The National Academy of Medicine Elects Two Global Leaders in Cellular and Gene Therapy from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, and Beverly Davidson, PhD Two renowned experts from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), effective October 1, 2019. Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Recognized for outstanding professional achievement are Beverly L. Davidson, PhD, Director of the Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics (CCMT), and a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, Chief of the Cell Therapy and Transplant Section in the Division of Oncology and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program, and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

“CHOP has the brightest minds in cellular and gene therapy under one roof, coupled with unparalleled experience with the first-to-market approved gene therapies, and our unique infrastructure makes it possible to deliver these therapies, said Bryan Wolf, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Chief Scientific Officer at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. “All of this powers our pediatric research hospital to aggressively pursue and lead treatment breakthroughs. Dr. Davidson’s and Dr. Grupp’s elections to the National Academy of Medicine are very well deserved.”

Davidson was recognized for being on the forefront of developing innovative therapies and medicines for fatal, inherited brain disorders, which are engineered to either remove toxic proteins or replace missing proteins, and for improving or preventing disease progression. 

Read more about Dr. Davidson's recognition.

Grupp was recognized for pioneering the development of an entirely novel therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and leading the first global engineered cell therapy trial that demonstrated effective sustained ALL remissions, making him a leader in cancer immunotherapy.

Read more about Dr. Grupp's recognition.

Since 1970, the NAM has annually elected exceptional individuals for outstanding contributions to health and medicine. This year 100 new members have been chosen for this prestigious honor.

New members will be formally welcomed to the NAM during next year’s annual meeting, which is also NAM’s 50th anniversary, scheduled for October 2020.