The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has named Harvey Fineberg, former provost of Harvard University, as its seventh president. Fineberg will succeed Kenneth Shine, who faces mandatory retirement next June after two 6-year terms, the IOM announced on 8 November.
Fineberg
CREDIT: JON CHASE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY/AP PHOTO
Fineberg, 56, stepped down from Harvard's second-ranking job last June after he was passed over for the presidency. He had a lengthy tenure in Cambridge as an administrator, including 4 years as provost and 13 years as dean of the university's School of Public Health. He also earned a medical degree and a doctorate in public policy from Harvard.
Fineberg says it's too early to spell out specific plans, but he wants to address the broad role of information technology in health care, from using "evidence-based" medicine in clinical care to making medical information accessible to the public. He's also eager to lend a hand on bioterrorism issues. "It's a compelling time to be in Washington," he says.
Barry Bloom, who followed Fineberg as dean of Harvard's School of Public Health, says Fineberg sharpened the school's focus on improving the quality of health care and understanding how economic factors contribute to a person's health. "He was key to raising issues of the underserved and the inequities of health [care]," says Bloom.
