The Ragon Institute is proud to share that Scientific Director Facundo Batista, PhD, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the highest honors in health and medicine. Election to NAM recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and a commitment to service.

Batista is internationally recognized for pioneering research that has reshaped our understanding of antibody-producing B cells—the cells that generate the antibodies central to immune protection. By revealing how B cells are activated, select targets, and mature to produce high-affinity antibodies, his work has helped clarify fundamental steps in how the immune system responds to infectious diseases. This knowledge has practical impact: insights from his lab have supported pre-clinical vaccine development for diseases of global importance and contributed to a best-in-class monoclonal antibody designed to prevent malaria.

Across his career, Batista has pursued questions that link basic science to real-world benefit. His research integrates advanced imaging, cellular immunology, and molecular approaches to map how immune responses begin and how they can be steered toward effective protection. This bench-to-bedside perspective is core to the Ragon Institute’s mission of understanding the immune system and translating that knowledge into better prevention and treatment of disease. The NAM honor reflects both Batista’s scientific leadership and the broader impact of the teams he leads and collaborates with across the Institute.

The Ragon Institute congratulates Dr. Batista on this well-deserved honor and celebrates the contributions of the many collaborators, trainees, and staff who have been part of this work.