Two medical school professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Two professors at the School of Medicine are among the 261 scientists, scholars, artists and leaders elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022. 

The academy, one of the most prestigious honorary societies in the United States, is a center for independent policy research. Members contribute to academy-led studies in a variety of fields, including science policy, global security, social policy and education. 

Nine Stanford faculty members were elected this year. The two from the School of Medicine are as follows:

David Relman, MD, the Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor and a professor of infectious diseases and of microbiology and immunology, is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the chief of infectious diseases at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Relman pioneered the modern study of the complex microbial community residing in and on the human body. A past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, he has advised the U.S. government on emerging infectious diseases, human-microbe interactions and future biological threats. He is a member of Stanford Bio-X, the Stanford Cancer Institute, and the Stanford Child and Maternal Health Research Institute, and is a senior fellow of Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Abraham Verghese, MD, MFA, the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor, is a professor of medicine and vice chair for the theory and practice of medicine in the Department of Medicine. His research focuses on clinical skills and the bedside exam, including not only its technical aspects but the importance of the ritual and what is conveyed by the physician’s bedside presence and technique. A member of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2016.