Commendations & Commencements
Congratulations
NIDDK Executive Office Camille Hoover received the Presidential Rank Awards' Meritorious Award, the highest honor the Federal Government can bestow upon a career civilian employee. Hoover was awarded for her sustained extraordinary leadership, achievements, and service to the American people. She was presented with the honor at the Presidential Rank Awards Leadership Summit in December. Editor's Note: Hoover recently participated in a panel discussion on Federal News Radio, discussing the EVS Analysis & Results Tool.
Dr. Adriaan Bax, chief of NIDDK's intramural Biophysical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy section, received the 2018 National Academy of Science (NAS) Award for Scientific Reviewing. The award was given for his significant contributions to the structural biology field, including transforming Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy into a powerful and accessible tool to study molecular structure, function, and dynamics. The honor will be presented in April at the NAS Annual Meeting.
Dr. Susan Buchanan, chief of the intramural NIDDK Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins section, was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in January. Buchanan was selected because of her record of scientific achievement and her work to advance microbiology.
Dr. Phillip Gorden, senior investigator and section chief at the intramural NIDDK Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, received the John Phillips Memorial Award and ACP Mastership from the American College of Physicians (ACP). The award, to be presented in April, recognizes Gorden's "outstanding, lifetime work in clinical medicine," particularly in diabetes, lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Gorden is also a former NIDDK director.
Longtime NIDDK grantee Dr. Robert Desnick received a 2017 Rare Impact Award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders. He is dean for Genetics and Genomic Medicine, professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also professor of Pediatrics, Oncological Sciences, and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Desnick has been treating genetic diseases for over 40 years and was a force in establishing the Porphyrias Consortium as part of the NIH's Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network.
A Fond Farewell
Dr. Richard Farishian, formerly director of NIDDK's Office of Scientific Program and Policy Analysis (OSPPA), retired in January with over 31 years of service at NIH. Farishian led OSPPA in providing scientific program and analytic reports including the Institute's annual report, leadership on legislative issues and the annual appropriations process, and guidance on science policy issues. Farishian first came to NIH in 1987 as a program analyst for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and moved to NIDDK shortly thereafter. He will continue to provide his expertise to the Office of the Director and OSPPA as an independent contractor.
Five members of the NIDDK Advisory Council have completed their service:
Dr. David Brenner served on the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition subcouncil. He is vice chancellor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health Sciences and dean of the UCSD School of Medicine.
Dr. Eugene Chang served on the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition subcouncil. He is a clinician, professor of medicine, and associate director for academic programs and training in gastroenterology at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Craig Peters served on the Division of Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases subcouncil. He is Chief of Pediatric Urology at Children's Health in Dallas, Texas and a professor of urology at University of Texas Southwestern.
Dr. Jean Schaffer served on the Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases subcouncil. She is a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Ellen Leake served on the Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases subcouncil. She is vice chair of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) International Board of Directors and serves on the JDRF Executive Committee.
In Memoriam
Dr. Daniel W. Foster, a former member of the NIDDK Advisory Council and NIH's Clinical Center Board of Scientific Counselors, died in January. He was the chairman of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's Department of Internal Medicine for 16 years, along with many other positions throughout his career, including as a member of the President's Council on Bioethics. Dr. Foster discovered an essential mechanism of metabolism, the malonyl-CoA regulatory system for fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis, with his scientific partner Dr. John Denis McGarry. In addition to his research, he was an award-winning educator committed to the training of students and residents.