News Release

GW School of Public Health and Health Services faculty members elected to Institute of Medicine

Grant and Award Announcement

George Washington University

WASHINGTON–The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) today announces the election of two faculty members to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM), an independent, nonprofit organization providing authoritative advice to decision makers and the public. The election of Paula M. Lantz, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Sara Rosenbaum, JD, Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy in the Department of Health Policy marks the first time two George Washington University faculty members have been named simultaneously. In addition to Professors Lantz and Rosenbaum the Department of Health Policy boasts two other IOM members, Fitzhugh Mullan, MD Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Robert Graham, MD Research Professor of Health Policy and Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality Program (AF4Q). Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

"With the addition of Professors Lantz and Rosenbaum to the IOM, The Department of Health Policy now has four IOM members, making SPHHS the preeminent institution in the country when it comes to expertise in health policy. What an incredible honor and I sincerely congratulate Paula and Sara," said SPHHS Dean Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MPH herself a member of the IOM.

Professor Lantz joined SPHHS in 2011 from the University of Michigan where she was S.J. Axelrod Collegiate Professor of Health Management and Policy and chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy. Her areas of expertise include some of the most serious health issues facing the nation today, including cancer prevention, protection of infant health and elimination of the vast inequities in health status and healthcare access in the United States. She has received research funding from major institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She recently received a project award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study communication strategies regarding evidence-based guidelines for clinical preventive services. Her work has appeared, among other publications, in American Journal of Public Health, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Women's Health and Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

Professor Rosenbaum joined George Washington University in 1991. Six years later when SPHHS was established, she became founding chair of the Department of Health Policy. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Boston University Law School, Professor Rosenbaum has devoted her professional career to issues of health justice for populations who are medically underserved as a result of race, poverty, disability, or cultural exclusion. An honored teacher and scholar, a highly popular speaker, and a widely read writer on many aspects of health law and policy, Professor Rosenbaum has emphasized public engagement as a core element of her professional life, providing public service to six Presidential Administrations and fifteen Congresses since 1977. Professor Rosenbaum is best known for her work on the expansion of Medicaid, community health centers, patients' rights in managed care, civil rights and health care, and national health reform.

The IOM is unique in its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards, and other activities.

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About the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services:

Established in July 1997, the School of Public Health and Health Services brought together three longstanding university programs in the schools of medicine, business, and education that we have since expanded substantially. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. Our student body is one of the most ethnically diverse among the nation's private schools of public health. http://sphhs.gwu.edu/


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