GW School of Public Health and Health Services Faculty Members Elected To Institute Of Medicine

Newswise - 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.