Earlier this fall, Professor of Medicine Eli Adashi was awarded the Walsh McDermott Medal, one of the National Academy of Medicine’s highest honors.
The award recognizes individuals who have provided notable service over an extended period of time to the NAM and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Adashi, the former dean of medicine and biological sciences, told The Herald that the medal represents a national recognition of his dedication to medicine, science and service. Adashi was elected to the academy in 1999 and has since served on numerous NAM committees and the Board on Health Sciences Policy.
“I was tremendously, obviously delighted” to receive the medal, Adashi said. But he added the excitement was tinged by the realization that his wife, who passed away in June, would not be there to see him accept the award.
At the award ceremony, Adashi dedicated the medal to his wife. He told The Herald that the honor also represents her enduring partnership and support throughout each step of his career.
Over the course of five decades, Adashi built a career at the forefront of reproductive medicine and national health policy.
Born and educated in Israel, Adashi completed his medical training at the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine as a member of the institution’s first graduating class in 1973. After enlisting in Israel’s armed forces during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and completing a yearlong internship, Adashi and his wife — whom he met in high school — immigrated to Boston. There, he completed his residency training at the Tufts University School of Medicine.
In his early career, Adashi trained at academic institutions across the United States, including Johns Hopkins University, the University of California San Diego and Harvard’s school of public health. At the University of Maryland, he served as the director of reproductive endocrinology and ran a laboratory funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Adashi then became the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah before moving to Brown, where he assumed the role of dean of medicine and biological sciences and played a key role in the early development of the Warren Alpert Medical School.
He has also held numerous roles that allowed him to shape national policy, including serving on multiple NAM committees and overseeing many of the academy’s position papers, according to Philip Gruppuso, a professor of pediatrics and medical science and a research professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry.
Beyond his leadership roles, Adashi has also produced many scholarly works throughout his career. In 2024 alone, he published more than 50 papers — a pace that Gruppuso, a longtime colleague and friend of Adashi, described as representative of Adashi’s lifelong devotion to his work.
In recent years, Adashi has focused on “writing commentaries on issues that strike (him) as important,” which he submits for publication in medical journals, he said.
For Gruppuso, who said he currently speaks with Adashi almost every week, the award confirmed what many of Adashi’s colleagues have already known.
“In addition to being brilliant, he is tireless and completely dedicated to his work. I’m sure those qualities accounted for the scope and significance of his contribution to the academy,” he said. Gruppuso emphasized that Adashi’s impact comes not just from his expertise, but also from a constant desire to constantly become educated on “whatever he views as important.”
Reflecting on his five-decade career, Adashi credited his tireless efforts and “some luck of coincidence” for his success. His passion for his work, he said, has been a driving force sustaining him.
The recognition has continued to pour in: In November, he was inducted into the American Academy of Sciences and Letters, and he will receive an honorary doctoral degree from Tel Aviv University in May 2026.
“I wasn’t anticipating any of this,” he said. “I’m grateful for that, except for the fact that I’m receiving these awards, but my wife is not here to be with me to jointly celebrate.”
