Two faculty members of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have been elected members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”
They are Heidi Hamm, PhD, the Aileen M. Lange and Annie Mary Lyle Professor of Cardiovascular Research and former chair of the Department of Pharmacology, and Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology and director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation.
Hamm and Skarr are among 120 voting members and 30 international members of the NAS whose elections were announced on April 29. Five other current members of the Vanderbilt University faculty were elected previously to the academy, a private, non-governmental institution that was established in 1863.
“Election to the National Academy of Sciences is among the highest honors in science,” noted said Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Research for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
“We are immensely proud of Drs. Hamm and Skaar for this well-deserved recognition of their pioneering research,” Pietenpol said. “Their discoveries exemplify the power of scientific inquiry to advance knowledge and improve human health. We celebrate their contributions to science and our community.”
“Election to the National Academy of Sciences is a wonderful recognition of the groundbreaking advances made by these scientists,” said John Kuriyan, PhD, University Distinguished Chair of Biochemistry, and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, who was elected to NAS membership in 2001.
“Drs. Hamm and Skaar embody the spirit of discovery that defines Vanderbilt — from decoding fundamental molecular processes to revealing new paths to treat human disease,” Kuriyan said. “Their achievements continue to inspire our entire research community and advance our mission of pushing science forward for the public good.”
Hamm, who also is Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, is known internationally for first solving the crystal structures of heterotrimeric G proteins, and for characterizing their interactions with activated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are targeted by more than half of all drugs.
Her discoveries, which include the identification of novel signaling pathways, have contributed significantly to elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying GPCR activation and signaling.
They have provided a foundation for the development of targeted therapies for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and neurological conditions, and may inform the design of more selective and efficacious drugs that modulate GPCR activity with greater precision and reduced side effects.
Skaar is the University Distinguished Professor, vice chair for Research and director of the Division of Molecular Pathogenesis in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology.
He and his colleagues explore factors and mechanisms involved in the battle for nutrient metals including iron and zinc between bacterial pathogens and their vertebrate hosts.
His group is credited with expanding understanding that host organisms have developed a defensive process called “nutritional immunity” to block bacteria from the metals they need to grow. This work could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets to treat bacterial infection.
For his “pioneering work at the intersection of nutrition and infectious diseases,” this spring Skaar received the 2025 NAS Award in Molecular Biology.
Other NAS members from Vanderbilt, their titles, and years of election are:
• Larry Bartels, PhD, University Distinguished Professor of Political Science (2012).
• Gordon Logan, PhD, Centennial Professor of Psychology (2019).
• Nancy Carrasco, MD, professor and chair, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics (2015).
• Jon Kaas PhD, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Distinguished Chair in Social and Natural Sciences in the Department of Psychology (2000).
With a current count of 2,662 voting members from the United States, and 556 international members, the NAS serves as an official advisor to the U.S. government on matters of science and technology.
Some of Vanderbilt’s most prominent scientists were NAS members, including the late William Darby, MD, PhD, John Exton, MBChB, MD, PhD, Ernest Goodpasture, MD, Grant Liddle, MD, Charles “Rollo” Park, MD, and Stanley Cohen, PhD, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of epidermal growth factor.
