Joseph D Buxbaum PhD Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been elected as one of 70 new members to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly known as The Institute of Medicine (IOM). A world-renowned molecular geneticist and neurobiologist, he is also the Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai.
“Election to the National Academy of Medicine is considered one of the highest honors in medicine,” says Dennis S. Charney, MD, the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Dr. Buxbaum’s election is a notable achievement and well-deserved recognition of his leadership and important contributions to uncovering the genetic and molecular basis of autism spectrum disorder.”
Dr. Buxbaum’s research focuses on using techniques of molecular genetics and neuroscience to identify and characterize genes that contribute to autism susceptibility. His laboratory has identified common and rare genetic variants that underlie autism and has developed model systems in which novel therapeutics can be tested. This work has led to novel clinical trials in rare genetic disorders associated with autism. As the founder and co-leader of the Autism Sequencing Consortium, he heads an international group of scientists who share autism samples, data and ideas in order to accelerate our understanding of the causes of and treatments for autism.
Recruited in part to establish a molecular genetics program in autism, Dr. Buxbaum joined Mount Sinai in 1997 as Director of Molecular Genetics at the Seaver Autism Center. He took over Directorship of the Center in 2008. Dr. Buxbaum also leads Mount Sinai’s Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, which has taken the findings of the causes of neuropsychiatric disorders and translated them into animal models where therapeutic approaches can be evaluated.
Dr. Buxbaum earned his PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience at the Rockefeller University. He is the author of more than 200 publications, and he is co-editor in chief of the journal Molecular Autism.
New members to the NAM are elected by current active members through a selective process that recognizes people who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine is a national resource that provides independent, objective analysis and advice on health issues.
About the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai
The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai conducts progressive research studies aimed at understanding the multiple causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The multidisciplinary team is comprised of experts in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, model systems, neuroimaging, and experimental therapeutics who are dedicated to discovering the biological causes of ASD. The Center strives to develop innovative diagnostics and treatments for integration into the provision of personalized, comprehensive assessment and care for people with ASD. The Seaver Autism Center was founded through the generous support of the Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Foundation. For more information, visit www.seaverautismcenter.org.
About The Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.
The System includes approximately 6,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 minority-owned free-standing ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. Seven departments at The Mount Sinai Hospital and one at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (NYEE) ranked nationally in the top 25 in the 2015-2016 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinaihealth.org/ or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.