Eli Y. Adashi

Adashi was born and raised in Haifa, Israel (British Mandate Palestine) in 1945, the only child of German-speaking professionals who departed Europe in the mid-1930s. A member of the first graduating class of the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, Adashi received his Medical degree in 1973. Following a Rotating Internship at the Meir Hospital, Adashi relocated to the United States for Residency Training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University under the leadership of George W. Mitchell Jr., MD (1974–77).[1] Adashi pursued Fellowship Training in the subspecialty of Reproductive Endocrinology and Postdoctoral Training in Reproductive Biology at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of California at San Diego, respectively (1977–81).[2] Leading mentors included but were not limited to Georgeanna Seegar Jones, MD (1912-2005), Howard W. Jones Jr., MD (1910-2015), Aaron J.W. Hsueh, PhD (1946-), and Samuel S.C. Yen, MD, DSc (1927-2007).

Adashi's first faculty appointment was as an Associate Professor with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Maryland [3] under the leadership of Marion Carlyle Crenshaw Jr., MD, where he directed the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology (1981-1996). In 1996, Adashi became the John A. Dixon Endowed Presidential Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center where he founded and led the Ovarian Cancer Program of the Huntsman Cancer Research Institute (1999-2004). In 2004, Adashi was appointed Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences at Brown University.[4] Adashi led the renaming of the Medical School (after Mr. Warren Alpert) and the initial planning of its new home,[5][6] opened up the student body to pre-med matriculants, initiated a new and integrated pre-clinical curriculum, expanded the divisional faculty roster, established the Brown Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and launched the Scholarly Concentration Program.[7]

Elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1999, Adashi has served as a member of the Committees on Clinical Applications of Mifepristone (RU 486) and Other Antiprogestins: Assessing the Science and Recommending a Research Agenda (1993),[8] Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Health Outcomes (2005-2006),[9] Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research (2006-2009),[10] and Women's Health Research: Progress, Pitfalls, and Promise (2008-2010).[11] In addition, Adashi co-chaired the Committee on Reducing Childbirth Mortality in Indonesia: Saving Lives, Saving the Future (2012-2013).[12] Adashi also chaired the NAM Interest Group 07 (2010-2013), served as reviewer for 6 National Academy of Medicine (NAM) reports, served as Review Coordinator for a total of 15 NAM reports, and served twice as a member of the Board on Health Sciences Policy.

A former Franklin fellow and Senior Adviser on Global Women's Health to the Secretary of State Office of Global Women's Issues (1st term of the Obama Administration),[13] Adashi is a member of the Advisory Council of The Hastings Center,[14] a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University,[15] and the chair of the Medical Executive Committee and the Medical Advisory Council of the Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine.[16] Adashi is a former member of the Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights and of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Global Agenda Council on Population Growth of the World Economic Forum and the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Adashi is also a former advisor to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the WHO, the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[2] A former Examiner and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), Adashi has served as President of the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (SREI; 1998-1999), the Society for Gynecologic Investigation (SGI; 1999-2000),[17] and the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society (AGOS; 2002-2003).[18]

Adashi was the recipient of continuous National Institute of Health (NIH) funding from 1985 to 2005 inclusive of a Research Career Development Award. Mentor to over 50 postdoctoral trainees and the author or co-author of over 400 PubMed indexed peer-reviewed publications.[19] Adashi edited or co-edited 15 books in the general area of Reproductive Medicine with an emphasis on Ovarian Biology.[20] Adashi's service with the NIH included membership with the National Council of the National institute of child health and human development (1997-2001), the Reproductive Endocrinology Study Section (1988-1992), and the Selection Committee of the Reproductive Scientist Development Program (1988-2005). Adashi is the former Editor-In- Chief of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine and a former Associate Editor of Endocrinology, Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Reproductive Medicine Review, Seminars in Reproductive Endocrinology, Reproductive Medicine Review, and Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders.[20]

Adashi's research focused on the biology of the ovary and the role of growth factors and cytokines in this context. Ongoing scholarly contributions to medical education and to the discipline of reproductive medicine are equally noteworthy. Since 2008, Adashi has undertaken to focus on matters of policy at the nexus of medicine, law, ethics, and social justice.[21]

• USPHS Research Career Development Award (RCDA), NICHD, NIH (1986-1991)[22]
• The President's Achievement Award, Society for Gynecologic Investigation (1989)[23]
• Annual Research Award, Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) (1989)[24]
• Franklin Fellow, US Department of State, Office of Global Women's Issues (2009-2010)[25]
• W.W. Keen Award for Outstanding Contributions to Medicine, Brown University (2010)[26]
• SRI-Pardi Distinguished Scientist Award, The Society for Reproductive Investigation (2015)[23]
• Doctor Honoris Causa, The Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland (2016)[27]
• Doctor Honoris Causa, The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada (2018)[28]
• Lifetime Achievement Award, The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (2018)[29]
• Honorary Member, European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (2019)[30]
• Elected as a Fellow of The Hastings Center (2020)[31]

Adashi is married to Toni Sach-Silberman. a professional actress, a poetry recitalist, and a former member of the Habima National Theater in Tel Aviv, Israel. Their only son, Judah E. Adashi, a Yale undergraduate, is the holder of Master's and Doctoral degrees from the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute wherein he is a composer and a member of the faculty.[32] Dr. Judah E. Adashi is also the founder and director of The Evolution Contemporary Music Series.