Two Columbia Faculty Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Two faculty in the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons—Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, and Brent R. Stockwell, PhD—have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Both also are members of Columbia's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The National Academy of Medicine also honored Linda P. Fried, MD, dean of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Edward Shortliffe, MD, PhD, adjunct professor and former chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics. Fried received the David Rall Medal, given to a member who has demonstrated distinguished leadership in research. Fried was recognized alongside John E.I. Wong, PhD, executive director of the Center for Population Health in the National University of Singapore, for the remarkable success of the academy’s first Grand Challenge, the Global Roadmap for Healthy Longevity initiative, which they co-chaired. Shortliffe received the Walsh McDermott Medal, recognizing a member for distinguished service to the academy and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Read more about Fried's award.
Mukherjee and Stockwell are among 100 new members announced by the academy today. Members of the National Academy of Medicine are elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding achievement. Membership in the academy is one of the highest honors bestowed in the field of medicine.
About Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD
Mukherjee, associate professor of medicine at VP&S, specializes in hematology and oncology. His work focuses on the research and development of new immunotherapy medicines against acute myeloid leukemia, currently in advanced clinical trials, the foundation of international centers for immunotherapy in the developing world, and the discovery of tissue resident stem cells.
Mukherjee also is a renowned science writer. His 2010 book, “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” which details the evolution of diagnosis and treatment of human cancers, won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, was nominated by Time as among the century’s 100 most influential books, and was adapted into a PBS documentary. His 2016 book, “The Gene: An Intimate History,” was also adapted into a PBS documentary. His latest book, “The Song of the Cell,” was published earlier this year. He has also written for The New Yorker, The Guardian, and other outlets.
About Brent R. Stockwell, PhD
Stockwell is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biological Sciences, professor of chemistry, professor of pathology & cell biology, and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.
Stockwell’s research involves the discovery of small molecules that can be used to understand and treat cancer and neurodegeneration, with a focus on biochemical mechanisms governing cell metabolism and cell survival. In a series of papers from 2003 to 2012, Stockwell discovered a new form of cell death termed ferroptosis. Since then, his lab, working with a growing number of labs around the world, has defined many of the major mechanisms governing ferroptosis, as well as key reagents for studying this new form of cell death.
In addition to receiving numerous awards, Stockwell has been in the top 1% of highly cited researchers the past three years and was named as one of the 50 most influential life science individuals in New York. He is the author of “The Quest for the Cure: The Science and Stories Behind the Next Generation of Medicines” and a top-ranked writer on Medium.