National Academy of Medicine elects three faculty members to its ranks

Three UC Berkeley faculty members were elected this week to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine.

The three new members are John Kuriyan, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry; Barbara Meyer, a professor of molecular and cell biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and Hector Rodriguez, the Henry J. Kaiser Endowed Chair in the School of Public Health. Their election brings the total number of NAM members at UC Berkeley, both active and retired, to 16.

Membership in the academy recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. The three UC Berkeley faculty honored were among 75 new U.S. members and 10 international members announced at the organization’s annual meeting.

Kuriyan was cited “for pioneering contributions to understanding the regulation of eukaryotic cell signaling by proteins such as Src-family kinases, and for determining the structural and molecular origin of the specificity of the first precision medicine, the cancer drug Gleevec.”

Meyer was honored “for groundbreaking work on chromosome dynamics that impact gene expression, development and heredity using the nematode as a model organism.”

Rodriguez was cited “for integrating organization science theories and methods to assess the impact of health care teams and primary care reorganization on patient engagement, patient experience of care and outcomes particularly for vulnerable populations.”
 
The National Academy of Medicine was established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, and is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields, including health and medicine and the natural, social and behavioral sciences. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community.