The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has selected the 2025 class of Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Scholars, a group of early- to mid-career professionals from a wide range of health-related fields, including pediatrics, infectious diseases, psychiatry, and biomedical engineering. 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 the new class of extraordinary young scholars in the National Academy of Medicine’s Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine program,” said NAM President Victor J. Dzau. “With their cross-cutting experiences, these exceptional leaders will be prepared help catalyze transformative change, address our most urgent health challenges, and advance health and well-being for individuals and communities.”
The 2025 ELHM Scholars are:
- Raman Bahal, PhD, associate professor, department of pharmaceutical sciences, University of Connecticut
- Emily Bucholz, MD, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, University of Colorado
- Enrico G. Castillo, MD, MS, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Arnab K. Ghosh, MD, MSc, MA, assistant professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University
- Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, PhD, associate professor, department of neurology, Baylor College of Medicine
- Nathan Lo, MD, PhD, assistant professor of infectious diseases, Stanford University
- Diana Montoya-Williams, MD, MSHP, assistant professor of pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and attending neonatologist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Erika Moore, PhD, assistant professor, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland
- Jonathan B. Parr, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Jane Zhu, MD, associate professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Oregon Health & Science 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.
