By Grace McOmber

Rebecca Etz, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her contributions to revolutionizing primary care measurement and crisis response. 

Etz was one of 100 professionals recognized on Oct. 19 for their “major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, healthcare and public health,” according to a press release from NAM. 

Founded in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, NAM is a private nonprofit organization that addresses issues in medicine, healthcare, science and related policy by providing independent objective analysis and advisory to the public and private sectors. Additionally, NAM serves to encourage research and education, recognize contributions to health and increase public awareness to the field. 

Etz, a cultural anthropologist, first joined the Department of Family Medicine in 2011. She has contributed to more than 70 research publications focusing on a range of primary care topics, including behavioral health in primary care settings, practice transformation, preventive services, social determinants, primary care measures and the promotion of improved, person-focused care. In 2017, she co-founded and continues to co-direct the Larry A. Green Center, a collaborative center based at VCU that “advances primary care for the public good.” 

“Rebecca Etz’s election to the National Academy of Medicine is an extraordinary and richly deserved recognition of the impact she has had on primary care. I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand how Rebecca’s scholarship has challenged us to think differently about what high-quality primary care really means to patients and communities,” said Scott Strayer, M.D., chair of the Department of Family Medicine. "Her groundbreaking work developing the Person-Centered Primary Care Measure has given us a new way to measure what matters most in primary care and has grown from an innovative idea into a globally recognized tool, now validated in 30 languages and used internationally. We are incredibly proud that this work has been built and advanced here in our department, and even more proud to call Rebecca our colleague.”

NAM specifically recognized Etz’s work creating the first Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-endorsed patient-reported primary care measure and establishing the only national COVID-19 primary care tracking system, which subsequently influenced congressional action and state policies.  

The recognition from NAM adds to Etz’s list of honors from national organizations, including the Primary Care Collaborative and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Etz is a distinguished fellow by the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation and serves as a board member on the North American Primary Care Research Group.

This story was originally published on the School of Medicine website.

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