November 12, 2013
Arthur B. Sanders, MD, MHA, professor with theDepartment of Emergency Medicineat the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, was formally welcomed into the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies during its annual meeting in October.Dr. Sanders, a member of the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center and the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, is one of 70 new members and 10 foreign associates from the Class of 2012 that was welcomed to the IOM during its 2013 annual meeting. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
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.
“Election to the Institute of Medicine is an outstanding achievement,” says Steve Goldschmid, MD, dean of the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. “It recognizes the excellence that Dr. Sanders exemplifies in all that he does for his patients and the University of Arizona College of Medicine community.”
“This is a great honor and well deserved as Dr. Sanders has been an academic leader with a major impact in emergency medicine,” says Samuel Keim, MD, chair of the UA Department of Emergency Medicine and director of the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center. “He has contributed milestone achievements in cardiac arrest, geriatric emergency care and medical ethics. He is an extremely valuable student mentor and educator, as well.”
“We could not be more delighted with Dr. Sanders’ appointment,” says Gordon Ewy, MD, professor emeritus of medicine (cardiology) and director emeritus of the UA Sarver Heart Center. “He has been a major contributor to the Sarver Heart Center’s Resuscitation Research Group, whose research developed chest compression-only CPR and Cardiocerebral Resuscitation, new approaches to resuscitation from sudden cardiac arrest that have already saved – and will continue to save – innumerable lives.”
Dr. Sanders earned his medical degree from Cornell University in 1973 and completed his residency in medicine at the UA College of Medicine. He joined the UA faculty in 1977 (before emergency medicine was recognized as a medical specialty) and worked in the emergency department of University Hospital, now called The University of Arizona Medical Center – University Campus. He has been named by his peers for inclusion in the Best Doctors in America® from 2007 to the present.
A member of the UA Sarver Heart Center Resuscitation Research Group, Dr. Sanders worked with Dr. Ewy to develop Chest-Compression-Only CPR, the effective new method of cardiac resuscitation that does not include mouth-to-mouth breathing. Dr. Sanders also served as chair of the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Committee for the American Heart Association.
Dr. Sanders’ research interests also include geriatric emergency medicine. He helped develop a more comprehensive model of care for elder patients in the emergency medical system that specifically addresses the special needs of older patients. He edited the first textbook in geriatric emergency medicine, “Emergency Care of the Elder Person,” and co-edited the textbook “Emergency Medicine: An Approach to Clinical Problem Solving.”
He has published more than 250 articles in scientific journals and is author or co-author of several books, including “Ethics in Emergency Medicine,” which he co-authored with fellow UA emergency physician Ken Iserson, MD, to help health-care professionals prepare for ethical dilemmas in emergency medical, nursing and pre-hospital practice (cases and analyses in the book also have been used to draft scripts for the television show, “ER”).
In addition to research and patient care, Dr. Sanders spends about one-third of his time teaching and mentoring medical students.
Dr. Sanders is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American College of Emergency Physicians Outstanding Contributions in Research Award, presented annually to one researcher in recognition of research contributions to emergency medicine (2003); the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Leadership Award, presented annually to one individual for leadership contributions to the specialty of emergency medicine (1998); and the Hal Jayne Academic Excellence Award, presented annually by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine to one individual nationally for academic contributions to the specialty of emergency medicine (1993).
“The Institute of Medicine is greatly enriched by the addition of our newly elected colleagues, each of whom has significantly advanced health and medicine,” says IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. “Through their research, teaching, clinical work and other contributions, these distinguished individuals have inspired and served as role models to others. We look forward to drawing on their knowledge and skills to improve health through the work of the IOM.”
Other UA faculty members who have been elected to the IOM include: M. Paul Capp, MD, professor emeritus, Department of Medical Imaging, UA College of Medicine – Tucson (elected 1988); J. Lyle Bootman, PhD, ScD, dean, UA College of Pharmacy (elected 1998); and Setsuko K. Chambers, MD, Bobbi Olson Endowed Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research, director of Women's Cancers and co-program leader, Cancer Biology and Genetics, The University of Arizona Cancer Center; vice chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, professor and director of Gynecologic Oncology, UA College of Medicine – Tucson (elected 2009).
About the Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is unique in its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards and other activities. Projects during the past year include studies of environmental factors in breast cancer, health IT and patient safety, nutrition rating systems and graphics on food packaging, establishing crisis standards of care during catastrophic disasters, improving care for epilepsy and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
IOM's charter ensures diversity of talent among the institute’s membership by requiring at least one-quarter of the members to be selected from fields outside the health professions, such as engineering, social sciences, law and the humanities. 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.