The National Academy of Medicine (Ƶ) has selected the 2026 class of Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Scholars, a group of early- to mid-career professionals spanning a wide range of disciplines, including artificial intelligence in medicine, nanomedicine, maternal-fetal health, health economics, and carceral health.The Ƶ’sEmerging Leaders in Health and Medicine (ELHM) programprovides a platform for a new generation of leaders to collaborate with the Ƶ and its members to advance science, address persistent challenges in health and medicine, and spark transformative change to improve health for all.
The scholars will engage in a variety of activities throughout the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine over a three-year term. Activities include meetings in Washington, D.C., with Ƶ leadership and members; planning an annual forum;participatingin National Academiesconveningactivities; publishing Ƶ Perspectives; and attending the Ƶ’s annual meeting each October.
“Congratulations to this remarkable new class of Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine,” said Ƶ President Victor J. Dzau. “At a time of rapid change across science and health, their breadth of perspectives and willingness to work across disciplines will be essential to driving progress, strengthening systems, and improving health and well-being for people and communities everywhere.”
The 2026ELHM Scholars are:
- Nicholas Arpaia, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Director of Graduate Studies, Immunobiology and Microbial Sciences, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Kareem Azab, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Texas Southwestern
- Lauren Brinkley-Rubenstein, Ph.D., M.S., M.A., Associate Professor,DukeUniversityDepartment of Population Health Sciences
- Jane Chung, Ph.D., RN,Associate Professor, Emory University
- Ruogu Fang, Ph.D., Associate Professor & J. Crayton Pruitt Family Endowed Faculty Fellow, University of Florida
- Lindsey A. George, M.D., Director of Clinical In Vivo Gene Therapy, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia;Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- Dhruv Khullar, M.D., MPP, Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences and of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Aaron Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D.,Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; Staff Physician, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
- Katrin Svenson, M.S., Ph.D.,Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Stanford University
- Kartik K.Venkatash, M.D., Ph.D.,Associate Professor with tenure, The Ohio State University
The ELHM programfacilitatesopportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and innovation among the participants, Ƶ members, and experts across sectors. The next annual Emerging Leaders Forum, to be held in Washington, D.C., in April 2026, will allow the new group of scholars and invited participants to share their activities and insights oncutting-edgedevelopments through collaborative work and interdisciplinary discussions among the nation’s rising leaders in health and medicine.
TheNational Academy of Medicine,establishedin 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside theand theas an adviser to the nation and the international community.Through its domestic and global initiatives, the Ƶ works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The Ƶ collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the.
