The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has selected 11 individuals for the 2024 class of the NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence program. Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, this collaborative program in partnership with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) offers a one-year, part-time experience for exceptional professionals to advance their diagnostic skills, make significant contributions to improve clinical diagnosis at the national level, and accelerate their career development as national leaders in the field. With additional support from The John A. Hartford Foundation, the program includes a scholar whose focus is on advancing diagnostic excellence and equity for older adults.
The scholars were chosen based on their professional qualifications and accomplishments, demonstrated leadership in the field, and potential to advance diagnostic excellence and equity. They were also chosen based on the quality and feasibility of their program proposals to improve diagnosis and reduce diagnostic errors at the national level, building upon the work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2015 consensus report Improving Diagnosis in Health Care.
“Congratulations to this new class of exceptional scholars, who represent yet another remarkable cohort of this important program,” said Victor J. Dzau, president of the NAM. “Their work will be vital to improving safety and equity and minimizing diagnostic errors in the U.S. for the benefit of all patients.”
The 2024 NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence and their program proposals are:
- Carl Berdahl, MD, MS, assistant professor, departments of medicine and emergency medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
“Partnering with Patients and Clinicians to Improve Diagnosis in the Emergency Department”
- Jessica Gold, MD, PhD, assistant professor, department of pediatrics, Northwell Health/Feinstein Institute of Medical Research, New Hyde Park, N.Y.
“Mainstreaming Genomic Testing to Increase Diagnostic Accessibility for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities”
- Andrew A. Gonzalez, MD, JD, MPH, assistant professor, department of surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
“An Equity-Grounded Approach to Developing Computational Phenotypes for Peripheral Arterial Disease”
- Bat-Zion Hose, PhD, research scientist, National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, MedStar Health, Washington, D.C.
“A Work System Design for Effective Teamwork in the Diagnostic Process”
- Natalia Khalaf, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, section of gastroenterology and hepatology, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt), Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
“Implementing Digital Quality Measures Into Learning Health Systems for Diagnostic Excellence in Cancer Care”
- Sanjiv Mehta, MD, MBE, assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, department of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
“Transforming Our Approach to Pediatric Clinical Deterioration with Diagnostic Reasoning Interventions”
- Matthew Nielson, MD, MS, FACS, Rhodes Distinguished Professor and chair of urology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill
“Advancing Diagnostic Excellence and Health Equity in Prostate Cancer Through Enhanced Quality in MRI and MRI Fusion Biopsy”
- Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH, assistant professor, department of surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston
“Improving Technology-Based Interpreter Services and Resources for Patients with Limited English Proficiency”
- Verity Schaye, MD, MHPE, assistant dean for education in the clinical sciences, and associate professor, department of medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City
“Diagnosis AId: Development of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Diagnostic Performance Feedback System”
- Shazia M. Siddique, MD, MSHP, assistant professor of medicine, division of gastroenterology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
“Narrowing Health Disparities in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Iron Deficiency Anemia”
- Gary Weissman, MD, MSHP,* assistant professor of medicine and informatics, departments of medicine and biostatistics, epidemiology and informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
“Assessing the Safety of an AI-Based Diagnostic Decision Support in Primary Care for Older Adults”
*supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation
“We are excited to work with another remarkable cohort of scholars in diagnostic excellence across a wide range of specialties,” said Helen Burstin, CMSS chief executive officer. “Through our partnership with NAM, we look forward to supporting the scholars’ impact on diagnostic safety, quality, and equity across medicine.”
The scholars will continue in their primary posts while engaging part time over a one-year period in developing an implementation plan for their proposals as well as participating in monthly educational sessions, cohort learning activities, and professional networking opportunities through the NAM and CMSS. In addition, each scholar will be matched with a mentor or mentors who can provide professional guidance and subject matter/technical expertise for their work. A flexible research grant will be awarded to every scholar.
