Congratulations to Dr. Pardis Sabeti, CAS Faculty Affiliate, for being elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Membership is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service.

Sabeti is a Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard Chan School. She is also a Professor at the Harvard FAS Center for Systems Biology and the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, an institute member of the Broad Institute, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Her lab focuses on developing new analytical and genomic methods to study evolutionary adaptation and genetic diversity in humans and pathogens, with three current research cornerstones. These methods include identifying and characterizing the underlying adaptive changes that have shaped the human species over time, and investigating genetic diversity in pathogens such as Lassa virus, Ebola virus, Zika virus, and Babesia microti, with the goal of improving diagnostics, surveillance, and interventions. The last method assists in developing novel tools to detect and diagnose microbes causing human morbidity and mortality. The National Academy of Medicine recognized Sabeti for her leadership in generating and releasing the first viral genome data during the 2013–2016 West African Ebola outbreak, to advance countermeasures in the response. It was noted that her team’s work in genomics, information theory, diagnostics, rural surveillance, and education have further contributed to efforts to combat Zika, Lassa, Ebola, malaria, and many other infectious diseases.

The National Academy of Medicine is an independent organization of 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.

[Originally from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health News]