SANTHE Director elected to US National Academy of Medicine

The United States National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has elected SANTHE Programme Director, Professor Thumbi Ndung’u, to its membership.

NAM publicly announced the names of all 100 new members at its annual meeting on October 21, 2024. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honours in the fields of health and medicine and recognises individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Ndung’u was elected to NAM in recognition of his groundbreaking work to generate the first primary isolate infectious molecular clone of HIV-1 subtype C, enabling research on viral-host mechanisms of pathogenesis. The academy also acknowledged his work to identify regions of immune vulnerability in HIV-1 subtype C for candidate vaccine and immunotherapeutic development, and for his leadership of the first HIV cure trial in Africa.

“I am deeply honoured to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine. This recognition is a testament not only to my work, but to the incredible teams and collaborators I have had the privilege to work alongside. Together, we continue to strive towards advancing scientific research that will lead to solutions for some of our most pressing health challenges,” he said.

New NAM members are elected by current members through a process that recognises individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. A diversity of talent among NAM’s membership is assured by its Articles of Organisation, which stipulate that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions — for example, from such fields as law, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities..