Three alumni and a Baylor faculty member elected to National Academy of Medicine
Three Baylor College of Medicine alumni and a Baylor faculty member have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
Steven A. Abrams, M.D., Fel. ‘98; Kathleen H. Burns, M.D., Ph.D. ’04; and Francesco J. DeMayo, Ph.D., PostDoc ‘86, join Amy L. McGuire, J.D., Ph.D., professor and director of Baylor’s Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, among the Academy’s 100 newly elected members for 2026.
Election to the National Academy of Medicine recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and a commitment to service. The Academy brings together leaders from a range of disciplines to address critical challenges in health, medicine and public policy.
Steven A. Abrams, M.D., Fel. ‘98
Dr. Abrams, who completed fellowships in neonatology and nutrition at Baylor and served on its faculty for more than two decades, is a professor of pediatrics at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.
An internationally recognized expert in infant and micronutrient nutrition, he has helped develop nutrition guidelines used around the world. His research has also advanced nutritional care for premature infants, including approaches to human milk fortification and meeting the needs of high-risk newborns.
Kathleen H. Burns, M.D., Ph.D. ’04
Dr. Burns, a graduate of Baylor’s Medical Scientist Training Program, is chair of the Department of Pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School.
She was recognized for her pioneering research on transposable elements, segments of DNA that can move within the genome. Her discoveries have advanced understanding of how these elements contribute to genetic variation and cancer development, creating new opportunities for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Francesco J. DeMayo, Ph.D., PostDoc ‘86
Dr. DeMayo completed his postdoctoral training at Baylor and later held the Cullen Duncan McAshan Endowed Chair before joining the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in 2015. He currently serves as chief of its Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory.
His research has transformed understanding of uterine biology and the mechanisms underlying pregnancy and reproductive disorders. Through the development of genetically engineered research models, he has helped uncover how uterine tissues function in health and disease, contributing important insights to women’s reproductive health.
Amy L. McGuire, J.D., Ph.D.
Dr. McGuire is the Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor. A national leader in bioethics, she was recognized for her contributions to ethical and policy issues surrounding emerging medical technologies and innovative therapies, particularly in genomics and neuroscience.
“I am tremendously honored to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine,” Dr. McGuire said. “At a time when advances in science and medicine are raising profound ethical and societal questions, I believe the work of bioethics has never been more important.”
Her election adds to Baylor’s distinguished representation in the Academy and reflects the College’s longstanding contributions to advancing medical research, education and responsible innovation.
