SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 21, 2013) — Carlos Roberto Jaén, M.D., Ph.D., FAAFP, a family physician whose research on improving patient-centered care and community health has drawn international acclaim, is among 70 new members elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Election to the IOM is one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.
The IOM announced the names of new members today during its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. 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.
Dr. Jaén is a professor and chairman of the Department of Family & Community Medicine in the School of Medicine of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He sees patients through UT Medicine San Antonio, the clinical practice of the School of Medicine.
Dr. Jaén’s particular interests include improving preventive care, building a healthier city through community wellness efforts and building and studying high-performance primary care practices.
“I am humbled by this election and filled with gratitude toward my mentors, colleagues, friends and family who support my passion for improving health and health care,” Dr. Jaén said. “It inspires me to continue working with the next generations of physician leaders and researchers in our journey toward building a more equitable health care system based on primary care.”
Dr. Jaén has conducted highly regarded research on turning a doctor’s office into a “patient-centered medical home” that offers team-based care, better use of technology and a more personal experience for patients that may improve health. He led the first large-scale national demonstration project on patient-centered medical homes, with results published in a special supplement of the Annals of Family Medicine in 2010.
Dr. Jaén also is an internationally recognized leader in smoking cessation research. He served on panels that published national smoking cessation guidelines in 1996 and 2000, and he co-chaired the panel that published an update in 2008.
“For Dr. Jaén, the patient is always foremost in his mind. His success, as a practicing physician and respected researcher, is a testament to that,” said Francisco González-Scarano, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center. “He has achieved great heights in our profession while never losing sight of why we do what we do. He is a credit to our university, and I’m pleased to welcome him as a fellow member of the Institute of Medicine.”
Dr. Jaén is the chair-elect of the American Board of Family Medicine. He is also the Endowed Holder of the Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly Distinguished Professorship in the Patient-Centered Medical Home.
With the election of Dr. Jaén, the Health Science Center has seven IOM members. The others are Dr. González; Fernando A. Guerra, M.D.; Bettie Sue Siler Masters, Ph.D.; Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D.; Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H.; and Cynthia D. Mulrow, M.D., M.Sc.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 29,000 graduates. The $736 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.