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  Nancy Nielsen

  Photo: Douglas Levere

By LOIS BAKER

Published: October 14, 2009

Nancy H. Nielsen, senior associate dean for medical education and a clinical professor of medicine, has been elected a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences.

IOM membership is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Election to the IOM by the current membership is based on professional achievement and demonstrated interest, concern and involvement with problems and critical issues that affect the health of the public.

“We, as a university community, heartily congratulate Dr. Nielsen upon her recognition by the Institute of Medicine as an unparalleled leader in the fields of health and medicine,” said Provost Satish K. Tripathi. “Dr. Nielsen has and continues to bring the strength of her enlightened voice to our nation’s most pressing challenges concerning health care. As a national leader, she has been absolutely indefatigable in her efforts, and her election as a member of the IOM is a true validation of her inspired work,” Tripathi said.

“Election to the IOM is a rare honor, and for those at the top of their field, membership reflects the height of professional achievement and commitment to service. The IOM’s mission is to serve as an adviser to the nation by addressing the most pressing questions related health and health care. As a member, Dr. Nielsen will apply her expertise to the work of the IOM on behalf of the nation’s health. We are proud of her achievement and of the contributions we know she will continue to make.”

Nielsen said she is “honored and humbled” by election to the IOM.

She is past president of the American Medical Association, and in that role has been an outspoken advocate for the uninsured. She has lectured widely and carried her message to the public on numerous radio and television news programs and talk shows.

She was elected president of the AMA in June 2008 after serving four terms as speaker of the AMA House of Delegates and three terms as vice speaker. She currently is a member of the IOM’s Roundtable on Evidence Based Medicine and on the Consumer Empowerment Committee of America's Health Information Community.

She served two terms on the AMA Council on Scientific Affairs, helping to formulate policy positions on several critical health care issues, including alcoholism among women, Alzheimer's disease, colorectal screening, asthma control, nicotine content of cigarettes, safety in dispensing prescriptions and diagnosis and treatment of depression.

Additionally, she served on the National Patient Safety Foundation board of directors, the Commission for the Prevention of Youth Violence, the Task Force on Quality and Patient Safety, and as the AMA’s representative on the National Quality Forum, the AMA-convened Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement® and the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance.

Nielsen holds a PhD in microbiology from The Catholic University of America and an MD from UB.

Other UB faculty members elected to the IOM include Robert J. Genco, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the School of Dental Medicine and vice provost and director of UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR), and UB emeriti faculty J. Warren Perry and Gerhard Levy.