Two Emory University academic and research leaders, Ravi Thadhani and Edmund “Ned” Waller, have been named 2024 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
NAI fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors. The program recognizes academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation through outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.
Thadhani and Waller are among 135 new fellows representing 39 U.S. states and 12 countries. The fellows hail from 135 research universities, governmental and non-profit research institutions worldwide and their work spans across various disciplines.
This year’s class of fellows will be inducted in June 2025 at the NAI’s 14th annual conference in Atlanta.
Ravi Thadhani
Ravi I. Thadhani, MD, MPH, is the executive vice president for health affairs of Emory University, executive director of Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC) and vice chair of the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors.
With more than 30 years as a general and specialized internal medicine physician, Thadhani has extensive experience in patient care, research and clinical trials. He led a successful research lab with continuous federal funding for more than 25 years, with a focus on kidney disease and developing diagnostics and therapeutics for patients with preeclampsia.
Thadhani’s leadership has revolutionized maternal health, where his work led to paradigm-changing clinical and public health practice for pregnant women worldwide. He and his colleagues discovered and developed the nation’s first (and only) preeclampsia diagnostic which received FDA clearance last year. Passionate about equity, his advocacy also shaped Georgia legislation ensuring reimbursement for diagnostic screening of all expectant mothers at high-risk for preeclampsia. Named among Time Magazine’s top inventions in 2023, his practice-changing test lays the foundation to lower maternal deaths.
He is the author or co-author of more than 300 scientific manuscripts and has published in top-tier journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet and Journal of the American Medical Association.
Edmund Waller
Dr. Edmund "Ned" Waller is the Rein Saral, MD, Professor in Cancer Medicine at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. He serves as the medical director of the Center for Stem Cell Processing and Apheresis at Emory University Hospital and is the director of the Center for Regenerative Engineering and Medicine, a collaborative initiative between Emory University, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.
His research focuses on enhancing immune reconstitution after stem cell transplantation and advancing anti-tumor immunology. Waller holds 15 U.S. patents in hematology, oncology and pathology. Among his most impactful patents “Methods of Treating Cancer and Infectious Diseases Using Cell Based Therapies” (U.S. 16,092,068) introduces groundbreaking methods to rejuvenate aging T cells. These advancements have the potential to transform immunology and oncology treatments by boosting the body's immune response against diseases. Another significant patent, “VIP Antagonists and Uses in Treating Cancer” (US-11471506-B2), presents a novel approach to treating cancer and viral infections by combining a VIP antagonist with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.
Waller's work not only advances medical research, but also translates it into tangible therapeutic innovations, significantly impacting patient care and public health.
View the complete list of NAI Fellows.