Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi and Dr. Teresa A. Davis have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, a prestigious honor recognizing their significant contributions to health and medicine. They are among 90 regular members and 10 international inductees announced at the Academy’s annual meeting.
Dr. Bottazzi is the senior associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. She has been recognized for her work in advancing vaccines for infectious diseases affecting underprivileged populations, including her role in developing patent-free COVID-19 vaccine technology leading to Corbevax in India and IndoVac in Indonesia.
"I am humbled and honored to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine," Bottazzi stated, highlighting the collaborative vision shared by her team at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Davis is a professor of pediatrics – nutrition at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor and Texas Children’s. Her research focuses on nutritional and hormonal regulation of growth, significantly impacting infant health through protein synthesis understanding.
“I’m very honored to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine,” said Davis, acknowledging the excellence in science at Baylor's USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center.
Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO, and executive dean of Baylor College of Medicine, praised both doctors: “Drs. Bottazzi and Davis are leaders in innovation... As global leaders in their respective fields, they are extremely deserving of this honor."
Bottazzi's achievements include developing vaccines for neglected tropical diseases such as hookworm and Chagas disease. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize alongside Dr. Peter Hotez for their COVID-19 vaccine work.
Davis has over 30 years of continuous funding from NIH and USDA for her research into protein requirements, mentoring numerous students while serving as director of the CNRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
Both scientists join other distinguished Baylor colleagues already part of the National Academy of Medicine.
