University of Washington psychology professor Ana Mari Cauce has been elected to serve on the National Academy of Medicine governing council.
Cauce is the immediate past UW president, having stepped down at the end of her second five-year term in 2025. She is one of five new councilors elected to three-year terms on the NAM Council.

Cauce arrived at the UW in 1986 as an assistant professor and eventually served as executive vice provost, dean of the UW College of Arts & Sciences, provost and president. Cauce’s career has been defined by a commitment to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities through psychology, public health and public service. She has championed health equity and interdisciplinary approaches that bring together medicine, public policy and community partnerships, helping reshape how institutions address complex health challenges and improve lives.
NAM was first conceived in the 1960s and officially launched in 1970 to provide a source of independent, evidence-based guidance to inform health policy decisions. The organization has national standing and makes recommendations informed by research, rather than business or political interests.