Endocrine & Metabolic Pharmacology

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITIONS:
• Florence and Theodore Baumritter Professor of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Attending Physician, The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
• Director, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, James J Peters VA Medical Center, New York, NY

QUALIFICATIONS:
MBBS, MD, FRCP, FACE

EDUCATION:
• MD, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• Residency, Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• Fellowship, Endocrinology & Metabolism, National Institutes of Health

SOCIETY POSITIONS:
Past President, American Thyroid Association

AWARDS:
2009 Best Doctors New York Magazine
2008 President Elect American Thyroid Association
2008 Invited lecture International Autoimmunity Conference, Porto, Portugal
2007 Honorary President for Life United States Friends of Newcastle University
2006 Veterans Affairs Merit Award
2006 Invited Lecture International Autoimmunity Congress, Sorrento, Italy
2006 Plenary Lecture Canadian Society for Endocrinology, Toronto
2005 Plenary Lecture German Endocrine Society, Muenster
2004 Plenary Lecture 4th International Congress on Autoimmunity, Budapest, Hungary
2003 Plenary Lecture Australian Endocrine Society, Melbourne
2002 Higgins Award Thyroid Foundation of America

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Research areas of emphasis include:

The TSH receptor molecule: This is the major autoantigen in human Graves' disease which is a form of autoimmune hyperthyroidism. The TSHR remains an elusive quarry ten years after it was cloned becsue of its highly complex processing. Our emphasis is on the post translational processing events involved with multimerization and intramolecular cleavage of the TSHR and its status in lipid rafts.

Complex Genetics: The aim of this research has been to detect the susceptibility genes for autoimmune thyroid disease using genome screening of informative families with Graves' disease and/or Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Our group has experience in the analysis of families with these disorders and we have a large collection of well characterized families to study. Currently, our areas of emphasis are on individual susceptibility genes. In particular the TSH receptor intron 1 region where we have identified miRNAs close to associated SNPs and the role of epigenetics (using X chromosome inactivation) in disease susceptibility and its influence on the autoimmune response.

Animal models of autoimmune thyroid disease: We have developed models of hyperthyroid mice immunized with an adenoviral vector incorporating the TSH receptor as a model for Graves' disease. These studies involve the development and characterization of unique monoclonal antibodies to the TSH receptor with thyroid stimulating activity with an emphasis on epitope characterization and signal transduction.