News Summary

• University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center blood and marrow transplantation expert Bruce Blazar, M.D., has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for his outstanding work in both clinical and translational science.
• Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Quotes

• “Dr. Blazar’s election to the Institutes of Medicine is well-deserved and is a tremendous honor for both him and for the entire University of Minnesota. Dr. Blazar works tirelessly to improve the lives and outcomes for transplant patients and he has made landmark discoveries that will continue to advance his field for years to come.” -Aaron Friedman, M.D., dean of the Medical School and the University’s vice president of health sciences 

Full Text

MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL (October 29, 2012) – University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center blood and marrow transplantation expert Bruce Blazar, M.D., has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for his outstanding work in both clinical and translational science.

Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Blazar is a Regent's Professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT), an associate vice president of the Academic Health Center and the director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). His primary research areas include developing new strategies to adjust the immune system so that injury to the host is avoided, enhancing immune system recovery to prevent tumor/leukemia relapse and fighting occurrence of infections after BMT.

“Election to the Institute of Medicine is a great honor,” said Blazar, “and serves as recognition for all of us who have worked together as a team to bring new therapies into the clinic in an effort to improve the outcome for patients undergoing BMT treatment.

Blazar, a leader in the field of transplant biology and therapy, has made groundbreaking contributions in discovering and understanding the mechanisms underlying graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) - a major complication of BMT. This work has advanced the field and has led to pivotal trials, bringing novel pharmaceutical agents, proteins and cell therapies to the clinic.

Outside of the laboratory, clinic and classroom, Blazar has worked to bolster community and university partnerships by streamlining and facilitating community-relevant research while collaborating across disciplines, organizations, and communities.

According to the IOM, new members are elected by current, active members through a selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

Blazar is the 15th University of Minnesota faculty member elected into the IOM.

“Dr. Blazar’s election to the Institutes of Medicine is well-deserved and is a tremendous honor for both him and for the entire University of Minnesota,” said Aaron Friedman, M.D., dean of the Medical School and the University’s vice president of health sciences. “Dr. Blazar works tirelessly to improve the lives and outcomes for transplant patients and he has made landmark discoveries that will continue to advance his field for years to come.”

The newly elected members raise IOM’s total active membership to 1,732 and the number of foreign associates to 112. With an additional 84 members holding emeritus status, IOM’s total membership is 1,928.