Two Veterinarians Elected to National Academy of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine elected two veterinarians — Dr. Nicola J. Mason and Dr. Felix Lankester — at its annual meeting held October 18–19 in Washington, D.C., honoring work that spans canine cancer immunotherapy and rabies elimination in Africa. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine and recognizes outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. The two join a Class of 2026 that includes 90 regular members and 10 international members.

Who is Dr. Nicola Mason?

Dr. Mason, a newly elected regular member, is a 1992 graduate of the Royal Veterinary College in London. She holds the Paul A. James and Charles A. Gilmore Endowed Chair Professorship and serves as professor of medicine and pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She is also a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in small animal internal medicine.

Her portfolio extends well beyond the clinic:

• Co-founder of Vetigenics, a biotech company developing antibody-based therapies for dogs and cats with cancer and other chronic diseases
• Leader of the Pre-medical Cancer Immunotherapy Network for Canine Trials, funded by the National Cancer Institute

NAM elected her in recognition of her comparative research within the One Health framework. Her clinical and translational work uses insights from naturally occurring diseases in pet dogs to inform development of vaccines, cellular and gene therapies, and monoclonal antibody therapies — work that has produced advances in both veterinary and human medicine.

What does Dr. Lankester's election recognize?

Dr. Lankester, a 1995 veterinary graduate of the University of Liverpool in England, was elected as an international member. He is a professor of epidemiology and global health at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine's Paul G. Allen School for Global Health.

He holds three concurrent leadership roles:

• Vice president of Global Animal Health–Tanzania, an organization researching infectious diseases that affect livelihoods in East Africa
• Veterinary director of the Pandrillus Foundation, which implements primate conservation projects in Nigeria and Cameroon
• Director of Rabies Free Africa, an Allen School program developing and implementing strategies to eliminate rabies in Africa

The academy cited his leadership in clinical trials that established the scientific foundation for rabies elimination in low-income countries. His research established rabies vaccine thermostability, developed novel vaccine storage methods, and implemented community-based vaccination programs. Work that crossed traditional boundaries among health, economics, and the social sciences led to disease elimination strategies now in use.

Why does this matter for the profession?

For companion-animal practice, Mason's election underscores the growing weight of comparative oncology: therapies first validated in pet dogs with naturally occurring cancers are now informing human drug development, including monoclonal antibody and gene therapies in the commercial pipeline for small animals.

For public health, Lankester's thermostability findings and community vaccination models shape how rabies campaigns are designed in low-income countries — a disease that remains endemic across much of Africa.

Two veterinarians entering an academy of 100 new members places the profession squarely inside the institutions that set direction for human medicine. Their Class of 2026 terms begin as both One Health research and global rabies elimination programs continue to expand.