Two Simons Foundation Investigators Elected to the National Academy of Medicine

This year’s new cohort of National Academy of Medicine members includes two investigators funded by the Simons Foundation. Election to the academy “recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.”

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) Investigator Stephen Traynelis joins Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) Investigator Karel Svoboda in the class of 2025. Both scientists were acknowledged for their efforts in advancing the basic understanding of the neurobiology of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. Traynelis was specifically cited for his “leadership in glutamate receptor biology” and work in “elucidat[ing] new molecular and structural principles of ligand-gated ion channel function and their regulation by endogenous modulators” and “develop[ing] first-in-class allosteric modulators of glutamate receptors and advanced our mechanistic understanding of synaptic transmission, epilepsy, neuroinflammation, and ion channel-related genetic disorders,” while Svoboda was acknowledged for “discovering synaptic mechanisms of learning and neural circuit mechanisms underlying planning and movement, and for developing widely used microscopes, molecular tools, and software for cellular imaging in the intact brain.”

The National Academy of Medicine, originally called the Institute of Medicine, was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Medicine works on critical issues in health, science, medicine and related policy, working closely alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Together, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine encourage education and research and recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge.