Wang Cunyu, a noted dental researcher, was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the U.S. National Academies. It is the first time that a scientist from the Chinese mainland has been elected to the IOM since 1970s.

Wang, 48, graduated from the Nanjing Medical University and Peking University Health Science Center before pursuing further education in the United States in 1990. Previously a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan, Wang joined the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry in 2007. He is now a professor and chair of the division of oral biology and medicine at the UCLA School of Dentistry.

Having published numerous influential medical papers in first-class international academic journals, Wang is considered one of the few top-notch international scholars at the forefront of oral biology.

Established in 1970, the IOM is an independent and non-profit organization that provides authoritative advice on issues of human health and medicine, including oral health. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest career honors among health care professionals.