A Banner Month for Institute Recognition

From national scientific honors and prestigious academy elections to distinguished teaching awards, Institute faculty continue to shape research, education, and healthcare at the highest levels.

October has been a notable month for Institute recognition. Across research, education, and scientific leadership, our researchers earned an impressive collection of honors and accolades that reflect the breadth of their impact. Please join us in celebrating these well-deserved achievements.

McKnight Prize for Healthcare Outbreak Heroes: Meghan Baker
Administered under the CDC Foundation, through the Evelyn and Thomas McKnight Family Fund for Patient Safety, this prize encourages and rewards those who serve and protect patients from harm in the context of healthcare outbreak response in the U.S. Meghan Baker is this year’s award recipient, nominated and selected for her work transforming outbreak detection, leading an 82-hospital trial using automated software to signal outbreaks across hundreds of pathogens, thereby accelerating response, preventing spread, and protecting patients.

HMS Award for Excellence in Civil Dialogue in Medical Education: Laura Garabedian (inaugural recipient)

The Award for Excellence in Civil Dialogue in Medical Education is a newly established award at Harvard Medical School, recognizing a faculty member who exemplifies the highest standards of teaching by fostering a learning environment where curiosity, respectful dialogue, and intellectual humility thrive. Laura Garabedian was selected as the inaugural recipient for her work in Essentials of the Profession. The committee noted that the course has set the standard for HMS’s medical education program in modeling how complicated issues can be expertly navigated so students can acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to become the most outstanding doctors in the future. 

HMS Longitudinal Medical Education Award: Marie-France Hivert

In recognition of her leadership in integrating nutrition and lifestyle medicine throughout the HMS curriculum, Marie-France Hivert was awarded the Longitudinal Medical Education Award. The award recognizes a member of the HMS faculty who has demonstrated an outstanding degree of longitudinal integration as an educator of Harvard medical students through their efforts in the Program in Medical Education within the past year. The award is among HMS's most visible commendations of teaching accomplishments and reflects how much students and the medical school value Dr. Hivert’s contributions.

Election to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM): Emily Oken

Founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, NAM works with the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, evidence-based guidance on critical issues in health, science, and public policy. By joining NAM, members commit to contributing their expertise to the work of the National Academies.

Each year, NAM selects only 100 new members (90 regular, 10 international) to join its ranks. Election to NAM is among the highest honors in health and medicine, recognizing individuals who have made exceptional contributions to medical science, health care, public health, and related fields. Members are elected by their peers for their professional achievements and service. Emily Oken was one of this year’s recipients of this prestigious honor, for, according to the NAM press release, “seminal research on pregnancy health and on chronic disease risk in women and children that has had far-reaching impact on federal and international guidelines.”

Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement: Chanu Rhee

This award recognizes outstanding achievement in an area of infectious diseases by an  Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) member or fellow aged 45 or younger (on Dec. 31 of the year preceding the IDWeek conference at which the award is given). The award is based on overall achievement, not usually a single study. 

This year, Chanu Rhee was honored with the award for the breadth, originality and impact of his contributions in the area of sepsis.

Research.com’s Top 1,000 Female Scientists in the World: Sheryl Rifas-Shiman

Sheryl Rifas-Shiman has been named by Research.com as one of the Top 1,000 Female Scientists in the World, ranked #482 in the United States and #812 globally. The ranking is based on the D-index (discipline H-index), calculated from data gathered across several bibliometric sources. The ranking aims to give greater visibility to the scientific achievements of women, who remain underrepresented in many research rankings. 

2026 STAT Wunderkinds: Mahnum Shahzad and Austin Waters

Since 2017, has STAT set out to find and celebrate the “unheralded heroes of science and medicine” each year – recognizing doctors and researchers still under the mentorship of senior mentors, but on the cusp of launching their careers. This year, two Institute researchers made the list: Mahnum Shahzad and Austin Waters. 

Whether generating evidence that informs practice and policy, advancing medical education, leading discoveries that improve patient care, or shaping the healthcare leaders of tomorrow, our faculty continue to drive meaningful change in population health. We proudly celebrate these achievements and look forward to their continued contributions in the years ahead.