Two Cincinnati Children's Physicians Elected To Prestigious Institute of Medicine

Monday, October 15, 2007

Arnold Strauss, MD, chair of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, and Alan Jobe, MD, PhD, director of perinatal biology at Cincinnati Children's, have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Election to the IOM is one of the most prestigious honors in medicine.

The IOM 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. With their election, members make a commitment to devote a significant amount of volunteer time as members of IOM committees, which engage in a broad range of studies on health policy issues.

Current active members elect new members from among candidates nominated for their professional achievement and commitment to service. An unusual diversity of talent is assured by the Institute's charter, which stipulates that at least one-quarter of the membership be selected from outside the health professions, from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as law, administration, engineering, and the humanities.

The Institute of Medicine named 65 new members, raising its total active membership to 1,538.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and influential individuals to the Institute of Medicine," said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. "Members are elected through a highly selective process that recognizes people who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Election is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health."

Dr. Strauss came to Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in May from Vanderbilt University, where he had been chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and medical director of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. He is the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards in research. In November 2006 he was awarded the American Heart Association's Basic Science Research Award for groundbreaking work that led to finding genetic defects that can cause heart failure and sudden death in infants and children. In 1991 he received the E. Mead Johnson Award for Excellence in Pediatric Research.

Dr. Jobe joined Cincinnati Children's in 1997. His research focuses on lung development and lung injury, with the goal of understanding the pathophysiology and treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Dr. Jobe won the E. Mead Johnson Research Award in 1986, served as president of the Society for Pediatric Research in 1990, has been an associate editor of the Journal of Pediatrics since 1997 and has served on the editorial board of Biology of the Neonate since 1986.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the top five children's hospitals in the nation, according to Child magazine, is a 475-bed institution devoted to changing the outcome for children around the world. Cincinnati Children's is dedicated to providing care that is timely, efficient, effective, family-centered, equitable and safe. For its efforts to transform the way healthcare is provided, Cincinnati Children's received the 2006 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize. Cincinnati Children's ranks second nationally among all pediatric centers in research grants from the National Institutes of Health and is a teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The Cincinnati Children's vision is to be the leader in improving child health. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.