The National Academy of Medicine has announced that Dr. Brent Stockwell, Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, is among the 100 new members elected to the academy. Founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is one of three academies that make up the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) in the United States. NAM membership reflects “the height of professional achievement and commitment to service.”
Dr. Stockwell was recognized for his discovery of a new form of cell death termed ferroptosis. Since this discovery more than a decade ago, his lab has collaborated with labs from around the world to define many of the key mechanisms governing ferroptosis, as well as crucial reagents necessary to study it. In addition to receiving numerous awards, Dr. Stockwell has been in the top one percent of highly cited researchers the last three years, and was named one of the 50 most influential life science individuals in New York. The author of “The Quest for the Cure: The Science and Stories Behind the Next Generation of Medicines,” Dr. Stockwell is also a devoted teacher much beloved by his students. He has developed a new blended learning approach to teaching biochemistry to Columbia undergraduates, performed randomized controlled trials to examine the effectiveness of teaching methods, and introduced the use of virtual reality and augmented and mixed reality into his biochemistry course. Learn more about Dr. Stockwell’s research and laboratory here.