Kharasch, Sadler elected to Institute of Medicine

Evan D. Kharasch, MD, PhD, and J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD, have been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors medical scientists in the United States can receive.

Kharasch and Sadler, each widely regarded physician-scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are among 70 new members and 10 foreign associates whose elections to the Institute of Medicine were announced Monday, Oct. 21, by the National Academy of Sciences.

The Institute of Medicine serves as a national resource for independent analysis and recommendations on issues related to medicine, biomedical sciences and health. It was established in 1970 as part of the National Academy of Sciences, which advises the federal government on science and technology issues. Members are selected based on their professional achievements and commitment to service.

As members, Kharasch and Sadler will devote a significant amount of volunteer time on committees engaged in a broad range of health-policy issues.


Robert Boston
Evan D. Kharasch, MD, PhD


Kharasch
, the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Professor of Anesthesiology and professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, is also the vice chancellor for research at Washington University.

In his role as vice chancellor, he is an officer of the university, a member of the University Council and chief officer for the university’s research mission, overseeing an enterprise that generates more than $500 million annually for sponsored research from a wide array of funding sources. The office is integral to the university’s research operations, grants infrastructure and research strategies.

Kharasch leads the university’s initiative on research innovation and entrepreneurship, which aims to maximize public benefit from the university’s fundamental research discoveries. His office also oversees the continuing education of faculty and staff regarding research regulations as well as issues related to conflict of interest, research integrity, intellectual property and technology transfer.

Kharasch, who was awarded the Shelden Professorship in 2007, also has been the director of the Department of Anesthesiology’s Division of Clinical and Translational Research since he arrived at the university in 2005. His research interests include basic, translational and clinical pharmacology, with an emphasis on mechanisms and clinical aspects of drug disposition, interactions, toxicity and pharmacogenetics. His studies are aimed toward a better understanding of individual differences in response to drugs and optimization of therapy.

A Chicago native, Kharasch earned a bachelor’s degree in medical sciences, a doctorate in pharmacology and a medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. He then completed an internship, residency and a research fellowship in anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle before joining its faculty in 1988.

Kharasch has received various other honors and awards throughout his career and is one of 23 inaugural members of the Honorary Academy of Mentors for the American Society of Anesthesiologists Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research.


Robert Boston
J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD