PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] —  Dr. Methodius Tuuli, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine as a member of its 2023 class.

Tuuli, who serves also as chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital, is one of 100 new members. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine, and recognizes individuals at the top of their field who have demonstrated “outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.”  

"I am incredibly humbled to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine," Tuuli said. "It feels surreal to be a part of this esteemed group, and I am thankful to the academy and to the members who nominated me. I am indebted to many institutions as well as to my mentors, colleagues, teams, family members and all who have supported me throughout my career."

According to a statement from the academy, Tuuli was elected “for employing large multicenter trials and cohort studies, in the U.S. and globally, to generate evidence for clinical practice and policy to prevent adverse obstetric outcomes including surgical site infection after cesarean, management of labor, and medical complications in pregnancy, while building research capacity and mentoring diverse scholars.”

A board-certified maternal-fetal medicine physician, Tuuli conducts research focused on the prediction and prevention of adverse obstetric outcomes. He currently leads three National Institutes of Health-funded multicenter trials on intravenous versus oral iron for the treatment of anemia in pregnancy in the U.S.; the use of a novel intrauterine negative pressure device for the management of postpartum hemorrhage; and optimizing glycemic control in overweight and obese patients with gestational diabetes.

In addition, Tuuli leads a recently awarded grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health to develop a model for integrating community-based maternal support services into perinatal care to address care coordination and social determinants of health and test the impact on perinatal health equity. He has had 226 papers published in high-impact journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lancet.

In his role at Brown, Tuuli has taught classes on building a career in academic medicine as well as a primer on postpartum hemorrhage control devices. In his role at Women & Infants Hospital, he has focused on improving quality and eliminating disparities in perinatal outcomes.

Tuuli joined the faculty of the Warren Alpert Medical School in 2021. He earned his medical degree from the University of Ghana Medical School and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Berkeley. He completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University and fellowship training in maternal-fetal medicine at Washington University. In 2020, Tuuli completed the Business of Medicine Physician MBA program at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He is a visiting scholar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ghana School of Medicine.

Tuuli and other new members will be formally welcomed to the National Academy of Medicine during next year’s annual meeting in October 2024.

Tuuli joins other Brown community members in the National Academy of Medicine, including Dr. Eli Adashi, professor of medical science and former dean of medical and biological sciences; Dr. Phyllis Dennery, professor and chair of pediatrics; John Donoghue, professor of neuroscience and engineering; Dr. Jack A. Elias, professor of translational science and former dean of medical and biological sciences; Dr. Mukesh K. Jain, dean of medical and biological sciences; Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the School of Public Health; Vincent Mor, professor of health services policy and practice; James Morone, professor of public policy; Dr. Josiah Rich, professor of medicine and epidemiology; and David Savitz, professor of epidemiology, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics.