Dr. Angela Diaz, President of Children's Aid's Board, Is Newest Member of the Institute of Medicine

October 20, 2008

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(New York, NY October 17, 2008) -- Angela Diaz, M.P.H., M.D., Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics and Community and Preventative Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has been named by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as one of its newest members. The announcement was made along with the IOM’s 38th annual meeting. The IOM membership is considered one of the highest honors within the fields of health and medicine. It recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

IOM new members are selected by current active members from a list of candidates nominated for their outstanding accomplishments. They will make a commitment to volunteer a significant amount of time as members of IOM committees and engage in a vast range of studies on health policy issues. The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,576.

“It is so inspiring to be honored in this way. In choosing me, the Institute has recognized that so much must to be done to ensure the health of our teenagers and young adults,” said Dr. Diaz. “That is my life work, and the central commitment of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, and it is one of the most important challenges facing our nation if we are to have a strong and healthy future.”

Dr. Diaz is the director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, and President of the Board of the Children's Aid Society of New York. She has been involved in issues of international health, as well as advocacy issues and policy in the United States. Her research has covered adolescent reproductive health and childhood sexual victimization.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on human health issues. Dr. Diaz was one of the 65 new members announced.

About The Mount Sinai Medical CenterThe Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care. Last year, nearly 50,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients, and there were nearly 450,000 outpatient visits to the Medical Center.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education. With a faculty of more than 3,400 in 38 clinical and basic science departments and centers, Mount Sinai ranks among the top 20 medical schools in receipt of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.

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