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Dr. Rainu Kaushal, chair of the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research at Weill Cornell Medicine and physician-in-chief of healthcare policy and research at NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her outstanding achievements and exceptional service in medical sciences, healthcare and public health. 

This year, Dr. Kaushal is the only recipient at Weill Cornell Medicine who received this prestigious recognition. NAM members are elected by their peers for outstanding achievements in their fields and exceptional service, and membership is one of the highest possible honors in health and medicine. Dr. Kaushal is among 100 new members announced Oct. 21 at the NAM annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

“I’m incredibly honored to have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, which is such an important institution for improving health and informing healthcare policy,” said Dr. Kaushal, who is also the Nanette Laitman Distinguished Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research and a professor of medicine and of pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine.

For over 25 years, Dr. Kaushal has made significant contributions to pediatric patient safety, health information technology, and value-based healthcare delivery. An information scientist and health services research, Dr. Kaushal’s work has influenced healthcare policies and the clinical research landscape in the United States.

Dr. Kaushal’s research has established the importance of targeted measures in improving patient safety and the intricacies of health information exchange. Her seminal investigation illuminated that children are three times more likely than adults to be harmed by medication errors. She then led several key studies on interoperable health information technology, an important method of improving patient safety, that informed the national Meaningful Use Program at Health and Human Services.

Dr. Kaushal has also created large-scale urban data liquidity by integrating trillions of health, biological, social and healthcare data points through the creation of a clinical data research network. Most recently, she has conducted pioneering research on value-based healthcare delivery, particularly focused on the role of social complexity.

Dr. Kaushal earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and completed her clinical residency as an inaugural resident at a combined program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Boston, becoming board-certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. She received a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health during her research fellowship. Dr. Kaushal joined Harvard Medical School’s faculty until she came to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell in 2006. She has held several leadership positions at Weill Cornell Medicine, most recently as the chair of the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research. A committed educator, she has established four master’s programs, a doctoral program, and a research fellowship with 200 students matriculating annually.

An author of over 200 papers in various scientific publications, Dr. Kaushal is a frequently invited speaker at national and international meetings as an expert on patient safety, healthcare information technology and value-based care. She also serves on boards and advisory committees, including most recently for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the National Academy of Medicine. Her many awards and recognitions include selection in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program and being named one of the Crain’s Notable Women in Healthcare in New York City in 2018.