Andrea Sikora, PharmD, MSCR, BCCCP, FCCM, FCCP, named the 2026 NAM Fellow in Pharmacy
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has selected seven outstanding health professionals for the 2026 class of NAM fellows. The fellows were chosen for their professional qualifications, reputations, and accomplishments, and based on the relevance of their current field of expertise to the work of the NAM and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The 2026 NAM Fellow in Pharmacy is Andrea Sikora, PharmD, MSCR, BCCCP, FCCM, FCCP, associate professor, department of biomedical informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, and adjunct faculty at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Pharmacy.
"I am humbled and excited to be serving as the NAM Fellow in Pharmacy,” said Dr. Sikora. “I truly believe that pharmacists have a vital perspective that adds to most any healthcare related discussions, and I look forward to representing our profession."
The overall purpose of the NAM Fellowship in Pharmacy is to enable talented, early-career health science scholars to participate actively in health- and medicine-related work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) and to further their careers as future leaders in the field. This program is supported through an endowment from AACP and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).
Dr. Sikora graduated from UGA College of Pharmacy, completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center in Chapel Hill, NC, and completed her Master of Science in Clinical Research from Emory University. She has received several federal grants evaluating applications of artificial intelligence for optimized medication use in the intensive care unit (ICU) and is an author of the book Pay It Forward: A Map to Mentorship in Medicine and InteGREAT: How to make great healthcare teams.
The additional 2026 NAM fellows are:
American Academy of Nursing Fellowship
- Billy A. Caceres, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA, associate professor, Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City
Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) NAM Fellowship
- Rachel Hadler, MD, assistant professor, departments of anesthesiology and family and preventive medicine, Emory University, Atlanta
James C. Puffer, MD/American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Fellowship
- Anastasia Coutinho, MD, MHS, assistant clinical professor, department of family and community medicine, University of California, San Francisco; and medical consultant, Quality and Health Equity Division, California Department of Health Care Services, Sacramento
- Geoff Gusoff, MD, MBA, MS, MTS, assistant professor, department of family medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles
NAM Fellowship in Osteopathic Medicine
- Andrea C. DeSimone, DO, FAPA, clinical division leader, Mental Health & Wellbeing Division, and department chair of psychiatry, Bayhealth Medical Center, Dover, Del.
NAM Fellowship to Advance State Health Policy
- Laura Hawks, MD, MPH, associate professor, division of general internal medicine, and associate director, Center for Advancing Population Science, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
The fellows will collaborate with eminent researchers, policy experts, and clinicians from across the country during their two-year fellowship. They will also participate in initiatives convened by the National Academies to provide nonpartisan, evidence-based guidance to policymakers, academic leaders, health care administrators, and the public.
Fellows will continue in their primary academic or research posts while engaging part time over a two-year period in the National Academies’ health and science policy work. They will also work with an expert study committee or roundtable related to their professional interests, including contributing to reports or other products. A flexible research grant will be awarded to each fellow.
“The strength of the NAM begins with bringing the right people to the table—those with deep expertise, a commitment to service, and a willingness to work across disciplines to improve health,” said National Academy of Medicine President Monica M. Bertagnolli. “These seven fellows embody those qualities. I look forward to the perspectives they will bring to our work and to seeing how this experience helps them grow as leaders who can turn evidence into action for people and communities across the country.”