National Academy of Medicine Elects Three Seattle Children’s Leaders

Seattle, WA — Seattle Children’s today announced the following appointments to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM): Christopher A. Longhurst, MD, Chief Executive Officer at Seattle Children’s, Leslie R. Walker, MD, Professor and Ford/Morgan Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and Chief Academic Officer at Seattle Children’s and Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and Principal Investigator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Election to NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health, medicine and biomedical science, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary professional achievement and a commitment to service.

“I am thrilled to welcome these outstanding health and medicine leaders into the National Academy of Medicine,” said NAM President Monica M. Bertagnolli. “Their extraordinary talent and commitment to advancing evidence-based guidance and solutions for our country’s greatest health care challenges will strengthen our efforts to improve health for all.”

Dr. Longhurst, who also serves as affiliate professor of pediatrics and biomedical informatics at the University of Washington, is recognized by NAM for his significant contributions to computer and information sciences underlying clinical decision support, healthcare AI integration and digital health innovation that elevate patient care, quality and safety. Dr. Walker has been dedicated to the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents for more than 25 years, particularly in the area of prevention of adolescent substance use and promotion of healthy adolescent development. Nationally and locally, she is leading system change in academic pediatrics and leading community-centered upstream systems across sectors to spark programs for children to flourish. Dr. Christakis is widely known and respected for his extensive research on the effects of media on children’s social, emotional and cognitive health, helping parents improve their children's early learning environments and working to improve assessment and health care for children and adults with intellectual disabilities worldwide.

New NAM members are elected by current active members and represent expertise across diverse disciplines, including basic research, clinical medicine, public health, nursing, healthcare policy and health administration. As members, they will contribute to committee studies, advisories and national initiatives convened to address the nation’s pressing health challenges.

The election of Drs. Longhurst, Walker, and Christakis brings the total number of active NAM members affiliated with Seattle Children’s to five. Bonnie Ramsey, MD, Professor Emerita, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and Frederick Rivara, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild Association Endowed Chair in Pediatric Health Outcomes Research are active members of NAM.