Tufts Neonatologist Inducted into Institute of Medicine

Diana W. Bianchi, the Natalie V. Zucker Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts School of Medicine, was inducted into the Institute of Medicine (IOM) at the organization’s annual meeting on Oct. 21.

A branch of the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM honors outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Bianchi is one of 70 new members elected this year. IOM members commit to donating their time and expertise to boards, committees and other IOM advisory bodies.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized alongside so many exceptional clinicians and scientists,” said Bianchi, the founding executive director of the Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI) at Tufts Medical Center and vice chair for pediatric research at the Floating Hospital for Children. “Medicine and technology are rapidly evolving. I look forward to working with my fellow IOM members to improve pediatric and obstetric clinical care, while simultaneously addressing the multiple challenges associated with health-care reform.”

Bianchi’s research focuses on prenatal genomics, with the goal of advancing non-invasive prenatal DNA diagnosis and using the fetal transcriptome to develop new fetal therapies. A practicing medical geneticist with special expertise in reproductive genetics, Bianchi has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and is co-author of Fetology: Diagnosis and Management of the Fetal Patient, which won the Association of American Publishers award for best textbook in clinical medicine in 2000.

“Election to the IOM is one of the premier distinctions in all of health care and medicine,” said Michael Wagner, interim president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center. “Dr. Bianchi is a research pioneer in her field, a compassionate clinician and a dedicated teacher.”

Harris A. Berman, dean of Tufts School of Medicine, called Bianchi “a true leader in the field of pediatrics [who] will make meaningful contributions to the Institute of Medicine’s important work to address the country’s most pressing health-care concerns.”

A member of the genetics program faculty at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Bianchi is editor-in-chief of the international journal Prenatal Diagnosis, a member of the National Advisory Council of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and a past president of both the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis and the Perinatal Research Society.

She also has received a variety of awards, including the Duane Alexander Award for leadership and mentorship in perinatal medicine from NICHD, and the Christopher Columbus Spirit of Discovery Award and the Distinguished Faculty Award, both from Tufts University.

A note regarding the above references to the Sackler School: In December 2019, Tufts University announced that it would remove the Sackler name from all programs and facilities—including the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. At that time, the school was renamed the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.