Contact: Ian Clark
(608) 890-5641
iclark@uwhealth.org
MADISON, Wis. — The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced today that two prominent researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are among the 2015 class of new members.
Drs. Anna Huttenlocher and Ned Kalin have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. In their primary role as members, the researchers will provide expert scientific advice to the nation that will help shape policies, inform public opinion and advance the pursuit of science, engineering and medicine.
“Anna Huttenlocher and Ned Kalin are national leaders in their respective fields, and this huge honor and recognition is well-deserved,” said Dr. Robert N. Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. “They represent the finest qualities of our faculty – creativity and innovation in science, dedication to teaching and mentoring, and a deep-rooted commitment to service. The people of Wisconsin should be proud that their School of Medicine and Public Health includes outstanding academicians like Drs. Huttenlocher and Kalin.”
Huttenlocher, a practicing pediatric rheumatologist, is recognized internationally for her pioneering studies of cell migration and alterations of cell migration in human diseases.
She was trained at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the University of California-San Francisco. She joined the faculty of UW-Madison in 1999 and in 2006 moved her basic research lab to the department of medical microbiology and immunology. In the summer of 2012 she became the director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, which combines a medical education and PhD-level graduate research training.
A well-respected researcher, Huttenlocher has been a prominent supporter of research responsibly using fetal cells. She and Michael Sussman of the UW Biotechnology Center co-authored a letter in August, signed and supported by more than 675 fellow UW faculty members, emphasizing the value of such research.
Kalin is the chair of psychiatry and director of the HealthEmotions Research Institute. A practicing psychiatrist and researcher, Kalin has focused on pre-clinical and clinical investigations into how brain activity, environmental factors and genetics contribute to fear, anxiety and depression in children.
He was trained at Thomas Jefferson Medical College, UW Hospital and Clinics and the National Institutes of Mental Health. He recently received the Anna-Monika Prize at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s 28th annual conference for his major scientific contributions to the understanding of neurobiological mechanisms of depression.
Kalin’s work has been particularly valuable in uncovering the biology of childhood anxiety, a contributing factor in many lifelong problems such as substance abuse and suicidal thoughts.
Professor emeritus Susan Skochelak, formerly of the department of family medicine at UW-Madison, was also elected to the NAM. She is now a vice president for medical education at the American Medical Association in Chicago.
The NAM was originally the Institute of Medicine, which was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected to the NAM by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health.
