BOSTON – (August, 19 2013) – Joslin Diabetes Center, a global leader in diabetes research, care and education, will honor C. Ronald Kahn, M.D. at the 2013 International Symposium on Diabetes: New Discoveries on the Roles of Environment and Genetics in Insulin Action, which takes place on October 31, 2013 through November 2, 2013 at the Boston Seaport Hotel.
Last held in 2006, the Joslin International Symposium on Diabetes provides a forum for a wide array of renowned scientists to engage in a robust knowledge-based educational experience that will enhance their research programs as well as enrich the academic standing of their respective clinical programs. The symposium also serves as an important global forum for the dissemination of emerging knowledge in diabetes basic science that facilitates better patient care.
This year at the symposium – through a combination of plenary lectures, discussions and posters – attendees will present up-to-date and cutting edge research that will highlight the latest developments in diabetes-related discoveries.
In addition to honoring Dr. Kahn at the International Symposium, Joslin has established the C. Ronald Kahn Distinguished Lectureship to recognize his extraordinary contributions to diabetes research and clinical efforts at Joslin and worldwide.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to honor Dr. Kahn for his many ground-breaking achievements in diabetes research” said George King, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Joslin. “Dr. Kahn has many seminal discoveries in the area of insulin actions and diabetes. Over the last 40 years, he has discovered the mechanism by which insulin receptors are directing the metabolism of the cell in many key organs of the body, including those tissues not thought to be insulin sensitive in the past, such as brain, pancreas, heart and gut.”
“Recently, his lab has been in the forefront of the discovery of brown fat, the calorie burning fat, in adult humans. This exciting finding has opened up a new avenue for treatment for obesity,” commented Dr. King.
In addition to his own research, Dr. Kahn served as Joslin’s Research Director from 1981 to 2000 and Joslin President from 2000 to 2007. Under his leadership, Joslin research grew more than 20-fold, clinical and educational activity tripled, and new programs were launched in a variety of areas, including new corporate alliances to extend Joslin’s mission at a national level. Dr. Kahn has also trained more than 160 scientists and physicians who have gone on to become leaders in the field worldwide.
About Dr. Kahn
C. Ronald Kahn, M.D., received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Louisville. After training in Internal Medicine at Washington University, he worked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Clinical Associate in Endocrinology. Over the next 11 years, Dr. Kahn became the Head of the Section on Cellular and Molecular Physiology of the Diabetes Branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. In 1981, Dr. Kahn moved to Boston to become the Research Director of Joslin and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In 1984, he became Professor of Medicine, and in 1986 was awarded the Mary K. Iacocca Professorship. Dr. Kahn also served as President of Joslin from 2001 to 2007. Currently, Dr. Kahn serves as the Chief Academic Officer and Head of Joslin’s Section on Integrative Physiology and Metabolism.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Kahn has received the highest scientific awards of the American Diabetes Association, British Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, International Diabetes Federation, American Federation of Clinical Research and the Endocrine Society, as well as the Berson Lecture Award of the American Society of Physiology, the Hamdan Award for Medical Research, the Rolf Luft Award of the Karolinska University, the Lawson Wilkins Award of the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the Beering Award of Indiana University, the Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, the Frontiers in Science Award of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the Manpei Suzuki International Prize in Diabetes and numerous honorary lectureships. Dr. Kahn also served on many national commissions and advisory boards, including as Chair of the Congressionally established Diabetes Research Working Group in 1998. Dr. Kahn served as President of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. In 1999, he received two prestigious honors—election to membership in the National Academy of Sciences and to the Institute of Medicine—for his distinguished achievements in research. Dr. Kahn also holds honorary doctorates from the University of Paris, University of Geneva, University of Copenhagen, Washington University in St. Louis, and University of Louisville and is an Honorary Professor and Head of the Diabetes Center at Peking University.
About Joslin Diabetes Center
Joslin Diabetes Center, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the world's largest diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure. Joslin is an independent, nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Our mission is to prevent, treat and cure diabetes. Our vision is a world free of diabetes and its complications.
About Joslin Research
Joslin Research comprises the most comprehensive and productive effort in diabetes research under one roof anywhere in the world. With 30‐plus faculty‐level investigators and an annual research budget of $36 million, Joslin researchers focus on unraveling the biological, biochemical and genetic processes that underlie the development of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and related complications. Joslin research is highly innovative and imaginative, employing the newest tools in genetics, genomics and proteomics to identify abnormalities that may play a role in the development of diabetes and its complications. Joslin Clinic patients, and others with diabetes, have the option of participating in clinical trials at Joslin to help translate basic research into treatment innovations. Joslin has one of the largest diabetes training programs in the world, educating 150 M.D. and Ph.D. researchers each year, many of whom go on to head diabetes initiatives at leading institutions all over the globe.
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