With this latest election of 65 new members, there are a total of 1,576 active members, more than 150 of them affiliated with UC. Five foreign associates also were elected.
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, law, engineering and the humanities.
"I congratulate these new members on this great honor," said UC President Mark G. Yudof. "Their election underscores the key role UC plays in advancing medical sciences and health care in California and around the world."
The newly elected UC members are:
-- José J. Escarce, M.D., Ph.D., senior natural scientist, RAND; and professor of medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
-- William A. Vega, Ph.D., professor, department of family medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
-- Terrence J. Sejnowski, Ph.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Francis Crick Professor, Salk Institute, La Jolla; and professor of biology and neurosciences, UC San Diego
-- Thomas S. Bodenheimer, M.D., M.P.H., professor and director, Center for Excellence in Primary Care, department of family and community medicine, School of Medicine, UC San Francisco
-- Doug Hanahan, Ph.D., professor, department of biochemistry and biophysics, member, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and member, Diabetes Center, UC San Francisco
-- Arnold R. Kriegstein, M.D., Ph.D., director, Institute for Regeneration Medicine, and professor of neurology, UC San Francisco
-- Michael M. Merzenich, Ph.D., professor emeritus of otolaryngology, and founding member, Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience, UC San Francisco
The Institute of Medicine is unique for its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the institute has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on human health issues.