Oni-Orisan named Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine

Department of Clinical Pharmacy faculty member Akinyemi Oni-Orisan, PharmD, PhD, has been named a 2023 Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine (ELHM) Scholar by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Oni-Orisan’s lab, which lab is part of the Institute for Human Genetics, investigates therapies for cardiovascular disease using data from electronic health records. He is one of 10 individuals from a wide range of health-related fields selected for the program. The ELHM Scholars serve a 3-year term in the program, which facilitates opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and innovation among participants.

The 2023 class of rising national leaders in health and medicine are an essential part of a major NAM initiative, the Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program, and will attend the Emerging Leaders Forum in Washington, D.C., in April 2024. The program provides an opportunity for the new group of scholars and invited participants to share their activities and insights on cutting-edge developments through collaborative work and interdisciplinary discussions.

The scholars will engage in a variety of activities throughout the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, including publishing NAM Perspectives and attending the NAM’s annual meeting each October.

“It’s wonderful to see this recognition of Oni-Orisan’s important leadership in precision medicine—improving the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in ancestrally diverse populations—­particularly as the only PharmD in this year’s NAM Emerging Leaders,” said Department of Clinical Pharmacy Chair Lisa Kroon, PharmD. “He is indeed a leader at UCSF. To see a pharmacist scientist recognized by the National Academy of Medicine in the Health and Medicine Program, which supports national interdisciplinary collaborations, makes him a role model for our pharmacy students.”

The program provides a platform for this new generation of leaders to collaborate with the NAM and its members to advance science, combat persistent challenges in health and medicine, and spark transformative change to improve health for all.

“I am thrilled to welcome this next generation of leading health professionals and scientists into the National Academy of Medicine’s Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine program,” said NAM President Victor J. Dzau. “I look forward to their contributions to our activities to help shape the future of science, medicine, and health equity in this nation.”

The NAM was established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.