The National Academy of Medicine announced Monday, Oct. 17, that it elected 80 new members, including Deborah Watkins Bruner, RN, PhD, a professor of radiation oncology at Emory University in Atlanta. 

“These newly elected members are outstanding professionals who care deeply about advancing health and health care in the U.S. and globally,” said National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau. “Their expertise will help our organization address pressing health challenges and improve health, science, and medicine for the benefit of us all.” 

An internationally renowned researcher, cancer clinical trialist and professor, Brauner works on patient reported outcomes, cancer symptom management and researching the effectiveness of radiotherapy procedures on a patient's physical state and sexuality.  

Brauner has received countless awards for her work in radiation oncology and oncology nursing and has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, 16 books and book chapters. Her work has been featured in the Journal of the America Medical Association, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the New England Journal of Medicine, among other numerous publications.  

Along with her extensive work in radiology, Dr. Brauner is also a professor of nursing and the Robert W. Woodruff chair at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and the associate director for mentorship, education and training at the Winsip Cancer Institute at Emory University. She joined the faculty at Emory in 2011, but prior to that served as the director of symptoms and outcomes research and the founding director of the Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia for 16 years.  

See the entire list of all 80 new National Academy of Medicine members and learn about the election academy's election process here.