Two HSPH Professors Honored With Election To Institute Of Medicine For Their Scientific Contributions

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 13 Oct 2009 - 18:00 PDT

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Two members of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) faculty have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on human health issues. Election to its membership is a high honor in the fields of health and medicine. Sue Goldie is Roger Irving Lee Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management at HSPH. Ichiro Kawachi is Chair of the HSPH Department of Society, Human Development, and Health.

Said Julio Frenk, Dean of Harvard School of Public Health: "In electing Professors Goldie and Kawachi, the Institute of Medicine has added two luminaries to its already distinguished ranks. Their work exemplifies how research can impact policy and the lives and health of many people."

Trained as a physician, decision scientist, and public health researcher, Goldie develops and validates models linking the basic biology of a disease and its epidemiology to population-based outcomes. She uses these models within a decision-analytic framework to synthesize evidence, identify influential knowledge gaps, and evaluate the benefits, risks, and cost-effectiveness of alternative preventive and treatment interventions. Among her areas of focus are viruses of major public health importance, such as human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, and hepatitis. Known to emphasize the critical importance of women's health, her most recent work includes the prevention of maternal mortality in low and middle-income countries. She has received numerous teaching and mentorship awards, including the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard University. She is a recipient of a MacArthur award for "genius and creativity" in applying the tools of decision science to combat major public health problems. She completed her residency at Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine, and graduate work at HSPH.

Kawachi has published widely on the social and economic determinants of population health, including the role of income distribution, social capital, and neighborhood contextual influences on health. He was the co-editor (with HSPH Professor Lisa Berkman) of the first textbook on Social Epidemiology, published by Oxford University Press in 2000. His books include The Health of Nations (The New Press, 2002) and Social Capital and Health (Springer, 2008). Kawachi currently serves as the Senior Editor (Social Epidemiology) of the international journal Social Science & Medicine, as well as an Editor of the American Journal of Epidemiology. He has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Kawachi has taught at HSPH since 1992. He received both his medical degree and Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Otago, New Zealand.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and accomplished individuals to the Institute of Medicine," said IOM President and former HSPH Dean Harvey V. Fineberg in a press release. "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."

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer a significant amount of time as members of IOM committees, which engage in a broad range of studies on health policy issues.

Source
Harvard School of Public Health

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