PROVIDENCE – Dr. Josiah “Jody” Rich, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Brown University, has been elected to the 2018 class of the National Academy of Medicine.
New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Members are chosen for what is regarded as one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine based on their “outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service,” according to a news release.
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Rich is one of 75 new members and 10 international members elected in this year’s class. The newly elected members bring NAM’s total membership to 2,178 and the number of international members to 159.
“I am deeply honored to have been elected and look forward to helping support the mission of the National Academy of Medicine,” said Rich, director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at The Miriam Hospital in Providence. “The academy is an outstanding organization and serves a unique role in our society, which is needed now more than ever.”
Since joining the Brown faculty in 1994, Rich has focused on addressing health disparities, particularly among prisoners and people involved in the criminal justice system. He has developed solutions to prison health care issues and contributed his expertise to the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council discussions to advise policymakers.
In recent years, Rich has focused his research on the opioid crisis, including conducting a study on the effectiveness of medications for addiction treatment in jails and prisons and serving on Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force. Rich is also co-principal investigator for Rhode Island Hospital’s new $11.8 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence on Opioids and Overdose.
Rich joins other Brown community members in the National Academy of Medicine, including Jack Elias, dean of medicine and biological sciences; Eli Adashi, former dean of medical and biological sciences; Phyllis Dennery, professor of pediatrics; Vincent Mor, professor of health services policy and practice; James Morone, professor of public policy; David Savitz, associate dean for research in Brown’s School of Public Health; and Charles Carpenter, professor emeritus of medicine.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
