Rural Health Center director Mary Wakefield becomes first North Dakotan elected to the Institute of Medicine

Mary Wakefield, associate dean for rural health at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Science.

The only member from North Dakota, she is one of 65 new members who were formally inducted in October, raising the Institute’s roster to 1,416.  Current active members elect new members from candidates nominated on the basis of professional achievement and commitment to service.

The Institute of Medicine is part of the federally chartered Academy of Science established in 1863 by President Lincoln to be an advisor on scientific and technology matters.  Most of its work is requested by U.S. government agencies.  The IOM provides unbiased advice on health issues based on evidence and grounded in science.

“Election is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health,” stated the Institute’s president, Harvey Fineberg.

Wakefield has been named to chair the group’s first committee to focus on health care issues in rural America.  She also has been appointed to one of eight IOM governing groups, the Board on Health Care Services.  It is responsible for addressing issues of quality, cost, and accessibility of health care.

“Personally, this is a dream come true,” Wakefield said.  “While I have always held the IOM and its work in very high regard, I wasn’t even aware that my name was under consideration.  Most importantly, however, my appointment gives North Dakota a direct opportunity to inform the work of the IOM while also ensuring that our state is aware of and can take quick advantage of the cutting-edge work of the Institute.”

She said she saw her role through IOM to be a knowledge broker in service to both the state and, through the Institute, to national health policy.

Wakefield has expertise in rural health care, quality and patient safety, Medicare payment policy, workforce issues, and the public policy process.  She has presented nationally and internationally on public policy and strategies to influence the policymaking and political process.  She is a widely published author on health policy and serves on the editorial board of several professional journals, including the Journal of Rural Health, Nursing Economics, and Annals of Family Medicine.

Wakefield is responsible for assisting the Medical School in its broader efforts to enhance physician supply and health care to rural communities.  She also directs the School’s Center for Rural Health.  She came to UND in November 2001 from George Mason University, where she directed its Center for Health Policy, Research and Ethics.

Established in 1980, the UND Center for Rural Health has a full complement of programs to help researchers, educators, policymakers, health care providers, and, most importantly, rural residents address changing rural environments by identifying and researching rural health issues, analyzing health policy, strengthening local capabilities, developing community-based alternatives, and advocating for rural concerns.

Originally from Devils Lake, N.D., Wakefield received her B.S. in nursing from the University of Mary and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas.  Before moving to Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, she was a faculty member in the UND College of Nursing.  She was chief of staff for North Dakota Senators Quentin Burdick and Kent Conrad before returning to academe at George Mason in 1996.

“We are extremely lucky to have North Dakota’s first and only member of the National Academy on our faculty,” said Vice President for Research Peter Alfonso.  “She epitomizes research engagement principles at all levels, ranging from our rural communities to the federal government.”