Carlos del Rio, MD, named foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine

This story originally appeared in the Emory News Center.

Carlos del Rio, MD, executive associate dean for Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System, has been elected as the next foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

As foreign secretary, del Rio will serve as a senior adviser on international matters to the NAM president and governing council, and as liaison to global academies of medicine and science. His term will begin on July 1, 2020 and is effective through June 30, 2024.

“To be effective in addressing public health issues, global collaboration and cooperation is needed,” says del Rio. “I am honored to serve in this leadership role, and I look forward to help strengthening the global reach of the NAM.”

Del Rio is also professor of global health and epidemiology in Rollins School of Public Health, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the School of Medicine, principal investigator and co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research, and co-principal investigator of the Emory-CDC HIV Clinical Trials Unit and the Emory Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit.

In addition, del Rio has worked for more than two decades in hospitals and clinics with marginalized populations in the United States, Mexico, Kenya, Ethiopia, Thailand and the country of Georgia to improve the outcomes of those infected with HIV and to prevent infection among those at risk.

“I am delighted to welcome Carlos del Rio as our new foreign secretary. His experience and interests in infectious disease prevention and treatment make him a superb choice to take on this important responsibility,” says NAM president Victor Dzau. “Over my next term, I look forward to working with him, as well as all of our volunteers and staff, to expand NAM’s global leadership and address today’s most pressing health and scientific challenges and inform the future of health and medicine for the benefit of us all.”

Since his election to NAM membership in 2013, del Rio has actively contributed to the mission of the NAM as a member of the division committee for the Health and Medicine Division (2018-2021), Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice (2015-2020) and various consensus and convening activities.

About Emory University School of Medicine

Emory University School of Medicine is a leading institution with the highest standards in education, biomedical research and patient care, with a commitment to recruiting and developing a diverse group of students and innovative leaders. Emory School of Medicine has more than 3,100 full- and part-time faculty, 582 medical students, 522 allied health students, 1,322 residents and fellows in 107 accredited programs, and 92 MD/PhD students in one of 48 NIH-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Programs. Medical school faculty received $443.8 million in external research funding in fiscal year 2019. The school is best known for its research and treatment in infectious disease, neurosciences, heart disease, cancer, transplantation, orthopaedics, pediatrics, renal disease, ophthalmology and geriatrics.

About the National Academy of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent 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. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.