NHGRI Director Eric Green elected to the National Academy of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine has elected Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, as a new member in recognition of his distinguished career using genomics to understand human health and disease.
 

New members are elected to the National Academy of Medicine based on their professional achievements, in line with the academy’s mission of improving health for all through scientific advancements and promoting health equity. Dr. Green’s membership speaks to the significance of his career in genomics and medicine as a physician scientist.
 

"Eric Green has been a major architect of efforts to apply genomics to the practice of medicine," said Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., former NHGRI Director and NIH Director. "With his characteristic boundless energy, he has also inspired a generation of young scientists and built partnerships across institutions and sectors to accelerate progress in many areas of human genomics. His election to the National Academy of Medicine is a fitting recognition of his sustained leadership."
 

In 1994, Dr. Green joined the Intramural Research Program of NHGRI, where he continued his work on the Human Genome Project. Specifically, his research program focused on mapping and sequencing the human genome — as well as similar efforts with other mammalian genomes — which together led to essential discoveries about the structure, function and evolution of the human genome. Later, Dr. Green’s group went on to identify the genes involved in several human health conditions, such as hereditary deafness, vascular disease, and inherited peripheral neuropathy.
 

Eric has catalyzed making genomics mainstream in medicine and public health, both nationally and globally, all the while ‘walking the walk’ in his deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the genomics workforce. His election to the National Academy of Medicine is an incredibly well-deserved honor that puts an exclamation point on the academy’s reputation for excellence.

Prior to being appointed NHGRI Director in 2009, Dr. Green held other prominent leadership positions, including Director of the NHGRI Genome Technology Branch, Founding Director of the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, and NHGRI Scientific Director. In these roles, Dr. Green appointed an outstanding cadre of diverse genetic and genomic leaders who worked with him to shape the strategic vision and long-term goals of NHGRI, influencing the direction of the entire human genomics enterprise.
 

"It is hard to imagine anyone more deserving of this honor than Eric Green," said Daniel Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., NIH Distinguished Investigator in the NHGRI Medical Genetics Branch. "Eric has catalyzed making genomics mainstream in medicine and public health, both nationally and globally, all the while ‘walking the walk’ in his deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the genomics workforce. His election to the National Academy of Medicine is an incredibly well-deserved honor that puts an exclamation point on the academy’s reputation for excellence."
 

Prior to his election to the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Green was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He has received numerous other honors for his leadership and research contributions, including the Lucille P. Markey Scholar Award in Biomedical Science; the Cotlove Lectureship Award from the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists; and the Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. He has also been honored several times by his medical and graduate school alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis, including being awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2018.
 

"Getting elected to the National Academy of Medicine is one of my proudest career honors to date," said Dr. Green. "It signifies the support and admiration of many professional colleagues for my several decades of contributions in genomics. Their collective recognition is both gratifying and humbling."