R. Alta Charo, the UW Law School’s Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law & Bioethics, has been elected to the National Academies' Institute of Medicine. Election to membership in the Academies or the Institute is one of the highest honors that a scientist, engineer, or medical professional can receive.
The National Academy of Sciences was created in 1863 by a congressional charter approved by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Under this charter, the National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 and the Institute of Medicine in 1970. All three organizations are private, non-profit, self-governing membership bodies, and all three share in the responsibility for advising the federal government, upon request and without fee, on questions of science and technology.
The Institute of Medicine serves as adviser to the nation to improve health, and provides independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public.
Charo's current service to the National Academies includes co-chairing its Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, and membership on the Board on Life Sciences and the Board on Population Health and Public Health Practices. She has also served on its committees to make recommendations for the reform of the drug safety system, to develop guidelines for stem cell research, to review pivotal studies for prevention of maternal-to-child transmission of HIV in developing countries, and to oversee the national smallpox vaccine program.
Charo is jointly appointed to the Law School and the School of Medicine & Public Health. Commenting on her election to the Institute of Medicine, Charo said “The University of Wisconsin's extraordinary respect for multi-disciplinary, policy-oriented work has made it possible for me to translate my scholarship into effective action in service of the National Academies and the country. I am honored to be elected but, even more importantly, I am grateful for the collegiality and support of my schools, my deans and my fellow faculty members.”
Submitted by on October 20, 2006
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