Selwyn O. Rogers Jr., the Dr. James E. Bowman Jr. Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine.
Rogers is a trauma surgeon, public health expert, founding director of the Trauma Center and Executive Vice President for Community Health Engagement at UChicago Medicine. He is one of 100 people elected to the organization’s 2024 class, which was announced Oct. 21. 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.
Rogers was selected for paradigm-shifting, hospital-based violence interventions including medical-legal clinics that address the social drivers of violent trauma to reduce gun violence and reduce recidivism. He is a leading national advocate for a holistic public health approach with an equity lens to prevent firearms injuries. He has built an interdisciplinary team of specialists at the Trauma Center to treat patients who suffer injury from life-threatening events, and he works with leaders in the city's trauma network to expand trauma care on the South Side.
Additionally, as executive vice president for community health engagement at UCM, Rogers works with faculty across the UChicago as well as members of the community to develop a multidisciplinary approach to trauma care and health disparities. His research focuses on understanding the health care needs of underserved populations, and he has published numerous articles relating to health disparities and the impact of race and ethnicity on surgical outcomes. This work enhances the understanding of social factors that affect victims of violence and underserved populations, in addition to identifying approaches necessary to achieving better outcomes for trauma victims.
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, health care 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.
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.
—Adapted from an article first posted by the Biological Sciences Division.
—Sam Marsden
