Newswise — The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has elected into its membership Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FAAP, The George Washington University Walter G. Ross Professor, chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, and professor of global health. Membership to this prestigious institution is granted on the basis of professional achievement and of demonstrated interest, concern, and involvement with problems and critical issues that affect the health of the public.
"It is a true honor to be elected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine. I look forward to representing the University as I fulfill the commitments of membership and become an active contributor to the institute," said Dr. Hotez.
The Institute of Medicine is part of the National Academy of Sciences, which was created in 1970 by a Congressional charter. It is broadly based in the biomedical sciences and health professions, as well as related aspects of the behavioral and social sciences, humanities, administration, law, the physical sciences and engineering. The Institute of Medicine is concerned with the protection and advancement of the health professions and sciences, the promotion of research and development pertinent to health, and the improvement of health care.
"Dr. Hotez's selection to the Institute of Medicine recognizes his valuable contributions to international medicine and the body of research on tropical diseases," said GW President Steven Knapp. "His dedication to both the medical profession and the University are exemplary."
In addition to his faculty positions, Dr. Hotez is director of the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative, a partnership between GW and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, which is developing a new recombinant hookworm vaccine to prevent hookworm anemia and disease in children, and ultimately pregnant women.
Dr. Hotez also is co-founder of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control and president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. He is an inventor on two international patents on hookworm vaccines and serves as editor-in-chief of the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. A featured speaker at three Clinton Global Initiative conferences, Dr. Hotez also was recently elected to the Medical Mission Hall of Fame. In addition, he is an author on 250 publications, a past recipient of the Leverhulme Medal of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Bailey K. Ashford Medal of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the Henry Baldwin Ward Medal of the American Society of Parasitologists.
"Dr. Hotez's contributions to medicine are extremely important, as they have touched the lives of so many people. His research has an immediate and dramatic impact on improving the human condition, especially for people who endure the burden of neglected tropical diseases," said John F. Williams, MD, EdD, MPH, provost and vice president for health affairs.
Dr. Hotez's membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies was effective, October 1, 2008. He will be formally welcomed to the Institute on Oct. 13, 2009, in conjunction with the IOM's annual meeting.
The University has several faculty who are members of national academies. In addition to Dr. Hotez, five other GW faculty are members of the Institute of Medicine: Jordan J. Cohen, professor of medicine and public health; Amitai Etzioni, University Professor; Vanessa Northington Gamble, University Professor of Medical Humanities; Frederick K. Goodwin, research professor; and Fitzhugh Mullan, Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy. GW also has three faculty who are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Alison Spense Brooks, professor of Anthropology; James Horton, Benjamin Banneker Professor Emeritus of American Studies and of History; and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service.
The George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1824. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11tholdest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation's capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.; and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent faculty practice plan.
For more information on the GW Medical Center, visit http://www.gwumc.edu.
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