Six Penn faculty elected to National Academy of Medicine

Six experts from the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the nation’s highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Leaders in the fields of genetics, anesthesiology, veterinary medicine, and reproductive health are among the 100 new members elected by current NAM members.

This year’s new members include:

Marisa S. Bartolomei, PhD, the Perelman Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and director of the Center of Women's Health and Reproductive Medicine

• Bartolomei was elected for research identifying one of the first imprinted genes, a rare class of genes essential for development and human health. She defined imprinting regulation and provided insights into mechanisms of imprinted gene dysregulation and associated clinical disorders.

Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD, the Lee Fleisher Professor and vice chair for research of the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care 

• Kelz was named for research which included the discovery that the induction of and emergence from general anesthesia have distinct neural mechanisms. He also identified the phenomenon and mechanism of sex differences in anesthetic sensitivity. These discoveries have improved clinical care and led to innovative approaches to enhance recovery for surgical patients.

Meghan Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP, an adjunct professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care in the Perelman School of Medicine and the E.M. Papper Professor and chair of Anesthesiology of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University 

• Lane-Fall was recognized for her expertise on the application of implementation science to maternal health research. Her NIH-funded research combines the science of organizational behavior change with human factors engineering to drive equity improvements in maternal care and outcomes in acute and community settings across the United States.

Nicola J. Mason, BVetMed, PhD, DACVIM (internal medicine), FRCVS, the Paul A. James and Charles A. Gilmore Endowed Chair Professor and a professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine 

• Mason was named for her comparative research within the One Health initiative that has enabled maximum leverage of pet dogs with spontaneous diseases to inform human translation. Her clinical and translational work in client-owned canine patients with vaccines, cellular and gene therapies, and monoclonal antibodies has led to therapeutic advances in both veterinary and human medicine.

Courtney A. Schreiber, MD, MPH, the Stuart and Emily B.H. Mudd Professor in Human Behavior and Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine 

• Schreiber was recognized for research that has improved miscarriage care through mifepristone pretreatment, eliminating unnecessary Rh testing, and redesigning early pregnancy services via the PEACE model. Her exemplary leadership in complex family planning established board certification and a national subspecialist workforce, advancing evidence-based care and health equity worldwide.

Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH, ML, MRA, Barry J. Gertz Professor for Translational Research, and Co-Director, of the Penn Medicine/CHOP Orphan Disease Center

• Musunuru is recognized for the discovery of multiple novel genes and mechanisms involved in cardiovascular diseases, followed by pioneering work in creating somatic gene-editing therapies, contributing to the first demonstration of therapeutic base editing in human patients and the development of the first bespoke gene-editing therapy administered to an individual patient.

The newest NAM members from Penn bring the university’s membership in the prestigious group of health care thought leaders, clinicians, and researchers to 124 total.