Four University of California faculty are among the 65 new members elected to the National Academies' Institute of Medicine.

With this latest election, there are a total of 1,538 active members, 163 of them affiliated with UC.

Membership in the Institute of Medicine is considered one of the highest honors bestowed to professionals in the fields of medicine and health. Chosen by current active members, candidates undergo a highly selective process and are nominated based on their professional achievements and commitment to service.

The Institute of Medicine includes a diversity of talent, as its charter requires that at least one quarter of the membership selected be from outside the health professions, in fields such as the social sciences, administration, engineering and the humanities.

Johns Hopkins had six new members and Harvard five, followed by UC, Stanford and the University of Texas with four each in the election, which also included four foreign associates from two countries.

The four new UC members include two cancer researchers, a chief of emergency medicine and a neurology professor.

"I congratulate these new members on their accomplishments and their dedication to public service," said UC Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Health Affairs Wyatt R. Hume. "Their election reflects the critical role UC plays in advancing medical sciences and improving human health."

The newly elected UC members are:

UCLA

-- Patricia A. Ganz, M.D., professor of health services, School of Public Health; professor of medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine; and director, cancer prevention and control research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

UC San Diego

-- Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., director, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; and distinguished professor

UC San Francisco

-- Michael L. Callaham, M.D., chief, division of emergency medicine, UC San Francisco Medical Center

-- Louis J. Ptacek, M.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and John C. Coleman Distinguished Professor of Neurology

The Institute of Medicine was chartered in 1970 as a component of the National Academy of Sciences to be both an honorific membership organization and a nonprofit advisory organization.

Its purpose is to work outside the framework of government to ensure scientifically informed analysis and independent recommendations to the nation's policy makers, professionals and leaders in the areas of health and science.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine: www.iom.edu