Newsroom

Dr. Andrew I. Schafer, chairman of the Department of Medicine and The E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. Membership in IOM is one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Announced on Oct. 15 at the IOM's 42nd annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Dr. Schafer is among 70 new members and 10 foreign associates elected this year in recognition of their demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. "Through their research, teaching, clinical work and other contributions, these distinguished individuals have inspired and served as role models to others," says Harvey V. Fineberg, president of IOM.

"We are delighted to have a new voice from Weill Cornell join the ranks of the Institute of Medicine," says Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and Provost for Medical Affairs at Cornell University. "Dr. Schafer has made incredible contributions to hematology and oncology clinical care and research during his career, significantly improving the lives of patients. Now, Dr. Schafer will be able to contribute his knowledge and skills to the advancement of the entire field of medicine on a national level and the overall health of our nation."

"The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital community and I congratulate Dr. Schafer on this very exciting honor and significant opportunity to advance health care and medicine in our country," says Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "Dr. Schafer's expertise and leadership will be a vital resource to the Institute of Medicine, helping ensure its future health care recommendations and research will continue to improve the lives of our patients and all Americans."

"Election to the Institute of Medicine is a true honor, and I feel tremendously privileged to be elected a new member," says Dr. Schafer. "More importantly, this new appointment is an opportunity for Weill Cornell, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and myself to have a greater impact on national health care policy, the country's research agenda and necessary recommendations to our government to meet the ongoing medical needs of all patients across the nation."

Each year, IOM recognizes individuals with membership who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health. Also, at least a quarter of the members are selected from fields outside the health professions, such as engineering, social sciences, law and the humanities. This year's newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,732 and the number of foreign associates to 112. With an additional 84 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 1,928.

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.

In addition, leading neuro-oncologist Dr. Lisa DeAngelis, chair of the Department of Neurology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College, was also elected as a new member of the Institute of Medicine.

About Dr. Andrew I. Schafer

Dr. Schafer is a leading hematologist and oncologist and authority in the field of blood disorders. His clinical expertise is in the area of hematology, coagulation and thrombosis. Also, Dr. Schafer has made important research contributions to the field of hemostasis and vascular cell biology. Currently, he is investigating the hemodynamics of blood flow in the brain in patients with high incidence of stroke and other neurological problems in collaboration with biomedical engineers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Dr. Schafer received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago and his fellowship in hematology at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. After remaining at Brigham Hospital and serving as associate professor of medicine at Harvard, he moved to Houston in 1989 to become chief of medicine of the Houston VA Medical Center, and then chairman of the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. In 2002, he became the Frank Wister Thomas Professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

He assumed his current position in May 2007 as the E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and physician-in-chief of New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Schafer is the author of more than 220 original articles and the editor of five textbooks in the field of hemostasis, thrombosis and hematology. He edited a book entitled "The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?" published by Cornell University Press in October 2009, and is currently co-editor, along with Dr. Lee Goldman, of the Cecil Textbook of Medicine beginning with the 24th edition.

Dr. Schafer was the principal investigator of NIH grants for 30 consecutive years, and served on the national Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Board of Extramural Advisors. He has been elected to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (for which he served as Secretary-Treasurer), the Association of American Physicians and fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Schafer was president of the American Society of Hematology in 2007 and president of the Association of Professors for Medicine from 2010 to 2011.

Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical College is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,353 beds. The Hospital has nearly 2 million inpatient and outpatient visits in a year, including more than 220,000 visits to its emergency departments — more than any other area hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.