Five MIT Affiliates Inducted into National Academy of Medicine 2025

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced on October 20, 2023, the election of 100 new members for 2025. Among those honored are two faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Dina Katabi and Facundo Batista. This election marks a significant recognition of outstanding contributions to the fields of health and medicine, acknowledging individuals who have shown exceptional professional achievement and dedication to service.

Profiles of the Newly Elected Members

Facundo Batista serves as the associate director and scientific director of the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard. He also holds the position of the first Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon Professor in the MIT Department of Biology. The NAM honored Batista for his pivotal research in understanding the biology of antibody-producing B cells, which is crucial for comprehending the immune system’s response to infectious diseases. His recent work has focused on the development of preclinical vaccines and therapies for significant global health threats, including HIV, malaria, and influenza.

Batista earned his PhD from the International School of Advanced Studies and established his laboratory in 2002 at the Francis Crick Institute, holding a professorship at Imperial College London simultaneously. He joined the Ragon Institute in 2016 to leverage his expertise in B cell and antibody responses for vaccine development, particularly for diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. His accolades include being an elected fellow of multiple prestigious organizations, including the U.K. Academy of Medical Sciences and the American Academy of Microbiology. He is also the chief editor of The EMBO Journal.

Dina Katabi, who earned her SM in 1999 and PhD in 2003 from MIT, is the Thuan (1990) and Nicole Pham Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Her research interests encompass digital health, wireless sensing, mobile computing, machine learning, and computer vision. The NAM recognized her for pioneering technologies that facilitate non-invasive remote health monitoring through AI and wireless signals. Her innovative work has led to the development of digital biomarkers for tracking the progression of Parkinson’s disease, improving clinical trial methodologies.

Katabi is the director of the MIT Center for Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), where she spearheads the Networks at MIT Research Group. Her academic achievements include being a MacArthur Fellow and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, and National Academy of Engineering. She has also received the ACM Computing Prize.

Additional MIT Alumni Honored

In addition to Katabi and Batista, three other MIT alumni were elected to the NAM for 2025: Christopher S. Chen, who holds a master’s and PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology; Michael E. Matheny, an alumnus of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology; and Rebecca R. Richards-Kortum, who earned her SM and PhD from the Department of Physics and the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology.

Established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine by the National Academy of Sciences, the NAM addresses crucial issues in health, science, and related policy while promoting positive actions across various sectors. NAM President Victor J. Dzau expressed his honor in welcoming these distinguished leaders, stating, “Their demonstrated excellence in tackling public health challenges, leading major discoveries, improving health care, advancing health policy, and addressing health equity will critically strengthen our collective ability to tackle the most pressing health challenges of our time.”

The election of these individuals signifies not only personal achievement but also reflects MIT’s ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge and innovation in health and medicine.