Emory President, Renowned Neurologist Honored for Work

Emory University President James Wagner and Emory Professor of Neurology Mahlon DeLong, M. D., have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

The Academy, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies and a center for independent policy research, announced their selection April 20. They are among the 210 new fellows and 19 Foreign Honorary Members representing leaders in the sciences, the humanities and the arts, business, public affairs and the nonprofit sector.

This year’s group includes Nobel laureates and recipients of the Pulitzer and Pritzker prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, Academy, Grammy and Tony awards, and the National Medal of Arts. The scholars, scientists, jurists, writers, artists, civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders come from 28 states and 11 countries and range in age from 33 to 83. They represent universities, museums, national laboratories, private research institutes, businesses and foundations.

• Wagner is an award-winning teacher and scientist who became the 19th president of Emory University in 2003. Following a distinguished tenure on the faculty of Johns Hopkins, Wagner served as dean, provost and interim president of Case Western Reserve University before joining Emory. Wagner has authored more than 115 publications and has served as editor or editorial board member for several publications. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in clinical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Johns Hopkins as well. In 2007, Wagner received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering and the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association.

Throughout his administrative career, Wagner has worked closely with faculty, students, alumni and staff to enhance the undergraduate educational experience, grow research, and foster more effective partnership between the academy and local institutions, including government and industry. Currently Wagner serves on the boards of The Carter Center, the Georgia Research Alliance, SunTrust Banks, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the Woodruff Arts Center. For the 2008-2009 academic year, Wagner is serving as chair of the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE).

• DeLong is the William Timmie Professor of Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. He has played a major role in research discoveries about the functional organization of the brain and its role in movement and movement disorders. DeLong’s studies have led to the development of new and effective surgical approaches for the improved treatment of Parkinson’s disease and therapies for other movement and neuropsychiatric disorders.Among numerous awards, DeLong recently received the 2008 Movement Disorders Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2009 American Academy of Neurology Movement Disorders Research Award.

He is recognized by Health America as one of the Top Doctors in Neurology for the treatment of movement disorders. DeLong was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars and is a past chair of the Society for Neuroscience. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and currently serves as chair of its section on neuroscience. He is scientific director of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the American Parkinson Disease Association. DeLong received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from Harvard University.

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on Oct.10, at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.