Newswise — E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and executive medical director of the UCLA Health Department of Medicine has received the Endocrine Society Fred Conrad Koch Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, the group’s highest honor, recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the field of endocrinology through their lifetime.
Dr. Abel’s pioneering work on glucose transport and mitochondrial metabolism in the heart guided his research interest in molecular mechanisms responsible for cardiovascular complications of diabetes. His laboratory has provided important insights into the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction and aberrant insulin signaling to heart failure risk in diabetes.
Dr. Abel's research on cardiovascular complications of obesity and insulin resistance has garnered recognition and continuous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for over two decades. Among the honors he has received for scholarship, scientific and academic achievement, Dr. Abel is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, the Association of American Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
In addition, Dr. Abel has been recognized for a longstanding commitment to mentoring the next generation of endocrine researchers and biomedical scientists. He has served as the program chair for the annual Network of Minority Investigators workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders to increase the success of minority biomedical researchers. Since 2012, he has been a principal investigator for the Endocrine Society’s FLARE program, which has successfully increased the pipeline of underrepresented groups into productive careers in endocrinology and diabetes research.
“I am humbled to be the recipient of the highest award from the Endocrine Society, the world’s largest professional association of endocrinologists,” said Dr. Abel. “The Endocrine Society has been my professional home for nearly 30 years. During this time, I have benefitted immensely through the Society, from mentorship to numerous opportunities for professional development within the field. As such it has been easy to give back and provide mentorship to emerging leaders in the field. My accomplishments as an endocrine investigator reflects the efforts of many trainees with whom I have been privileged to work over the past three decades and generosity of mentors and collaborators. I hope that our work, will ultimately impact the lives of many patients with diabetes.”
Abel has held several leadership positions at the Endocrine Society including Past President. He is currently a Deputy Editor for the peer-reviewed journal Endocrine Reviews. Before joining the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, he served as the Chair and Executive Officer of the Department of Internal Medicine and Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Since 2012, he has been a principal investigator for the Endocrine Society’s Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology (FLARE) program, which has helped individuals from underrepresented groups establish successful careers in endocrinology and diabetes research.
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