Three faculty members elected to Institute of Medicine

Three faculty members from the School of Medicine are among the 70 new members and 10 foreign associates elected to the Institute of Medicine. They are Ben Barres, MD, PhD; Paul Khavari, MD, PhD; and Brian Kobilka, MD.

Barres is professor and chair of neurobiology. His research focuses on glial cells, which constitute 90 percent of the cells in the brain but whose function remains poorly understood. His lab has discovered that glial cells are critical for proper development and function of brain circuitry, and has led to new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

Khavari is the Carl J. Herzog Professor in Dermatology and chair of the department. His research centers on stem cell differentiation and cancer and on the development of new molecular therapeutics for skin disease.

Kobilka is the Helene Irwin Fagan Chair in Cardiology and a professor of molecular and cellular physiology. He shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on understanding the structure and function of G-protein-coupled receptors, a large family of receptors that sense molecules outside the cell and convey chemical messages from those molecules into the cell’s interior.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine is recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. The elections were announced Oct. 20.

The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,798 and the number of foreign associates to 128.  With an additional 86 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 2,012.