Clinical Diabetes and Research

Dr. Elizabeth Barrett Connor is a Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at University of California, USA. For 40 years she served as the UC San Diego School of Medicine's Chief of the Division of Epidemiology. Her research focuses primarily on gender differences in chronic diseases and healthy aging. Over 40 years ago, she established the Rancho Bernardo Study (RBS), which remains one of the longest continuously running extramural programs funded by the NIH in the United States. RBS continues to provide research training and publications on topics ranging from heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and arthritis, to mental health, memory loss, socioeconomic factors related to health, and health-related habits, to diverse biologic markers. Dr. Barrett-Connor has led several clinical trials on diabetes and many related to women's health – particularly studies of hormone replacement therapy. She currently serves as the local Principal Investigator for a number of multi-site NIH funded studies, including the Diabetes Prevention Program, the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Studies, the MrOS study (investigating osteoporosis in men), the T-Trials study (investigating testosterone studies of men's health), and is a co-investigator on another T-Trial study, and studies of the effects of alcohol and nutrition on cognition function and brain structure in aging, and how to develop and combine novel 3D UTE magnetic resonance imaging of bone techniques to provide more complete characterization of cortical and trabecular bone. Her work has received numerous awards, most recently, the Population Science Award from the American Heart Association (AHA, 2011), the Endocrine Society Mentoring Award (2012), the Women in Epidemiology, Epidemiology and Prevention Mentoring Award (EPI/NPAM, 2013), and the Distinguished Fellowship Award from the International Academy of Cardiology (2013). Dr. Barrett-Connor has published over 1,000 manuscripts.

Dr. Kamyar Kalantar Zadeh is a Professor in the Department of Public Health & Epidemiology and Pediatrics at University of California, Irvine, USA. Kalantar studied medicine at the Universities of Bonn and Nuremberg in Germany and also obtained MPH and PhD degrees in Epidemiology from University of California Berkeley. His post-graduate trainings include a medicine/pediatrics residency at Suny Brooklyn program and a Nephrology fellowship at UCSF. During 2000-2012 Dr. Kalantar served as a faculty nephrologist at Harbor-UCLA and was appointed as Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Epidemiology at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Fielding School of Public Health. Since August 2012, Dr. Kalantar has served as the chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at UC Irvine and oversees educational programs at UC Irvine Medical Center and Long Beach Veteran Administration Medical Center. Kalantar is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Nephrology and has been listed in several prestigious top-physician directories including Top Doctors, Best Doctors and Top Physicians. Dr. Kamyar Kalantar Zadeh research interest includes Chronic kidney disease, stages I through V, Diabetic and non diabetic nephropathies, Dialysis management and outcomes, Hypertension, Kidney biopsy, Kidney bone disease, Kidney transplant outcomes, Nutritional management, Polycystic kidneys.

Dr. Anil K Mandal is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at University of Florida, Gaines ville, Florida, USA and Adjunct Professor of Pathology at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. He received his nephrology training at the University of Illinois, Chicago and has done extensive research on hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease. Mandal has published more than 200 papers and abstracts as well as 12 books. He has been a Visiting Professor in 24 countries. Dr. Mandal is dedicated to changing the direction of diabetes care in order to help diabetics live a complication-free life.

Dr. Emilio Herrera is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Experimental and Health Sciences at University San Pablo-CEU, Madrid, Spain. Dr. Herrera completed his PhD in Biochemistry by Complutense University in Madrid in the year 1965. He received Award of the Spanish Red Cross in Diabetologic Research in the year 1971 and National LEO prize in Diabetologic Research in the year 1976 and 1978 and many more awards. Dr. Emilio Herrera current research topics includes Implication of circulating lipids versus glucose in neonatal body weight in gestational diabetic women, Role of changes in dietary fatty acids during pregnancy on maternal/fetal relationships and postnatal development, Role of dietary fatty acids during pregnancy and its short and long-term consequences in the offspring, as a factor contributing to "fetal programming".

Dr. Jaime Ruiz Tovar Polo is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at University Rey Juan Carlos, Spain. He is Secretary of the Surgical Infections Section of the Spanish Surgical Society. Dr. Tovar Polo is Head of the Bariatric Surgery section of the ERAS-Spain group (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery). He actually leads several investigational projects focused on bariatric surgery and surgical infections. Dr. Tovar Polo is Specialist in General and Digestive Surgery at University Hospital Ramon y Cajal. Dr. Jaime Ruiz Tovar Polo research interest includes Sleeve gastrectomy, Metabolic effect of bariatric surgery, Electrical neurostimulation as alternative bariatric procedures, Prophylactic measures against surgical site infection.

Dr. Solomon Habtemariam is a Director of Pharmacognosy Research Laboratories at University of Greenwich, Chatham-Maritime, UK. Dr Habtemariam received his BSc degree in Biology (minor - Chemistry) from the University of Addis Ababa and his Master's degree (combined-studies) in Pharmacology and Phytochemistry from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. He stayed on at Strathclyde to study at doctoral level, studying on drug discovery researches and obtained his PhD in this area of research. After a number of years in teaching and post-doctoral research at the Strathclyde Institute for Drug Research and Strathclyde University, he joined the School of Science, University of Greenwich in September 1998. With an Associate Professor position at Greenwich, Dr Habtemariam has been a leader of taught programmes and researches on bioassays & natural products-based drug development. The various researches that he has undertaken include the identification of novel compounds of natural and synthetic origin with potential, antiinflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity among others. He has published more than 150 scientific publications.

Dr. Cristian Serafinceanu is a Professor in the Department of Diabetes, Department of Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania. Dr. Serafinceanu completed hid PhD in Medical Sciences at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in the year 2007. Dr. Serafinceanu is Head of Dialysis Center and he is President of the Romanian Society of Diabetes Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, President of the Association of Reno-Metabolic and Nutrition Studies.

Dr. Stanley Schwartz is an Associate Professor in Department of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA and most recently directing the Diabetes Program at the Philadelphia Heart Institute. Dr. Schwartz is a new Affiliate of the Main Line Health System, and an Emeritus Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, currently in a private practice in Ardmore. Dr. Schwartz received his MD in 1973 from the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. He then completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Chicago. Dr. Stanley Schwartz research interest includes Evidence-Based Practice approaches to the care and treatment of patients with Diabetes.

Dr. Fusun Kilic is an Associate Professor in Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA. Kilic completed her Ph.D. in the year 1995 at University of Western Ontario at Canada and Postdoc from Yale University, USA in the year 2001. Her primary focus on 5-HT biology and in particular the 5-HT transporters in the context of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Dr. Fusun Kilic research interest includes biochemistry, cell biology, pharmacology of peripheral serotonin and its translation to human health and diseases. She currently pursues the role of serotonin in blood plasma on thrombosis and more specifically platelet biology.

Dr. C Fourtounas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine - Nephrology at School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece. He graduated from the Medical School of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki in Greece (M.D) and he completed his Ph. D in the Medical School of the University of Athens in Greece. Dr. Fourtounas has specialized in Nephrology since 1997 and is actively involved in all aspects of the subspeciality including renal transplantation. He has been involved in the teaching of pre- and post- graduate medical students regarding internal medicine and nephrology for more than 10 years in the Medical Schools of the Universities of Patras and Thessaly. He has published more than 130 papers in national and international peer-reviewed medical journals and has contributed with chapters in more than 10 medical books. Dr. C Fourtounas main research interests includes diabetic nephropathy and diabetes management in peritoneal dialysis and renal transplantation, pancreas transplantation and hemodialysis.

Dr. Khue Vu Nguyen is currently Full Project Scientist in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics at University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA. He has studied at University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France: B.S. in Biochemistry, M.S. in Molecular Biology, Ph.D. in Macromolecular Physical Chemistry, Ph.D. in Physical Sciences (Doctorat d'Etat es Sciences Physiques). Dr. Nguyen has worked as Scientist in different French and U.S. Research Institutions and Companies. He is author and co-author of numerous publications and holder of many patents. Dr. Nguyen is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, etc. He is member of different academic organizations such as American Society for Microbiology, American Chemical Society. Dr. Nguyen is invited reviewer and editorial board of different scientific journals. He is Scientist Reviewer for grant proposals of the Metabolic Disease Two (MB-2) of the Peer Review Medical Research Program (PRMRP) for the U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Dr. Khue Vu Nguyen Current research interest includes genetic diseases, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, Molecular Biology, Enzymology and cancer.

Dr. Guoxun Chen is an Associate Professor in Department of Nutrition at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. Dr. Chen completed his Ph.D degree in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in 2001. He worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville from 2006-2012 and he is a Trainee of NIH Training Grant at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Dr. Guoxun Chen research interest includes Regulation of hepatic gene expression by nutrients (such as Vitamin A) and hormones (such as insulin) in health and disease models and his long term goal is to understand molecular mechanisms of hepatic insulin resistance associated with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Afrozul Haq is a Director in Research and development at Gulf Diagnostic Center Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and he worked as Principal Scientist and Head of R & D Division, VPS Healthcare, UAE. Dr. Haq has more than 30 years of experience as a basic & clinical research scientist working in a number of research labs, and hospitals around the world including Pasteur Institute, Paris, France, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, etc. He was a Professor at Dubai Medical College, Dubai and from 2001 to 2006 served as the Head of Biochemical Diseases Investigation Laboratory at Mafraq Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He completed his Ph.D. in the year 1984 at Aligarh Muslim University.

Dr. Takeshi Ohta is a special Senior Research Scientist in Biological/Pharmacological Research Laboratories at Central Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Japan. Since 1993, he serve concurrently as Study Director in the Biological Research Laboratory. Previously, he served as a research scientist in Toxicology Research Laboratory at JT (1989-1993). Dr. Ohta serve as lecturers in Tohoku University, Niigata University, Brawijaya University and International Christian University till now. He also served as a researcher in Chiba University Graduate School of medicine (2008-2010). Moreover, he serves as a adviser in CLEA Japan Inc. Dr. Ohta have become an expert on diabetes and have directed in several projects to develop new drugs for diabetes as a department leader. During these projects, he have characterized new hereditary animal models of diabetes and its complications, Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) rats and SDT fatty rats in collaboration with their originator since 1999. Dr. Ohta received the Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University in 1999. Dr. Takeshi Ohta research interest includes Pharmacology, Pathophysiological analysis of experimental animal models (metabolic diseases).

Dr. William Cho is a Biomedical Scientist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, China. He is a Chartered Scientist granted by the Science Council (UK), a Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner (HK), Guest Professor of a number of Universities and a Fellow Member of several institutes, including the Institute of Biomedical Science (UK), Hong Kong Institute of Biomedical Science and Hong Kong Society for Molecular Diagnostic Sciences. Dr. Cho has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers (Lancet Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, Clinical Chemistry, Annual Oncology, etc) covering cancer biomarkers, proteomics, microRNAs, Chinese medicine and plenty of books including "MicroRNAs in cancer translational research", etc. He serves as the editor-in-chief, editor and associate editor of a number of international medical journals. Dr. Cho is also an international renowned grant reviewer of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research (USA), Cancer Research (UK), MRC Research Grant (UK), Health Research Board (Ireland), Science Foundation (Ireland), Istituto Toscano Tumori (Firenze), The Foundation Fournier-Majoie for Innovation (Brussels), National Medical Research Council (Singapore), The Medical Research Council (South Africa), and Academia Sinica Investigator Award (Taiwan), etc. Dr. William Cho research interests includes on cancer studies utilizing high-throughput technologies to discover biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, treatment prediction and prognostication.

Dr. Junming Luo is a Professor in the Department of Pathology at Qinghai Provincial Peoples Hospital, China and also he is a Professor of Pathology at Central South University, China. Luo is a Senior Scientist at VA Medical Center at Kansas City Missouri from 2011 and also he is Director in Skeletal Phenotyping Core Laboratories, Kidney Institute, Kansas University in USA.