Four of the University of MinnesotaâÄôs Medical School faculty were elected Monday to the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for medical researchers. Karen Hsiao Ashe, M.D., Ph.D., Michelle Biros, M.D., M.S., Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., and Susan M. Wolf, J.D, make up four of this yearâÄôs 65 annual inductees. Election to the institute is mostly honorary; however, the institute also stands as a preeminent resource in the field of independent medical research. The institute is a commonly utilized outlet of Congress, when medical research is a necessity. On an institutional level, this yearâÄôs election boosts the UniversityâÄôs medical prestige. âÄúPeople look at institutions based on the number of prominent faculty members they have, and this is one of the ways of identifying who the prominent faculty members are,âÄù said Exec Vice Dean of the University of MinnesotaâÄôs Medical School Mark Paller, M.D. This yearâÄôs class joins eight other University members at the IOM, boosting the UniversityâÄôs presence in the 1,610 member institution. âÄúFor some years there was too much of an emphasis on people from the coasts getting elected,âÄù Paller said. âÄúMembers elect new members, you have to break into the voting cycle and I think weâÄôve done a good job of getting our faculty recognized and elected into the Institute of Medicine.âÄù Among those responsible for electing the four distinguished faculty is University RegentsâÄô professor and current IOM member Ashley Haase. âÄúI looked and said âÄòmy gosh, there are four people from Minnesota this year, thatâÄôs terrificâÄô,âÄù Haase said. He also noted the significance of MinnesotaâÄôs 2009 class, saying, âÄúI didnâÄôt see large numbers of people from other distinct institutions.âÄù âÄúI think this kind of success suggests that we are really making the right moves as a University to grow our stature and accomplishments,âÄù said Susan M. Wolf, director of the University Joint Degree Program and an IOM honoree.
U faculty members marked to join medical elite
Four of the 65 annual honorees to the Institute of Medicine were from the U Med School.
Published October 12, 2009