Six Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

Four HHMI investigators and an HHMI early career scientist are among the 65 new IOM members elected today. Sydney Brenner, a senior fellow at HHMI’s Janelia Farm Research Campus, is one of four new foreign associates.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to honor professional achievement in the health sciences and to serve as a national resource for independent analysis and recommendations on issues related to medicine, biomedical sciences, and health.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and accomplished individuals to the Institute of Medicine,” said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. “Each of these new members stands out as a professional whose research, knowledge, and skills have significantly advanced health and medicine and who has served as a model for others. The Institute of Medicine is greatly enriched by the addition of our newly elected colleagues."

Current active IOM members elect new members from a slate of candidates nominated for their professional achievement and commitment to service. A diversity of talent among members is assured by the Institute's charter, which requires that at least one-quarter be selected from fields outside the health professions — such as the natural, social and behavioral sciences; law; engineering; and the humanities.

The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,649 and the number of foreign associates to 96. With an additional 72 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 1,817.

The HHMI scientists newly elected to the Institute of Medicine are:

Sydney Brenner
Senior Fellow, Janelia Farm Research Campus

Peter Cresswell
Investigator, Yale School of Medicine

Robert B. Darnell
Investigator, The Rockefeller University

Karl Deisseroth
Early Career Scientist, Stanford University

Jennifer A. Doudna
Investigator, University of California, Berkeley

Kevan M. Shokat
Investigator, University of California, San Francisco