of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He is president-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD, is the Ruth Metzler Professor and chair of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is on the neurobiology and pharmacologic treatment of mood disorders, with an emphasis on suicidal behavior and global mental health. She is internationally recognized for using PET and MRI to map brain abnormalities in mood disorders and suicidal behavior. She is president of the International Academy of Suicide Research, serves on the National Institute of Mental Health’s Advisory Council, and is past president of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatrists. She has received more than a dozen professional awards, most recently the American College of Psychiatrists’ Award for Mood Disorders Research.
Michael S. Parmacek, MD, is the Frank Wister Thomas Professor of Medicine and chair of the department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He has made key discoveries for understanding the molecular and genetic basis of congenital heart disease, atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysm and dissection, and heart failure. He has published in such journals as
Science, the
New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and
Genes and Development. He was president of the Association of Professors of Cardiology; elected as fellow and established investigator by the American Heart Association and fellow by the American College of Cardiology; served on the Advisory Council of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and was founding director of Penn’s nationally renowned Cardiovascular Institute.
Therese S. Richmond, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, is the Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing and associate dean for research and innovation, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania. An international leader in injury science, Richmond conducts research on the psychological effects of injuries in order to reduce disability, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with a goal of improving recovery and overall quality of life. She targets low-resource urban populations, which experience a disproportionate share of injuries and violence. Her pioneering work has demonstrated that the psychological effects of trauma, rather than physical injury alone, can dramatically affect quality and pace of recovery. Her professional recognition includes selection to the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame and receipt of the American Association of Critical Care Nursing/GE Healthcare Pioneering Spirit Award.
Dorothy E. Roberts, J.D., is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with joint appointments in the Departments of Africana Studies and Sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences and the Law School where she holds the inaugural Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander chair. Roberts, an acclaimed scholar of race, gender, and the law, focuses on issues in health, social justice, and bioethics, especially as they affect the lives of women, children, and African-Americans. She is the author of four books and more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters, as well as co-editor of six books on such topics as constitutional law, and women and the law. She serves on the board of directors of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Recent recognition of her work includes the Society of Family Planning 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award and American Psychiatric Association 2015 Solomon Carter Fuller Award.
Flaura K. Winston, MD, PhD, is distinguished chair of the department of Pediatrics, and founder and scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is also a professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research includes improving child-passenger safety, preventing teen and young-driver crashes, and addressing post-traumatic stress after injury. Her work has led to patents and a startup company, Diagnostic Driving, Inc., which provides virtual driving assessments to corporate fleets, universities, and other organizations; it is being used in driver licensing centers in the state of Ohio. She is associate editor of
Injury Prevention; has served on several U.S. federal study sections, committees, and advisory panels; and held executive committee positions with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Secretariat for the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.