IOM Elects 65 Members

The Institute of Medicine elected 65 new members and four foreign associates to its prestigious ranks at its 40th annual meeting this week in Washington, DC.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and accomplished individuals to the Institute of Medicine," IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg said in a statement to media. "Each of these new members stands out as a professional whose research, knowledge, and skills have significantly advanced health and medicine and who has served as a model for others. The Institute of Medicine is greatly enriched by the addition of our newly elected colleagues."

A complete list of the new members and associates can be found at the IOM Web site.

New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes people who have advanced the medical sciences, healthcare, and public health. IOM stipulates that at least one-quarter of its members be selected from outside the health professions, from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; law; engineering; and the humanities. The new members raise the IOM's active membership to 1,649 and 96 foreign associates. With 72 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 1,817.

The members make a commitment to volunteer on IOM committees, boards, and other activities. Projects completed during the past year include studies on the cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke, nutrition standards for the federal school meals programs, prevention and control of viral hepatitis, strategies to reduce hypertension and sodium intake, and a major summit on integrative medicine.

Also this week, IOM announced that it has received a $2 million gift to establish the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fund and create an endowed executive officer position. IOM's current executive officer, Judy A. Salerno, will be the first to hold the position. The gift comes from Schaeffer, an IOM member and founding chairman/CEO WellPoint Inc., and his wife. The money will be used to support core expenses and program activities, such as the convening of studies, production of workshops, and communication of IOM?s findings and recommendations.