News / Announcements - Archives
November 28, 2008
Molecular Partnership Controls Daily Rhythms, Body Metabolism, According to Penn Study
Implications for Understanding Connection Between Metabolism and Obesity, Diabetes A research team, led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, has discovered a key molecular partnership that coordinates body rhythms and metabolism.
November 17, 2008
In a Philadelphia Inquirer article about diabetes and kidney damage as a result of uncontrolled disease symptoms, Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhDDirector of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, explains how renal failure can happen.
Both types of diabetes can damage the kidneys and cause death if left untreated. Each kidney is essentially a giant filter made up of roughly one million smaller filters known as glomeruli. These tufts of tiny vessels remove waste, but not nutrients, from blood.
Over many years, the excess sugar of diabetes harms the membranes of those vessels. An early sign of kidney disease is the appearance of tiny amounts of the protein albumin in the urine. "If the filter is not working, you can lose a lot of the good stuff into your urine,” explains Lazar.
>> Philadelphia Inquirer Article
The Philadelphia Daily News interviews Mitch Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Rex Ahima, MD, PhD, Director of the Obesity Unit of IDOM, Mark Schutta, MD, Medical Director of the PENN Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, Fran Love, RN, MSN, CDE, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Rodebaugh and patient (and HUP employee) Bernardet Cash for a series of stories in a special section devoted to diabetes.
“Team Bernardet” highlights the excellent, full-service care Penn patients receive from the physicians, diabetes nurse educators, nutritionists and others at the Rodebaugh Diabetes Center. Dr. Schutta notes that “There is no disease that I can think of where the patient has as much an impact.” In addition, researchers from the Institute on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism share insight into the complex disease.
Daily News "Team Bernardet" article
Daily News "Proposal from the Pros" article
Daniel J. Rader, MD, Director, Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine & Lipid Clinic and the General Clinical Research Center, appears on ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson commenting on a study presented at the AHA convention in New Orleans and published online in the NEJM.
The large study, called the Jupiter trial, came from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It suggests that millions of more people could benefit from taking the cholesterol-lowing drugs statins, even if they have low cholesterol, because the drugs can significantly lower their risk of heart attacks, stroke and death. These particular patients, while not having high cholesterol, had high levels of the C-reactive protein, which indicates inflammation in the body.
November 4, 2008
Penn Scientists Map Molecular Regulation of Fat-Cell Genetics. A research team led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular “master regulator” of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these cells. The findings appear online this week in Genes & Development.
Director of the Penn Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Inducted into American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Mitchell Avery Lazar, Sylvan Eisman Professor and Director of the Penn Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in a ceremony held on October 11, 2008 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is one of the nation¹s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and independent policy research centers. Members are drawn from the sciences, the arts and humanities, business, public affairs, and the nonprofit sector, and include Nobel laureates and recipients of Pulitzer and Pritzker prizes, Academy and Grammy awards, and Kennedy Center Honors.
Diabetics Challenged to Quit Smoking, Prevent Amputation
Mark H. Schutta, MD, Medical Director of the Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, is interviewed by dLife (Your Diabetes Life) on CNBC and discusses the medical risks for diabetics who smoke, including increased insulin resistance, raised blood glucose levels and damage to blood glucose levels.
Dr. Schutta says it is difficult for patients with a chronic illness, such as diabetes, to stop smoking because they use it to cope with anxiety and stress, despite heart disease risk factors associated with both smokers and people with diabetes. >> View Video
Anne R. Cappola, MD, ScM authored a study on mild thyroid failure and heart failure risk. The study findings are reported in the September 30th issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. >> View Article
How Now, Brown Fat?
Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD authored a Perspectives article in Science magazine finding from Harvard University scientists in which, surprisingly, brown fat tissue was found to be more related to skeletal muscle than to white fat tissue.
August 27, 2008
Dr. Mark Schutta, Medicial Director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center is quoted in a Morningstar Dow Jones artcle entitled "Byetta Safety Concern Stoke Worries For Once-Weekly Version."
August 1, 2008
Penn Researchers Find a New Role for a 'Foxy Old Gene'.
Protein protects liver against accumulation of excess bile; implications for treating liver diseases.
The Iacocca Foundation has awarded Doris A. Stoffers, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, $275,000 for her project, Modulation of autoimmunity in NOD mice.
Mr. Lee Iacocca founded The Iacocca Foundation in memory of his wife, Mary, who succumbed to a lifelong struggle with autoimmune type 1 diabetes. Each year The Iacocca Foundation awards grants to researchers working on promising diabetes projects.
The interaction and relative roles of primary defects in the immune system and the insulin-producing beta cell are still a matter of controversy,” says Dr. Stoffers who will collaborate with Ali Naji, M.D., Ph.D., J. William White Professor of Surgery, on this project.
Dr. Stoffers and Dr. Naji will determine whether a new way of modulating the immune system will prevent the progression of autoimmune diabetes and islet transplant rejection and whether impaired formation and/or survival of the insulin-producing beta cells contribute to the progression of autoimmune diabetes. Clarifying these roles will impact the choice of targets for the development of novel therapeutics for type 1 diabetes.
July 07, 2008
Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine receives $3.9M: Investigators from the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism to play crucial role in Regenerative Therapies in Diabetes research program.
University of Pennsylvania’s newly created Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM), in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Fox Chase Cancer Center, Haverford College, Lincoln University and Thomas Jefferson University, will receive $3.9 million from Pennsylvania’s share of the national tobacco settlement for 2007-2008. Investigators from the Penn Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (IDOM) will lead the Regenerative Therapies in Diabetes research program under the auspices of this grant.
IDOM investigators, led by Dr. Doris Stoffers, Associate Professor of Medicine, and collaborators at Children’s Hospital and Fox Chase will develop and test therapies for preserving and restoring the function of human islet beta cells, which produce insulin and are lacking in patients with diabetes.
PENN Medicine in the News
Study: Diabetes pills may be enough for many; Type 2 patients may be able to avoid insulin
Mark Schutta, MD, Medical Director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, is quoted in a USA Today article discussing a new study presented at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting this past weekend. The study looked at treatment options for people with type 2 diabetes over the past 15 years, and researchers suggest that some patients can remain in good glucose control for years using non-insulin, oral diabetic agents.
Dr. Schutta says the results aren’t surprising, noting that "in the time that the study was done, we have had an almost logarithmic increase in the availability of different agents with different actions to treat diabetes.” Dr. Schutta notes it is not a revelation that the authors reported that the less obese, white patients were able to stay on oral medicines longer. "More obese patients have more need for more medication earlier in their disease," he says. Read USA Today article
MERIT Award given to Dr. Mitchell A. Lazar
Dr. Mitchell A. Lazar has received the NIDDK MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) Award. The MERIT acknowledges consistent and excellent contributions to scientific knowledge. MERIT awards are designed to provide a few outstanding investigators with the opportunity for long-term stable support, which will enhance their continued scientific creativity and lessen the administrative burdens associated with the preparation and submission of competing grant applications.
June 3, 2008
When it Comes to Nutrition, Do Doctors Practice What They Preach?
In a survey of MDs, Discover Magazine asks about the nutrition and exercise practices of eight physicians. Rexford Ahima, MD, Director of the Obesity Unit at the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism explains his plans for good health.
>> Read More
May 19, 2008
Jake A. Kushner, M.D., Appointed Faculty Coordinator, IDOM/DERC Research Seminar Series, Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Jake Kushner, M.D. as Faculty Coordinator of the IDOM/DERC Research Seminar Series. Dr. Kushner is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, whose research focuses on pancreas stem cell biology. In this role, Dr. Kushner will be responsible for interacting with IDOM/DERC faculty to maintain and enhance the quality of this exciting seminar series, which is the weekly highlight of the IDOM calendar.
We are immensely grateful to Doris A. Stoffers, M.D., Ph.D., the outgoing Faculty Coordinator, whose leadership of this program was marked not only by a consistently superb lineup of internal and external speakers, but also by the addition of the Hammond Lecture and IDOM Graduate Student-Invited lectures.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Stoffers for her fine work with the seminar series, and in welcoming Dr. Kushner to his new role as Faculty Coordinator of the IDOM/DERC Research Seminar Series.
May 19, 2008
Doris A. Stoffers, M.D., Ph.D., Appointed Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program Director and Member of DERC Executive Committee
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Doris Stoffers has accepted the positions of Director, Pilot and Feasibility Grants Program and Member, Executive Committee of the Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center (DERC).
Dr. Stoffers is Associate Professor of Medicine, and a leading diabetes researcher studying the development, growth and regeneration of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. As Director of the P&F Program, Dr. Stoffers will oversee the solicitation of grant applications as well as the review process. In her new capacity, she will also become a member of the DERC Executive Committee.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Bryan Wolf, M.D., Ph.D., the outgoing Director of the Pilot and Feasibility Grants Program. Under Dr. Wolf's leadership, people and projects chosen for funding by the P&F program have led to extramural funding at a remarkably high rate. Dr. Wolf has agreed to remain of the DERC Executive Committee for one transitional year.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Wolf for his years of P&F leadership and in welcoming Dr. Stoffers to her new role as director of the P&F Grant Program.
May 6, 2008
Philadelphia Inquirer Article featuring IDOM members
Research led by Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MPH and IDOM members is highlighted in a Philadelphia Inquirer story about rising food prices driving up obesity among the poor.
April 30, 2008
Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center recognized as a center of excellence for diabetes
Philadelphia Magazine features the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center as a center of excellence for diabetes. The Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, under the auspices of Penn’s endocrinology department — number 10 in the country in U.S. News & World Report — is the largest supplier of insulin pumps in the Delaware Valley, and one of 10 centers in the U.S. researching islet transplant surgery
April 28, 2008
Six Penn Faculty Elected to AAAS
Congratulatations to Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD for his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Lazar is one of Six Penn faculty members named Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are among 190 new Fellows and 22 Foreign Honorary Members recognized as leaders in science, arts and humanities, business, public affairs and the nonprofit sector.
<< Find out more about the AAAS
April 22, 2008
MSG Basic Science Teaching Award
Congratulations to Dr. Skip Brass, Professor of medicine, pharmacology and pathology, and associate dean and director of the combined degree and physicians scholars programs....He will receive a School of Medicine Award known as the Medical Student Government Awards MSG Basic Science Teaching Award. Read the full almanac article.
April 16, 2008
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Anne Cappola has accepted the position of Assistant Director of the Type 2 Diabetes Unit of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
Dr. Cappola's research focus is on metabolic changes in aging and the clinical impact of these changes. Her research studies range from mechanistic protocols conducted in the Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) to analyses of data from large cohort studies. In her new position, Dr. Cappola will work closely with Dr. Morrie Birnbaum, Director of the Type 2 Diabetes Unit to promote top quality basic and clinical research in the areas of metabolism, insulin action and secretion, and, equally importantly, encouraging productive collaborative interactions between bench scientists and clinicians.
We look forward to working with Dr. Cappola in her new role at the IDOM.
April 15, 2008
New IDOM Leadership Role
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Harvey J. Grill, Ph.D. as Co-Director of Integrative Research Programs in the Penn Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. Dr. Grill has been at Penn since 1977, and is currently Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. He is an internationally recognized expert in the neural bases of obesity, and has been an active participant in IDOM activities since its inception in 2005.
In his new role, Dr. Grill will team with Co-Director Dr. Stella L. Volpe to facilitate campus-wide interactions and productive collaborations among faculty whose research fits with the IDOM mission to develop successful approaches to the prevention, treatment, and cure of diabetes mellitus and obesity.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Grill to his leadership role in IDOM.
March 11, 2008
- Dr. Kenneth Polonsky was the keynote speaker for the Annual Spring Symposium and Kroc Lecture.
March 10, 2008
- IDOM hosted a Welcome reception and celebration to honor the tenure of two superb faculty members Rex Ahima, M.D., Ph.D. and Doris Stoffers, M.D., Ph.D. as well as the recent relocation of IDOM/EDM labs and offices to CRB7 and CRB6.
February 27, 2008
- Gary Taubes, science journalist and author of "Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, presents "Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and an Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity".
February 20, 2008
- The Penn Humanities Forum presents "Origins of Obesity".
- Speaker: Rexford Ahima, MD, PhD,
Associate Professor of Medicine; Director of Obesity Unit - For more info visit the Penn Humanities Series
December 10, 2007 - Penn Town Hall Meeting on Obesity. Click here to download a pdf version of the agenda.
November 16, 2007 - Dr. Mitch Lazar gives interview on ABC. Watch the video to see Dr. Lazar discuss diabetes research at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. You can also read the transcript of Dr. Lazar's comments.
November 15 , 2007
Penn Researchers Discover a Mechanism to Explain Biological "Cross-Talk" Between 24-Hour Body Cycles and Metabolism. This research points to new pathways for fighting diabetes.
November 7 , 2007
Dr. Morris Birnbaum is one of three faculty members of the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This year AAAS recognized 471 members for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The new Fellows will be officially inducted February 16 during the 2008 AAAS annual meeting in Boston.
November 1, 2007
- New Frontiers in Diabetes: Integrating Scientific Advances with Patient Care
The University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism (IDOM) and the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center invite our patients and their families, valued friends of the Health System, and interested community members to join prominent Penn physicians and researchers for an event that will provide education and inspiration to those whose lives have been affected by diabetes.
- Location: Houston Hall
- Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
October 28th, 2007 
With 2 weeks to go before the 2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes, sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, I am happy to report that 22 people are registered to walk with the PENN Rodebaugh Diabetes Team and have raised over $300 for the JDRF.
It is not too late to sign up for the 2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sunday, October 28th. The walk begins at the Philadelphia Art Museum steps. Check-in is at 9:00 a.m., and the walk begins at 10:00 a.m., rain or shine. Please contact Colleen via phone (215-898-3037) or email (crotindo@ben.dev.upenn.edu) to register, or register online at http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=walk.walk&eventID=2840&chapterid=4574. Please make sure you register for the "PENN Rodebaugh Diabetes Team" from the pull-down menu.
If you are unable to participate in the walk, please consider sponsoring one of the Penn family as they walk to support Diabetes research. You can do so either online at http://walk.jdrf.org/ or by check (please make checks out to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
Thank you for your time. I hope to walk with you on October 28th.
For more info:
Colleen Becht Rotindo
Assistant Development Officer
Centers and Institutes
PENN Medicine Development and Alumni Relations
3535 Market Street, Suite 750
Philadelphia, PA 19104
T: 215-898-3037
F: 215-573-2800
crotindo@ben.dev.upenn.edu
On October 20th, 2007 - Join Katie Meyers as she represents the Penn IDOM / Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center in the Step Up to Fight Diabetes.
Step Up to Fight Diabetes is a fund-raising event unlike any other. She is going to join a thousand new friends on a 10-mile physical journey interspersed by staircases all across Philadelphia from Independence Park to City Hall, along the Schuykill River path to the Philadelphia Art Museum from the famously grand to the quirky and obscure.
Step Up to Fight Diabetes benefits the ADA's mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Please support her by donating to her campaign. You can make your donation online by clicking the link at the bottom of this message. If you want to do even more to help, please consider joining her in this great event. Our efforts will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes.
Thanks for you support!!
Click here to visit Katie's Step up page.
Dr. Lei Yin has received a prestigious and competitive Career Transition Award from the NIDDK, for her studies on "Biology of nuclear receptor rev-erb alpha in circadian rhythm and metabolism".
