The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) recently welcomed SPH-B Dean David B. Allison, Ph.D., and Sarah Commodore, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of Environmental and Occupational Health, to its Emerging Leaders Forum, which was held last month in Washington, D.C. at the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Commodore was nominated by Dean Allison to be a part of this prestigious event for Health and Medicine Scholars and to represent SPH-B with distinction. Joining Dr. Commodore and Dean Allison was Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., associate dean for Health Equity Research, IU School of Medicine.
Select professionals are invited to participate in the Forum, which is an exclusive networking event to connect NAM members from a variety of backgrounds in health and medicine, as well as increase NAM’s engagement with early- to mid-career stand-out professionals in various fields affecting public health research and innovation. Scholars and invited attendees explored some of the top challenges in health and medicine in an effort to stimulate collaborative interdisciplinary solutions.
"The Emerging Leaders program at NAM permits mentors to interact with some of the best and brightest rising health scientists in the country. I learned so much from so many on such a diversity of topics," says Dean Allison. "The chance to think together on cracking the mysteries of unanswered questions and the challenges of unsolved public health problems was exhilarating. To be able to do so with as gracious a spirit as Dr. Sarah Commodore was a special treat."
Dean Allison shares that he has had “kind, wise, inspiring, challenging, and generous mentors” who have supported him throughout his career, and the only way to return their kindness is by “paying it forward to others who offer me the privilege of mentoring them,” which he considers a great gift.
Forum workshops included opportunities for NAM members to work together to identify shared challenges within health and medicine and elevate novel solutions across various topics and fields of expertise. Dr. Commodore shares that major takeaways from the event can be summed up in three words: perseverance, patience, and impact.
"My experience at NAM was so positive, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be at the Forum," says Dr. Commodore. "It was so humbling to learn from and engage in conversations with professionals and experts in the biomedical sciences, population health, health care, health policy, and many more related fields. A big thank you to Dean Allison for the invitation!"