The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) 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 NAM’s Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine (ELHM) program provides a platform for a new generation of leaders to collaborate with the NAM 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 NAM leadership and members; planning an annual forum; participating in National Academies convening activities; publishing NAM Perspectives; and attending the NAM’s annual meeting each October.
“Congratulations to this remarkable new class of Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine,” said NAM 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 2026 ELHM 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, Duke University Department 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 Svensson, 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 program facilitates opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and innovation among the participants, NAM 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 on cutting-edge developments through collaborative work and interdisciplinary discussions among the nation’s rising leaders in health and medicine.
The National Academy of Medicine, established in 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 the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
