Dr. deGruy is currently the Woodward-Chisholm Chair and Professor of the department of family medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In addition, he was among the six distinguished alumni honored by the USA National Alumni Association this past March.
Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
New members are elected by current active members through a highly selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, healthcare and public health.
Dr. deGruy received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University in 1970 and his medical degree from USA in 1977. Dr. deGruy completed his family medicine residency at the Medical Center in Columbus, Ga., and his family medicine fellowship as a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow in Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. deGruy joined the USA faculty in 1985, serving for 14 years.
Dr. deGruy’s research interests include somatization, mental disorders in the primary care setting, and family factors in health and illness. He is currently heading up a primary care presence in a newly developed community called Stapleton in the metro Denver area. This will include a new residency clinic, research development and extensive community involvement.
The Institute of Medicine is unique in its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues.
With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer on IOM committees, boards and other activities. Projects completed during the past year include studies on the cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke exposure, nutrition standards for the federal school meals programs, prevention and control of viral hepatitis, strategies to reduce rates of hypertension and decrease Americans’ sodium intakes, and a major summit on integrative medicine.
The new members raise the Institute’s total active membership to 1,649 and the number of foreign associates to 96. With an additional 72 members holding emeritus status, IOM’s total membership is 1,817.
