BIDMC’s Dan Barouch, MD, PhD, Director of Vaccine and Virology Research, elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Boston – Dan Barouch, MD, PhD, virologist and immunologist and Director of Vaccine and Virology Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Barouch, who is also a William Bosworth Castle Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, was elected for being an international leader in virology and immunology and developing novel vaccines and cure strategies for viruses of global importance, including one of the first COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the first Zika virus vaccine, and the first global mosaic HIV-1 vaccine, as well as defining immunotherapeutic HIV-1 cure strategies.

“This distinguished and diverse class of new members is a truly exceptional group of scholars and leaders whose expertise in science, medicine, health, and policy will be integral to helping the NAM address today’s most pressing health challenges and inform the future of health and health care for the benefit of everyone around the globe,” said National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau. “It is my privilege to welcome these esteemed individuals to the National Academy of Medicine.”

New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health. A diversity of talent among NAM’s membership is assured by its Articles of Organization, which stipulate that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions — for example, from such fields as law, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities. 

“Dr. Barouch’s election to the National Academy of Medicine is a well-deserved recognition of his remarkable scientific discoveries and leadership in developing novel vaccines to fight existing and emerging pathogens that threaten global public health,” said Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, Chief Academic Officer at BIDMC. “BIDMC congratulates Dr. Barouch on this milestone accomplishment. At the top of his impressive list of accomplishments in vaccine development, Dr. Barouch and his team developed one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates, now in a phase 3 clinical trial. We look forward to Dr. Barouch’s continued success and scientific discoveries here at BIDMC.”

Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding of STEMM. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.

“Dr. Barouch has performed elegant, innovative science to develop strong vaccine candidates for HIV, and applied what he has learned in HIV to develop an effective Zika vaccine and what we hope will be an effective COVID-19 vaccine,” said Mark Zeidel, MD, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at BIDMC. “His innovations include the development of novel and highly effective adenoviral vectors, and the development and application of highly relevant animal models to test the efficacy of vaccine candidates. Dr. Barouch is also an outstanding citizen-scientist who performs rigorous scientific work and keeps the public conversation focused on the need for careful scientific work as we develop effective COVID-19 vaccines.”