New York University College of Nursing’s (NYUCN) Dr. Ann Kurth, PhD, RN, CNM, FAAN, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for 2013. Dr. Kurth is one of 70 new members and 10 foreign associates the IOM elected during its 43rd annual meeting. Election to the IOM 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.
IOM Elects 70 New Members, 10 Foreign Associates for 2013
New York University College of Nursing’s (NYUCN) Dr. Ann Kurth, PhD, RN, CNM, FAAN, Professor and Executive Director, NYUCN Global, and Associate Dean for Research, NYU Global Institute of Public Health, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for 2013. Dr. Kurth is one of 70 new members and 10 foreign associates the IOM elected during its 43rd annual meeting. Election to the IOM 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.
"It is an honor to welcome our highly distinguished colleagues to the Institute of Medicine," said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. "These individuals have inspired us through their achievements in research, teaching, clinical work, and other contributions to the medical field. Their knowledge and skills will deeply enrich the IOM."
"We are exceedingly proud of Dr. Kurth's appointment to the Institute of Medicine,” said Eileen M. Sullivan-Marx, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean & Erline Perkins McGriff Professor, New York University College of Nursing. “Her leadership and seminal work to improve women's health as a nurse, midwife, and public health scientist for those at risk for HIV/AIDS has had wide ranging impact on better health for people, communities, and countries. We congratulate her and the IOM on her selection."
New members are elected by current active members through a selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. IOM's charter ensures diversity of talent among the Institute's membership by requiring at least one-quarter of the members to be selected from fields outside the health professions, such as engineering, social sciences, law, and the humanities.
“The work of the IOM is critical, especially in these times of health reform at home, and winnable battles in global health around the world.” Dr. Kurth says. “The scientific credibility and impartiality brought by the IOM to key health topics is a national treasure, and it is a true honor to join the IOM as an elected member.
The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,753 and the number of foreign associates to 120. With an additional 93 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 1,966.
About Dr. Ann Kurth:
Dr. Kurth is a Professor at NYUCN and the founder and Executive Director of NYUCN-Global. She is also Associate Dean for Research at the NYU Global Institute of Public Health. As a nurse-midwife and epidemiologist Dr. Kurth focuses on HIV/sexually transmitted infections/reproductive health prevention, screening and care, as well as on global health system strengthening, using information and communication technologies among other approaches for health intervention implementation and workforce training. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIAID, NIDA, NIMH, NICHD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, CDC, HRSA, and others, for studies conducted in the United States and internationally.
Dr. Kurth has consulted on research methodology for the NIH, Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. She was a member of the Institute of Medicine/National Research Council Committee for the Outcome and Impact Evaluation of Global HIV/AIDS Programs (PEPFAR2), the largest-funded single disease global program in history.
Her expertise is in behavioral epidemiology and approaches to improve HIV/STI prevention, screening, and care; reproductive health; and global health workforce/system strengthening efforts. Her research evaluates informatics, as well as human-delivered, approaches in the US and internationally, with funding from the NIH (NIAID, NICHD, NIDA, NIMH), CDC, HRSA, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others. She has consulted on research methodology for the WHO, CDC, and Gates; and is a member of the Institute of Medicine/National Research Council Committee for the Outcome and Impact Evaluation of Global HIV/AIDS Programs (PEPFAR2).
Dr. Kurth edited one of the first books on women and HIV disease (Yale Univ. Press 1993), and has published over 110 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and scholarly monographs. Dr. Kurth is Affiliate faculty at University of Washington’s Department of Global Health, and School of Nursing; and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and of the New York Academy of Medicine.
The Institute of Medicine is unique in its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards, and other activities.
Projects during the past year include studies of the benefits of including physical activity in the school environment, direct health outcomes of sodium intake, regional variations in Medicare spending, child abuse and neglect in the U.S., improved delivery of cancer care, the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the U.S., post-deployment needs of Iraq and Afghanistan service members, gun violence research priorities in the U.S., and the international problem of illegitimate and substandard medications.
About New York University College of Nursing
NYU College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Arts and Post-Master’s Certificate Programs, a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. For more information, visit www.nyu.edu/nursing.