Professional Section Quarterly - Summer 2012 - (Page 2)

continued from page 1 Spiegelman’s research found that irisin, which is induced by exercise, helps prevent or overcome the insulin resistance that is associated with diabetes in mice, and, when artificially increased in the animals, appears to activate the same health benefits as exercise, including weight loss and improvement of glycemic control. The translatability of these findings to humans has not yet been proven, but Spiegelman believes that understanding the regulation of adipose tissue by irisin will lead to the development of a new generation of therapeutics for diabetes prevention and treatment. David Altshuler, MD, PhD, was honored with the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award, which recognizes a scientist under age 50 who has made outstanding contributions to diabetes research, demonstrating originality and independence of thought. Altshuler, of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, was recognized for his research into the inherited basis of metabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes, using population genetics, epidemiologic research, and clinical medicine. His award lecture, “Using Genetics to Explore the Biological Basis of Type 2 Diabetes in Human Populations,” highlighted research findings from genome-wide association studies in which he and his colleagues have identified 50 novel regions of the human genome containing genes that influence the risk for type 2 diabetes, as well as the risk for hyperglycemia, myocardial infarction, and dyslipidemia. He emphasized that the vast majority of the genes and regions implicated in these studies have not been previously linked to diabetes, and that characterization of these pathways presents exciting opportunities to identify new approaches for combating the disease. In describing his research, Altshuler commented, “The work I do is highly collaborative, involving a worldwide community of diabetes geneticists and genomic scientists. It’s something that could never be done by one laboratory alone.” George S. Eisenbarth, MD, PhD, executive director of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes and professor of pediatrics, medicine, and immunology at the University of Colorado, won the Albert Renold Award, which is given for distinguished service in the training of diabetes research scientists. Eisenbarth has long been a role model to the diabetes scientific community. He has mentored a generation of scientists, helping them become independent researchers, and they are now working on type 1 diabetes throughout the world. He has always encouraged his trainees, as well as other scientists in the field, to share data and collaborate, which promotes scientific progress. The Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award was presented to Robin Nwankwo, MPH, RD, CDE, a diabetes educator and researcher from the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. She has been a key contributor to the development and implementation of empowerment-based educational research studies focusing on urban African Americans. In her award lecture “Defining Moments,” she told a personal and moving story about her mother’s death from diabetes complications and described how this loss motivated her to improve diabetes education. Nwankwo also referenced the 2005 DAWN study’s findings on patients’ struggles with diabetes self-management. The lessons learned from this study and the community-based studies that she is involved with inform her mission to help patients. The Outstanding Physician Clinician in Diabetes Award was bestowed on Georgeanna J. Klingensmith, MD, an expert on health care for children with diabetes. A professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado and former director of pediatric endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital, Denver, Colo., Klingensmith exemplifies the words “outstanding clinician.” For over 40 years she has improved the lives of children, adolescents, and young adults with diabetes. Her work with an estimated 9,000 families, hundreds of pediatric residents and fellows, and a large group of colleagues and peers has been marked by professionalism, warmth, and dedication. Call for Nominations: 2013 Scientific Achievement Awards Nominations are being sought for the 2013 National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Awards. These awards recognize and honor exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to the Association through their outstanding career achievements and support in the areas of diabetes research, clinical care, education, training, mentoring, and international impact. For the 2013 application form and individual award profiles, please go to professional.dia betes.org. Self-nominations are accepted. All nominations are due by 8:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, November 16, 2012. For assistance, please contact Mary Merkin at mmerkin@dia betes.org or call 1-800-676-4065, ext. 1371. ▲ continued on page 5 2 Professional Section Quarterly http://professional.diabetes.org http://professional.diabetes.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Professional Section Quarterly - Summer 2012

Professional Section Quarterly - Summer 2012