Office of Public Relations – Newsroom
News release
UCD Physician Elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
DENVER (October 18, 2004) — The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM) today announced the names of 65 new members, raising the Institute's total active membership to 1,416. Among those elected is Dr. Robert Freedman, chair of psychiatry and professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Colorado Denver.
"It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and influential individuals to the Institute of Medicine," said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. "Members are elected through a highly selective process that recognizes people who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Election is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health."
Current active members elect new members from among candidates nominated for their professional achievement and commitment to service.
Dr. Freedman was nominated for his work in the treatment of psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and substance abuse. He co-founded the Institute for Children's Mental Disorders, and is the director of the Schizophrenia Research Center and research at the Mental Illness Research Education at the Denver VA Medical Center. Additionally, Freedman and his faculty colleagues at UCD received a major grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and are currently working on the development of a new treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder through manipulation of chemical responses in the brain.
For the process of election, an unusual diversity of talent is assured by the Institute's charter, which stipulates that at least one-quarter of the membership be selected from outside the health professions, from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as law, administration, engineering, and the humanities.
With this election, Freedman makes a commitment to devote a significant amount of volunteer time as a member of various IOM committees, which engage in a broad range of studies on health policy issues.
The Institute of Medicine is unique for its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on issues related to human health.
The University of Colorado Denver is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu.