Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Professor Joins Academy

Andrew Bazemore, an adjunct professor of family medicine at the Georgetown University Medical Center, was appointed to a National Academy of Medicine lifetime membership Oct. 17.

The independent nonprofit organization, which provides advice to policy-makers and the public on health care issues, elected 79 new members this year based on their achievements and commitment to service.

Bazemore, who also serves as the director of the Robert Graham Center, a family and primary care research institute, is involved with the Robert L. Phillips Jr. Health Policy Fellowship, a GUMC program that pairs primary care policy researchers with leading health care organizations.

He has published over 150 peer-reviewed works, including studies on the impact of medical schools on their communities and the relationship between health systems and population health.

In an interview with The Hoya, Bazemore attributed his success in the medical field both to his role as an adjunct professor at Georgetown and his collaboration with medical professionals at the Graham Center.

“It’s an excellent way for me to stay in touch with learners and the issues that really matter to them, and I’ll say that between the fellows and scholars here at the Graham Center, I’m really personally blessed with all of the ideas and energy that they bring to our shared work,” Bazemore said.

The National Academy of Medicine’s new members include 70 regular members and nine international members, who are added to its nearly 2,000 other members. In its selection process, the academy said it attempts to enhance diversity by requiring at least 25 percent of the new members to come from fields outside the health profession, such as law, engineering or the humanities.

The National Academy of Medicine Senior Media Officer Molly Galvin said membership in the organization is reserved for those who have made major contributions to the field of medicine.

“Election to the Academy 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,” Galvin wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Other current members of the Georgetown faculty who have National Academy of Medicine memberships include Lucile Adams-Campbell, Judith Feder, Jesse Goodman, Lawrence Gostin, Robert Groves, Patricia King and Ira Shoulson.

Douglas E. Henley, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which established the Robert Graham Center in 1999, said the center has flourished under Bazemore’s leadership.

“We applaud his leadership at the Robert Graham Center in developing research into access to care for underserved populations, the health care workforce, training for primary care clinicians and social determinants of health,” Henley wrote in an Oct. 18 press release. “This work has become foundational to establishing health policy that affects all Americans.”

Bazemore said he was particularly proud of his recent projects at the center, which examine social accountability in medical education for institutions such as Georgetown.

“I’m very happy to keep exploring ways to bring out the power of the primary care function through innovative ideas that drive the richness of population and clinical data into the hands of providers to make more informed and effective policy,” Bazemore said.

Bazemore advised aspiring health care providers to stay intellectually engaged and keep in mind their motives for studying medicine.

“I think that looking to stay intellectually challenged is something that every health provider-in-training really needs to be successful, so finding ways to stay engaged in scholarly activity in any sort and showing curiosity in your everyday practice is really important,” Bazemore said. “Training in the medical field is a long but noble path, and making sure that you’re constantly keeping an eye on why you got into this very long road is key not only to sanity but also satisfaction.”

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