Gilbert S. Omenn Fellowship
The next call for nominations will open in March 2025.
The overall purpose of the Gilbert S. Omenn Fellowship is to enable talented, early-career physician-scientists combining biomedical research, public health, and clinical medicine to participate actively in health- and medicine-related study processes of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies), promoting the integration of public health and medicine — both scientifically and through practice and policy. The Omenn Fellowship aims to foster a cadre of physician-scientists who will integrate biomedical research, population health, and health policy and will expand the nation’s capacity for research, leadership, and policy development that advances health. The program especially welcomes nominations of historically underrepresented candidates.
The award is named for Dr. Gilbert S. Omenn, the Harold T. Shapiro Distinguished University Professor of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Public Health at the University of Michigan. He is a physician-scientist whose career bridges biomedical research, public health and public policy, and academic medical center leadership. This fellowship reflects the integrative role that is emblematic of his professional achievements.
The Omenn Fellowship is part of the NAM Fellowships for Health Science Scholars program. See all opportunities >>
Current Fellow
Ravi B. Parikh, MD, MP
2023-2025 Omenn Fellow
Ravi B. Parikh, MD, MPP, FACP, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and a medical oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania and Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center. He is an Associate Director and Director of the Program in Augmented and Artificial Intelligence at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation (PC3I) at the Abramson Cancer Center. In addition, he serves as Director of the Human-Algorithm Collaboration Lab, a multi-disciplinary laboratory focusing on developing and testing AI-driven clinical decision support interventions in healthcare.
Dr. Parikh’s work broadly focuses on improving care delivery for serious illnesses such as cancer. His work has specifically addressed areas including palliative and supportive care, cancer survivorship, alternative payment models, and risk-adjustment. Dr. Parikh’s work increasingly applies machine learning methods to longitudinal electronic health record data, patient-generated data, and data on social determinants of health to develop precision care solutions for patients with serious illness. Additionally, he has a robust portfolio in emerging topics in healthcare AI including algorithmic bias, human-machine collaboration, and AI regulation and policy. His work has been published in numerous leading journals, including Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Journal of the American Medical Association. He serves on the board of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and advises for-profit and non-profit organizations on these areas. Prior to his career in medicine, Dr. Parikh worked on accountable care organization implementation in the Massachusetts State House; his recommendations earned commendation from the Massachusetts Speaker of the House and were incorporated into landmark payment reform legislation passed in 2012.
Dr. Parikh completed his MD at Harvard Medical School, Master of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. He has received the Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award, and the American College of Physicians Joseph E. Johnson Award.
Past Fellows
Andrew A. Gonzalez, MD, JD, MPH
2021-2023 Omenn Fellow
Anaeze Offodile II, MD, MPH
2019-2021 Omenn Fellow
Ellen Eaton, MD, MSPH
2017-2019 Omenn Fellow
James Burke, MD, MS
2015-2017 Omenn Fellow
Deidra Crews, MD, ScM, FASN
2013-2015 Omenn Fellow (Elected to NAM in 2023)
Fellowship Description
The Omenn Fellowship is awarded for a two-year period. During this time, the fellow is expected to continue to work at their main academic post, while being assigned to a health- and medicine-related board of the National Academies. The boards are:
- Children, Youth, and Families,
- Food and Nutrition,
- Global Health,
- Health Care Services,
- Health Sciences Policy, and
- Population Health and Public Health Practice.
The fellowship requires a 10- to 20-percent commitment of time over two years and includes attendance at a one-week orientation to health policy, the NAM Annual Meeting in October and meetings of an assigned board. Domestic travel expenses are covered for participation in approved fellowship activities. Additionally, the fellow will participate actively in the work of an appropriate study committee or roundtable, including contributing to its reports or other products. Studies that would enable the fellow to contribute to the value of integrating medicine and public health will be identified.
This experience will introduce the Omenn Fellow to a variety of experts and perspectives, including legislators, government officials, industry leaders, executives of voluntary health organizations, scientists, and other health professionals. In addition, each fellow will be assigned an NAM member who will serve as a senior mentor during the two years of the fellowship.
A flexible research grant of $25,000 is awarded to each Omenn Fellow, which will be administered through the appropriate department in the fellow’s home institution to advance the fellow’s professional and academic career. This grant is not intended for use as a salary offset for the fellow, and no indirect costs are allowed.
Eligibility
Nominees for the Omenn Fellowship must:
- Be nominated by a member of the NAM
- Hold an M.D. or D.O. with additional study in the medical sciences, public health, and/or public policy
- Be one-to-five years out from completion of residency and fellowship training or receiving the terminal doctoral degree, in an appropriate faculty position or its equivalent
- Be able to dedicate 10 to 20 percent of time to the fellowship for two years, including all the specified experiences
- Be endorsed by the department chair, institute director, or equivalent
- Hold U.S. citizen or permanent resident status at the time of the nomination
Selection Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated by an NAM-appointed committee based on their professional qualifications, scholarship, and quality of professional accomplishments as evidenced through publications and research grants, and relevance of current field of expertise to the work of the NAM.
Nomination Packet
A complete nomination packet must be submitted electronically through the online nomination system at https://fellowship.nam.edu/ and will include the following documents:
- A nomination letter from a member of the NAM
- Three (3) letters of reference
- A supporting letter from the candidate’s department chair, institute director, or equivalent
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae
- A brief one-page bio
- A one-page personal statement
Timeline
Fellowships will be awarded in odd years.
- March 2025 | Call for nominations opens
- June 2025 | Nomination packets are due at 3:00pm ET
- July 2025 | Awardee is notified
- September 2025 | Fellow orientation week at the NAM is held
- October 2025 | Fellow is introduced to the Membership at the NAM Annual Meeting
Program Administration
Inquiries about the Omenn Fellowship should be directed to:
Yumi Phillips
Program Officer
Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs
National Academy of Medicine
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 334-1506
Email: yphillips@nas.edu
The Gilbert S. Omenn Fellowship was established in 2012 through an endowment from Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD, and Martha Darling.
