Three Rollins Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Every year, the American Association for the Advancement of Science elects new members into its elite class of researchers who are influencing scientific advancement, policy, and health in ways that change the world. For nearly 180 years, this organization has represented many of the brightest minds in the nation—many of whom have affiliations with Emory University. 

This year, Emory University reached a new milestone: 14 faculty members were named AAAS Fellows—the highest number in the university’s history. Among them, three are primary faculty at the Rollins School of Public Health, underscoring the school’s growing influence in addressing global and domestic public health challenges.

Rollins Faculty Named AAAS Fellows 

The following Rollins faculty were elected for their longstanding contributions to public health research and practice. 

• Neel R. Gandhi, For distinguished contributions to the field of infectious disease epidemiology, particularly for characterizing the impact of drug resistance, transmission, and HIV co-infection on the global tuberculosis epidemic
• K.M. Venkat Narayan, For substantial, multidisciplinary work in diabetes and noncommunicable diseases (NCD) epidemiology, pathophysiology, trials, translation research, and public health
• Lance A. Waller, For transformative contributions to statistical science and public policy, leadership in the broader scientific enterprise, and methodological innovations with real-world impact

"Lance, Neel, and Venkat are each inspiring public health scientists who have led the nation and globe in using maps to provide health insights, bringing solutions to TB and infectious disease, and addressing the global challenges of diabetes,” says Daniele Fallin, PhD, dean of the Rollins School of Public Health. “We are so proud to have such high-caliber faculty here at Rollins and congratulate them on this recognition.”

Why This Recognition Matters for Schools of Public Health 

Receiving an AAAS Fellow designation is more than an individual honor—it signals the recipient’s:

• Strengths in creative thinking and transformative research
• Leadership and collaboration impact
• Global influence in advancing science 

The 2025 cohort reflects broader trends in public health, including the growing importance of:

• Infectious disease modeling and response
• Noncommunicable disease prevention
• Advanced analytics and spatial epidemiology

About This Year’s Inductees

Neel R. Gandhi

Neel R. Gandhi, MD, is a professor of epidemiology, global health, and medicine (infectious diseases) at the Rollins School of Public Health and Emory School of Medicine. He is also co-director of the Emory /Georgia Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center.

Gandhi has been engaged in clinical research in tuberculosis and HIV since 1998. He leads a research team focused on epidemiology, clinical and translational research studies to improve care for TB patients and create new knowledge on the factors that influence transmission and susceptibility to TB, and the emergence of drug resistance. His research group is currently engaged in molecular epidemiology and geospatial studies to identify where and what factors impact the transmission of TB. 

They have projects examining the safety, pharmacokinetics and molecular mechanisms of new TB drugs (e.g. bedaquiline, delamanid). Further, his group is engaged in translational studies to understand immunologic, genetic and metabolomic factors that influence whether individuals become infected with TB, if exposed, and develop active TB disease, if infected. Gandhi’s studies are currently being conducted in South Africa, Ethiopia, Brazil and India.

“It is an honor to be elected as an AAAS Fellow. The mission of the AAAS to advocate for the importance of science has never been more necessary than it has in the past year. I am also humbled to join the esteemed group of Rollins colleagues elected as AAAS Fellows this year and in the past." - Neel R. Gandhi

K.M. Venkat Narayan

K.M. Venkat Narayan, MD, is executive director of the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center. He is the Ruth and O.C. Hubert Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at Rollins School of Public Health and a professor of medicine and endocrinology at Emory University School of Medicine.

A leading international diabetes expert and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, he served on the Committee of the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
Narayan is noted for substantial, multidisciplinary work in diabetes and noncommunicable diseases (NCD) epidemiology, pathophysiology, translation research, and public health.

He has been involved in several major national and international multicenter epidemiological studies, randomized controlled trials, public health surveillance, translation research, and health policy studies.

He is currently also exploring pancreatic beta cell biology, diabetes subclassification, and intriguing differences in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes in Asian, African, Native American, and developing countries' populations globally.

With more than 600 publications, including several high-impact studies and over 220,000 citations, his work exemplifies his global leadership and influence in diabetes and NCD science and public health.

“It is an honor to be part of association whose mission is to advocate for the advancement of science and technology for national and global good.”- K.M. Venkat Narayan

Lance Waller

Lance A. Waller, PhD, is a professor of biostatistics and environmental health at the Rollins School of Public Health, and in the Graduate Program in Population Biology, Evolution, and Ecology. Waller currently co-chairs the U.S. National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics and served two terms on the U.S. Census Bureau's Scientific Advisory Committee.

His research involves the development and application of statistical methods for spatially referenced data including applications in environmental justice, neurology, epidemiology, disease surveillance, conservation biology, and disease ecology.  He has published in a variety of biostatistical, statistical, environmental health, and ecology journals and is co-author with Carol Gotway of the text Applied Spatial Statistics for Public Health Data (2004, Wiley). 

“Being named a Fellow of the AAAS is a wonderful (and humbling) acknowledgement of a career of problem-solving.  I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to develop and evaluate new analytic approaches in collaboration with so many fellow scientists on so many interesting projects. My younger Encyclopedia Brown-reading self would be pleased to know I made a successful career out of figuring things out!”- Lance A. Waller