Brown’s Elaine I. Savage Associate Professor of Engineering Anita Shukla has been named one of 10 Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Scholars by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). This group of early- and mid-career professionals comes from a wide-range of health-related fields, including internal medicine, psychiatry, radiology, biomedical engineering, and public health. The scholars are an essential part of a major National Academy of Medicine initiative, the Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program, which provides a platform for a 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.
Individuals selected by NAM leadership for the 2023 class will engage in a variety of activities throughout the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine over a three-year term. Activities include meetings in Washington, D.C., with NAM leadership and members; planning an annual Emerging Leaders Forum; participating in National Academies convening activities; publishing in NAM Perspectives; and attending the NAM’s annual meeting each October.
Shukla joins a cohort of individuals hailing from the University of Texas, Louisiana State University, University of Pennsylvania, Kaiser Permanente, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, University of Colorado, UCLA, UCSF, and Emory University.
“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 address pressing challenges and help shape the future of science, medicine, and health equity in this nation.”
Shukla participated in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)’s 26th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) symposium in 2021 and was part of the organizing committee for the NAE’s 27th annual U.S. FOE in 2022. In 2021 she was also awarded a Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust Transformational Award, a $1 million grant intended to provide the bridge to the technology transfer process for moving an exciting health care innovation to the next step in commercial development. She has also been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the nation’s highest award for scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers.
Her research develops smart materials aimed at addressing a range of biomedical challenges, with a focus on new biomaterials-based treatments for life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. Her work includes developing new antimicrobial drug delivery systems in the form of responsive hydrogels and targeted nanoparticle therapeutics aimed at effectively treating infections while limiting harmful side-effects and development of antimicrobial resistance.