ISAPP Board Member Prof. Dan Merenstein MD Elected to National Academy of Medicine
A longtime ISAPP board member, Prof. Dan Merenstein MD of Georgetown University School of Medicine, has received a prestigious honor: election to the US National Academy of Medicine. With this recognition, Prof. Merenstein joins an elite group of fewer than 100 American scientists, doctors and other professionals selected each year for exceptional achievements in medicine and dedication to service.
Prof. Merenstein’s work over the past 25 years has focused on building the evidence base for decisions that affect primary care – an often overlooked and underfunded area of medicine. His extensive research portfolio includes hundreds of published scientific papers, many that focus on the appropriate use of antibiotics and probiotics as well as a long-term study on individuals with HIV infection.
He also makes a conscious effort to involve undergraduates in clinical research, giving these future scientists and clinicians an opportunity to understand the value of scientific evidence in patient care.
“It really comes down to asking: ‘When I’m in the clinic with a patient, how can I treat this patient better?’” he says. “Hopefully, my research is helping to answer that question.”
Prof. Merenstein says that research on probiotics and antibiotics initially drew his interest because of issues raised by his patients in the clinic. Faced with a lack of evidence to help answer specific questions about yogurt and probiotic supplements, he decided to initiate research studies in this area. In the early 2000s he became a forerunner in documenting the health benefits of probiotics, and to this day remains a strong advocate for robust study design in probiotic trials.
As an esteemed colleague and active member of the ISAPP board of directors since 2014, Prof. Merenstein has steered numerous discussions and scientific publications that have served to advance the scientific field of probiotics, prebiotics and other biotics.
“The work I have done with ISAPP has been some of the most rewarding in my entire career,” says Prof. Merenstein. “The board members and industry partners who I have interacted with have challenged me to become a better, more well-rounded researcher. There is no chance my research would be recognized like this, without the collaborations made possible by ISAPP.”
In 2024, Prof. Merenstein completed a productive three years as ISAPP President and continues to serve on the board and steer the organization’s activities.
“Dan is highly passionate about achieving better patient outcomes and brings that purpose and dedication to everything he works on,” says ISAPP’s Executive Director Marla Cunningham. “Over his years of leadership within the ISAPP board, he has led and contributed to many projects that have been vital to move forward on practical and evidence-based implementation of biotic science. The ISAPP board is delighted to see him achieve this well-deserved recognition of his commitment to science in medicine.”
