WASHINGTON – Monica Bertagnolli, former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been elected by members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) as the Academy’s next president. Beginning July 1, 2026, she will succeed Victor J. Dzau, who has served as NAM president since 2014. Bertagnolli’s election to a six-year term follows her selection as nominee by the NAM Council after an intensive, yearlong search process.
“I am deeply honored by the confidence the NAM membership has placed in me,” said Bertagnolli. “The Academy has a critically important role and mission as a trusted, nonpartisan adviser and is uniquely positioned to bring science, clinical expertise, and community experience together to improve health for everyone. I look forward to working with members, partners, and the public to advance a health system that truly serves everyone.”
Monica Bertagnolli at the Keck Center of the National Academies
Bertagnolli is a surgical oncologist and physician-scientist whose research has advanced understanding of the role of genetics and inflammation in gastrointestinal cancers and soft-tissue sarcomas. She served as director of the National Cancer Institute before becoming director of the NIH and earlier held academic and clinical leadership roles at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center. A past president and chair of the board of directors for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, she has also served on the boards of the American Cancer Society and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Bertagnolli has championed collaborative efforts to build a learning health system by transforming the data infrastructure for clinical research, including by spearheading the mCODE initiative, which enabled standardized oncology data exchange, and DataCOUNTS, an NIH program managing data to drive a learning health system. She is also a strong advocate for increasing the representation of clinical trial participants, particularly from rural and remote communities.
“Monica Bertagnolli is an exceptional leader, clinician, and scientist whose career has been defined by collaboration and a steadfast commitment to patients and communities, particularly in more remote areas,” said Dzau. “Her experience leading major research institutions and driving innovation in data, clinical trials, and the learning health system will serve the NAM – and the nation – extraordinarily well.”
A native of rural Wyoming, Bertagnolli was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2021. She will be the first woman to serve as president of the NAM since its establishment as the Institute of Medicine in 1970.
“On behalf of the NAM Council, I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Bertagnolli as the next president of the National Academy of Medicine,” added Linda A. McCauley, vice chair of the NAM Council. “After a rigorous, thoughtful search process, it is clear that her vision for a more representative, data-driven, and responsive health system aligns closely with the Academy’s mission and values. Her election is a historic milestone for the NAM and an exciting moment for our members, staff, and partners.”
The NAM is an independent, nonpartisan institution and one of three academies that make up the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The National Academies are private, nonprofit institutions that work outside government to provide independent, objective advice on matters of science, engineering, and health. The NAM has over 2,400 members elected in recognition of outstanding professional achievement, more than 80 of whom have received the Nobel Prize.
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