Monica E. Peek, the Ellen H. Block Professor for Health Justice in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine.
Peek, an internist and renowned health disparities researcher at UChicago Medicine, was one of 100 people elected to the organization’s 2022 class, which was announced Oct. 17. Election to the Academy recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service and is considered one of the highest honors in the health and medical field.
Peek was selected for her international leadership in reducing health disparities through her research on how structural racism and the social determinants of health perpetuate disparities in Black communities. Her cutting-edge research has informed national guidelines and best practices regarding shared decision-making between patients and physicians and community-engaged strategies to improve health among African Americans.
New Academy members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes those who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, healthcare and public health. At least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions, such as law, engineering, social sciences and the humanities.
“This extraordinary class of new members is comprised of exceptional scholars and leaders who have been at the forefront of responding to serious public health challenges, combatting social inequities and achieving innovative discoveries,” said National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau. “Their expertise will be vital to informing the future of health and medicine for the benefit of us all.”
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors.
In addition to her active clinical and research work, Peek is a member of the executive council of the American Diabetes Association, the international advisory council for Physicians for Human Rights and the executive board of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. She is the associate vice-chair for research faculty development in the Department of Medicine, an associate director of the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research, an associate director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and a senior associate editor for the journal Health Services Research.
—Adapted from a story published on the UChicago Medicine website.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
