Elena Ottolenghi Nightingale, M.D., Ph.D.

Recruitment and Screening Panel

Elena Nightingale is a Scholar-in-Residence of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at both Georgetown University Medical Center and George Washington University Medical Center. For more than 11 years she was Special Advisor to the President and Senior Program Officer at Carnegie Corporation of New York. In 1994 she retired from Carnegie and from Harvard University School of Medicine, where she served as Visiting Associate Professor and then Lecturer. Dr. Nightingale earned an AB degree in zoology, summa cum laude, from Barnard College of Columbia University, a PhD in microbial genetics from the Rockefeller University, and an MD from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Nightingale is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of Medicine. She is the co-author of a book, "Before Birth: Prenatal Testing for Genetic Disease", and co-editor of "Prenatal Screening, Policies, and Values: The Example of Neural Tube Defects", "The Breaking of Bodies and Minds: Torture, Psychiatric Abuse and the Health Professions", and "Promoting the Health of Adolescents: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century". She has also authored numerous book chapters and articles on microbial genetics, health (particularly child and adolescent health and well-being and health promotion and disease prevention), health policy, and human rights. Her current research interest is in improving the safety and security of young adolescents in the United States and development of competence for decision-making in adolescents. Dr. Nightingale continues to be active in the protection of human rights, particularly those of children. Currently she serves on the Advisory Committee of the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. She also continues to work on enhancing the participation of health professionals and health professional organizations in the protection of human rights. She has lectured and written widely on these topics, particularly on the role of physicians as perpetrators and protectors of human rights.