St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital aerial view
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today announced it has elected two members of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital faculty to the organization— one of the highest honors in the field of health and medicine.
P. David Rogers, Pharm D, PhD, member and chair of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and St. Jude Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences and J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD, executive vice president, scientific director, Edward F. Berry Endowed Chair in Cell and Molecular Biology and director of the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative join 100 new members announced during the NAM’s annual meeting in Washington D.C.
P. David Rogers, Pharm D, PhD
“Being elected to the National Academy of Medicine is a true honor and is a testament to the work we are able to do at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” Rogers said. “It is my privilege to continue to lead this team and continue our legacy of providing the most advanced pharmaceutical services and clinical care in the world.”
Membership in NAM recognizes outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Taylor and Rogers join 2,500 national and international medical and research professionals in NAM.
“At St. Jude, we are dedicated to solving the most complex problems when it comes to finding cures for catastrophic childhood diseases. Receiving this honor means our work is being recognized by our peers,” Taylor said. “This honor also reminds us that the work is not done and we will continue to drive the science forward.”
J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD
Researchers join a legacy of excellence
Rogers’ selection was based on his discoveries in medical mycology and antifungal pharmacology that have contributed to the understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of clinical antifungal drug resistance in pathogenic fungi and the improvement of antifungal pharmacotherapy. Taylor’s selection was in recognition of his discoveries on the role of intrinsically disordered protein segments in biomolecular condensation and how disturbances in this process drive neurological diseases. As scientific director, Taylor has been instrumental in the growth of St. Jude as a world-class biomedical research institution in fundamental biology and translational neuroscience.
Rogers and Taylor were preceded in NAM membership by St. Jude faculty members, James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO; William E. Evans, Pharm D, Emeritus, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Arthur W. Nienhuis, MD, former St. Jude director and CEO, Emeritus faculty member; Peter Doherty, PhD; Mary V. Relling, Pharm D, Emeritus, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Michael Kasten, MD, PhD; Charles J. Sherr, MD, PhD, faculty member and chair of the Department of Tumor Cell Biology; and Mitchell J. Weiss, MD, PhD, faculty member and chair of the Department of Hematology.
The election also marks the 14th appointment of a St. Jude faculty member to the collective National Academies: Martine Roussel, PhD; Brenda Schulman, PhD; Douglas Green, PhD; and Robert Webster, PhD, along with Doherty and Sherr have previously been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
“Dr. Taylor and Dr. Rogers have long been at the top of their respective fields,” Downing said. “I am proud of their election to the National Academy of Medicine and look forward to watching them continue to raise the bar for research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and around the world.”
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding of STEMM. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats, and cures childhood catastrophic diseases. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children, St. Jude advances groundbreaking research and shares its discoveries worldwide to accelerate progress in pediatric medicine. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped increase overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. Through collaboration and innovation, St. Jude is working to ensure that children everywhere have access to the best possible care. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read St. Jude Progress, a digital magazine, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.