Gee Elected to National Academy of Medicine

Dr. Rebekah Gee, Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Policy & Systems Management at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Gee, who left LSU Health New Orleans’ full-time faculty when she was named Louisiana Secretary of Health, is one of 70 regular and 10 international new members. According to the Academy, election to the National Academy of Medicine is 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.

"Dr. Rebekah Gee is an extraordinarily accomplished physician whose leadership has already improved health at the local, state and federal levels," notes Larry Hollier, MD, Chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. "The inaugural National Academy of Medicine Fellowship will only strengthen her contributions to national health strategy and policy. We are so proud that as an adjunct professor now, Dr. Gee remains one of our own and that our students continue to benefit from her considerable knowledge, experience and vision."

An obstetrician/gynecologist, Gee is a nationally recognized expert on quality improvement and Medicaid policy and maternal and child health. She has served in a leadership capacity on many national committees including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Her contributions include as the health policy resident expert for the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology and on the Institute of Medicine’s Board of Health Care Services.

On the state level, Gee was Louisiana’s Medicaid Medical Director before her appointment as Secretary of the Department of Health. She also directed Louisiana’s Birth Outcomes Initiative to decrease infant mortality and premature births. Its successes include contributing to a 25 percent reduction in infant mortality, an 85 percent drop in elective deliveries before 39 weeks and a 10 percent drop in NICU admissions statewide.

"The passion Rebekah brings to her job and to meeting the healthcare needs of Louisiana residents is unmatched. Her leadership to improve overall health and health outcomes in our state has been critical to the success of Medicaid Expansion. She's been instrumental in cutting Louisiana's uninsured rate in half to nearly 12 percent, and we have seen significant decrease in infant mortality under her watch, among many other accomplishments," said Gov. Edwards. "I'm incredibly proud of Rebekah for earning this prestigious honor so early in her career, and I couldn't be happier to have her on our team here in Louisiana."

According to NAM, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), established in 1970 under the name Institute of Medicine (IOM), is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as adviser to the nation and the international community. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.