Filmmakers have the Oscars. The authors have the Pulitzer. For doctors and researchers, it’s the National Academy of Medicine.
Now, four University of Colorado Anschutz faculty members have been elected to the private, nonprofit institution, the organization announced Monday.
On the list are physician-scientist Lilia Cervantes, bioethics expert Matthew Wynia, emergency physician Vik Bebarta and health policy expert Lauren Hughes. All are doctors.
“It’s quite an honor,” Bebarta admitted in an email. He also highlighted notable companies in this year’s class: two Nobel Prize winners, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the director of the National Cancer Institute, the president of Mass General, the CEO of Seattle Children’s and the president of St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Having four on the roster is like the Broncos having four first-team Pro Bowlers in one year.
The academy has only chosen one person per year from CU Anschutz over the past five years, according to a spokesperson. America’s research powerhouses, like Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Harvard, typically have only two or three professors elected each year, she said.
The academy welcomes up to 100 new members each year. This includes up to 90 regular members and 10 international members. Its total body numbers more than 2,400 people. New members are elected by current members “through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of medical science, health care, and public health,” according to its website.
“Depth of talent”
“This is an extraordinary moment for CU Anschutz,” Don Elliman, its chancellor, said in the school’s announcement. “Election to the National Academy of Medicine is one of the highest honors in medicine and science. The recognition of four of our faculty in the same year is a testament to the importance of their contributions and the exceptional depth of talent on our campus.”
“Behind every election to the National Academy of Medicine is a body of work that has made a significant difference in the field,” said Dr. John H. Sampson, dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine.
There is no cash prize, but the distinction provides lifetime membership in a network of leaders in science, medicine and other fields such as engineering, social sciences, law and engineering. And it gives them the opportunity to promote the issues to which they have devoted their careers.
A great honor
“I am incredibly honored by this recognition,” said Hughes, whose work focuses on strengthening health systems and improving access to high-quality care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
“I look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity to continue to shape state and federal policy to improve primary care and rural health in Colorado and nationally,” said Hughes, a family physician who was both a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation clinical fellow and a Robert Graham Center scholar.
Last year, she shared her experience as a patient faced with a surprise $64,000 bill for ankle surgery, plus a hospital stay.
Cervantes has dedicated his career to exposing inequities in kidney care for undocumented immigrants. Some of his recent research has highlighted the impact of federal immigration policies on physicians treating immigrant populations.
Meeting a patient named Hilda, an undocumented mother with kidney failure and young children, “transformed my life and career,” Cervantes said via email.
Hilda had to go to a hospital emergency room to receive dialysis because she did not have access to government insurance. She later died, but Hilda inspired Cervantes to continue her research and publish a study that helped inform health care providers and policy makers. Colorado Medicaid changed its policy in 2019, and more than 20 states have since changed theirs, providing additional coverage, she said.
She said she would use National Academy membership to advocate for patients and communities. “The families I have worked with have never lacked the courage to push for change,” she said. “What they have too often lacked is that we are sufficiently at their side. »
Reflection of meaningful work
Bebarta is chair of emergency medicine and founding director of the CU Anschutz Combat Medicine Research Center, according to CU Anschutz. He is also a colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. He served as a military medic in Afghanistan, Iraq and Jordan and studied treatments for chemical weapons exposure. His work has focused on transforming scientific discoveries into practical innovations to care for military personnel and civilians.
“This recognition reflects the work of many incredible teams I have had the privilege to serve alongside, from military medicine and combat deployments to our emergency services and research programs at CU Anschutz,” Bebarta said via email.
He said he saw NAM’s membership as a call for more service. “We have real opportunities to improve how we care for patients, especially in emergency and trauma care, where decisions made in minutes can change lives. I want to use this opportunity to strengthen partnerships between military and civilian medicine, accelerate patient care research, and help shape national health priorities.”
Ethics in health work
Wynia directs the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Coloradans heard him speak about ethical dilemmas in medicine and scientific issues ranging from medical treatments and costs to opioids to medical decision-making during the pandemic.
“Being elected is a tremendous honor, and it made me realize that no one gets this type of recognition on their own,” Wynia said in an email. He said it’s encouraging that the academy is electing people who work on issues related to ethics and equity in health care.
“To be frank, it’s been a tough few years for people who work in health care ethics,” he said. “Some people in positions of power argue that values like empathy and compassion are weak, woke, or naive, and they have used this self-serving philosophy to justify turning our backs on people when they need our help most. »
He said that a self-first philosophy is not good for medicine.
“Medicine is about serving others when they are most vulnerable, and many in my field know that empathy and compassion are values that are born from strength, not weakness,” Wynia said, noting that this recognition shows that these core values are still celebrated among healthcare professionals.
Editor’s Note: CU Anschutz is a financial supporter of CPR News and KRCC. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
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