image: David Grimes, MD, of Family Health International, has been a leader in developing the field of evidence-based medicine. view more
Credit: Alan Dehmer
Research Triangle Park, NC -- David Grimes, MD, of Family Health International (FHI) was publicly welcomed into the National Academy of Sciences’ prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) today. Dr. Grimes is the second IOM member from FHI.
The Washington-based IOM is a nonprofit component of the National Academy of Sciences that works outside the framework of government to provide unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and advice about health and science policy. Each year, 65 individuals are inducted into the IOM, which has about 1,700 members.
“We are so fortunate to have someone with David’s world class talents working with us at FHI,” said Willard Cates, Jr., MD, MPH, president of research for the organization and FHI’s other IOM member. “I have been privileged to work alongside David for more than three decades. He represents the essential core values of excellence, integrity, and passion for providing reproductive health services to women in the most resource-poor areas. David has inspired and mentored generations of colleagues at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four medical schools, and now FHI.”
Dr. Grimes has been a leader in developing the field of evidence-based medicine, which involves systematically searching for the best available evidence to answer clinical questions. Through his leadership, FHI has led more than half of the literature reviews on fertility regulation published in the Cochrane Library (an international effort to identify, analyze, and disseminate findings from the world’s most rigorous clinical trials). These reviews focus on the safety and effectiveness of different methods of family planning and serve as the foundation for the World Health Organization’s international guidelines on contraceptive use.
An inspiring role model, Dr. Grimes has won numerous awards for training medical students and residents to make clinical decisions based on scientific evidence. Beginning in 2002, he also coauthored with FHI’s Kenneth Schulz, PhD, MBA, a popular series of articles on research methodology in The Lancet, with the goal of preparing clinicians to read the medical literature more critically.
Before joining FHI in 1988, Dr. Grimes worked as an epidemiologist for nine years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and was on the faculty at three medical schools. Currently, he serves on the faculty of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his medical degree. He is one of a small number of physicians in the United States who are board certified in both obstetrics/gynecology and preventive medicine.
Dr. Grimes was inducted with other class members into the IOM during the institute’s 37th annual meeting, held today in the historic National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington. He received his certificate of membership and was personally welcomed into the institute by current IOM President Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg during a private ceremony last night.
About the Institute of Medicine
Established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.
About Family Health International
Since 1971, FHI has been at the forefront of public health research, prevention, care and treatment in the developing world. FHI delivers services and conducts research in HIV/AIDS, other infectious diseases and reproductive health to improve the lives and well-being of some of the world's most vulnerable people. For more information, please visit http://www.fhi.org or contact Beth Robinson, Deputy Director for Research Dissemination, at media@fhi.org or 919-405-1461.