ANN ARBOR—The National Academy of Sciences announced the election of two University of Michigan professors: Dr. David Ginsburg and James S. House.

Ginsburg is a Life Sciences Institute research professor and the James V. Neel Distinguished University Professor in the Medical School; House is the Angus Campbell Collegiate Professor of Sociology and Survey Research and a research professor in the Institute for Social Research.

Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors bestowed upon scientists, in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Since joining the U-M faculty in 1985, Ginsburg’s career has been distinguished in both medical practice and basic genetics research. He is the former chief of medical genetics in the Department of Internal Medicine, a past-president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ginsburg also holds an appointment as an investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Ginsburg’s ground-breaking work in the field of medical genetics has generated a body of novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying life-threatening bleeding disorders. In addition to his election, Ginsburg is also the recipient of several prestigious research awards, including the ASCI Award and the Basic Research Prize of the American Heart Association, among many others. Based on his important discoveries, a series of new diagnostic tools and therapeutic stratagems are under development for clinical use.

House joined the U-M faculty in 1978. An internationally recognized expert on the complex ways in which psychosocial and economic factors affect stress and health, House is also affiliated with the U-M School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and the U-M Institute of Gerontology. House has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.

His long body of distinguished social science research includes work on how social relationships influence health, how work and retirement affect health and well-being in older age, and how marital quality changes through the life course. House has also conducted research showing how volunteering is related to mortality among older adults, how urban living affects mortality, and how socioeconomic disparities in health change over time. His research has been funded by the National Institutes on Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The election of 72 new members inducted for 2007 was held this morning during the business session of the 144th annual meeting of the academy. Those elected today bring the total number of active members to 2,025, including LSI professor Rowena Matthews.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation that calls on the Academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government in matters of science or technology.

Related Links:

• National Academies
• Life Sciences Institute