Duke and Duke-NUS Faculty Elected to National Academy of Medicine

Ashutosh Chilkoti and Marcus Ong were recognized for their innovations in health and medicine

Headshots side by side of Ashutosh Chilkoti on left and Marcus Ong on right.
Ashutosh Chilkoti, left, and Marcus Ong are Duke’s newest NAM members.

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) recently announced the election of 100 new members for “demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service” in the fields of health and medicine.

Joining the 2026 class of this prestigious organization are faculty from Duke and Duke-NUS:

Ashutosh Chilkoti was recognized for his pioneering work spanning drug delivery, protein purification and point-of-care diagnostic technologies. He is the Alan L. Kaganov Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering; a professor of chemistry at the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences; research professor of global health at the Duke Global Health Institute; and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute.

Chilkoti’s work has led to multiple startups with successful exits, most recently the acquisition of Isolere Bio. Learn more about Chilkoti’s work in the announcement from Pratt.

Marcus Ong was recognized for his prehospital and emergency care improvements using data science, medical innovation, and artificial intelligence. He is the director of the Programme in Health Services Research and Population Health at Duke-NUS Medical School; director of Duke-NUS’ Prehospital and Emergency Research Centre; and senior consultant and distinguished senior clinician at the department of emergency medicine, Singapore General Hospital.

Ong’s work has led to significantly better out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates in Singapore and the region. Learn more about Ong’s work in the announcement from Duke-NUS.

Marcus Ong leans on a wall, arms crossed, smiling at the camera. Behind him, a sign reads: “Department of Emergency Medicine”.
Marcus Ong is an emergency medicine specialist at Duke-NUS Medical School.
Ashutosh Chilkoti in a lab setting, holding up two vials with a gloved hand and looking at them.
Ashutosh Chilkoti is a biomedical engineer at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering.

“Ashutosh Chilkoti’s election to the National Academy of Medicine reflects the extraordinary reach and impact of his research, which bridges fundamental scientific discovery and real-world advances in health care,” said Alec Gallimore, provost of Duke University. “His achievements exemplify Duke’s commitment to research that pushes the boundaries of knowledge while addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges.”

“We are immensely proud of Marcus. His election [recognizes] not only his outstanding contributions to academic medicine, but also the passion, energy and leadership he has brought to improving patient care and health systems,” said Patrick Tan, dean of Duke-NUS. “This also speaks to the strength of Singapore’s academic medicine ecosystem and what becomes possible when research, clinical care and health systems come together. Marcus’ work exemplifies the kind of impact we aspire to achieve through the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.”

Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding of STEM. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.