Dr. Joe W. Gray (NAM ‘11), Professor Emeritus at the Oregon Health and Science University, made a generous $1 million bequest to the National Academy of Medicine earlier this year.

Since his induction into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2011, Dr. Gray has participated in several National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine studies and served as chair for the consensus study report Leveraging Advances in Modern Science to Revitalize Low-Dose Radiation Research in the United States, published in 2022.

Through his engagement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Dr. Gray became increasingly aware of the extent to which their reports impact national and international decision-making. As the nation and world face a growing number of existential challenges—including rampant misinformation—it is critical that the National Academies grow their capacity to evaluate and disseminate accurate scientific, medical, and engineering information so that governmental and societal decisions are determined based on the best available data.

In terms of health and medicine, Dr. Gray is excited to see medical care substantially advanced by new technologies that inform on the state of disease and the patient, as well as new drugs and drug development that can effectively mitigate disease with minimal side effects.

“The NAM’s mission is essential to the future of health and medicine,” stated Gray. “After reading an article released after the 2024 State of the Union address that was annotated with the Academy's work, I was inspired to make a legacy gift to the NAM. My gift will continue to ensure the NAM’s work will make a difference in the health of our society for future generations.”

Dr. Gray is hopeful that the power of philanthropy will keep the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine agile and adaptable as we face new challenges in the information age. He hopes his gift will help streamline future deployment approaches so that treatments can become widely and democratically available, more quickly and at a lower cost to communities across the globe.

Dr. Gray’s gift qualifies him for the Heritage Society, where he joins 140 other members and friends from across the National Academies as they support our mission of advancing science, informing policy, and catalyzing action to achieve human health, equity, and well-being for all.