Internship In Internal Medicine Research Articles

Management of multiple myeloma: the impact of ixazomib's approval in Canada.

Donna E Reece speaks to Laura Dormer, Commissioning Editor: Dr Donna E Reece is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Program for Multiple Myeloma and Related Diseases in the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Hospital/University of Toronto. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Texas, Austin, and graduated as valedictorian with a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. She completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado Affiliated Hospitals, a residency and Chief Residency in Internal Medicine at Jewish Hospital, St Louis, and a Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Barnes Hospital, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri. She was a fellow and later a leukemia/stem cell transplant staff physician at Vancouver General Hospital/University of British Columbia for over 10 years. She then served as Director of the Outpatient Leukemia/Stem Cell Transplant Program, and later interim director, of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program of the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky until her appointment to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto in 2001. Dr Reece received the David and Molly Bloom Chair in Myeloma Research in 2009. She is currently the co-chair of the Multiple Myeloma Clinical Trials Group of the National Cancer Institute of Canada, member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Myeloma Foundation, and member of the Project Review Committee of the MMRC (Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium). She is also the Chief Medical Officer of the Myeloma Canada Research Network and serves on the board of directors of Myeloma Canada. Her career focus has been in the areas of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, lymphoid malignancies and plasma cell dyscrasias. She has published numerous articles in these areas.

David R. Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC

David R. Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC, is vice president and chief nursing & patient care services officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Practice and searching of the case-based learning with network in clinical practice teaching of internal medicine

Objective To compare the case-based learning with network with the traditional case-based learning in its effects on clinical practice of internal medicine. Methods Seventy-five interns of clinical medicine(5-years programme) and stomatology (7-year programme) of grade 2010 were enrolled, among which forty interns were assigned to the experimental group with the case-based learning with network, feedbacking summary in class after the case of self-study teaching through the network platform and discussion in groups; while the remaining thirty-five interns were provided with the traditional case-based learning as control group. Both groups were assessed with tests of the theoretical knowledge and clinical skills at the end of their internship in internal medicine. A questionnaire, given to the interns in experimental group, was used to evaluate the teaching effect. The assessment result of both groups was done by t test with the SPSS 16.0 software. Results The total score of the network case teaching group is higher than the ordinary case teaching group. A significant difference of scores in theoretical knowledge and case analysis was witnessed between the two groups (85.2±8.7 vs. 80.5±9.8, P=0.031 and 87.3±6.2 vs. 84.4±5.6, P=0.038, respectively). More than 75% interns in the network case teaching group were satisfied with the case-based learning with network. Conclusion The teaching effect the network case teaching is obviously better than the ordinary case teaching. The introduction of the case-based learning with network in clinical practice of internal medicine is beneficial to the implementation of syllabus and students' application of knowledge to clinical analysis. It also helps to improve students' interest and ability of autonomous learning, as well as improve the efficiency of clinical teaching. Key words: Network teaching; Case-based learning; Clinical practice; Internal medicine

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes was launched in 1994, with Obesity added to the title in 2007. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of endocrinology and diabetes are divided into 12 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce one of the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS David M. HarlanDavid M. HarlanDr David M. Harlan is a graduate of the University of Michigan (Bachelor of Science) and the Duke University School of Medicine, USA. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at the Duke University Medical Center. This was before serving for 4 years as a staff internist at the Navy Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA. He then returned to Duke for his fellowship training in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism. In 1991 he established his laboratory at the Navy Medical Research Institute, USA, where he rose to become the Director of Combat Casualty Care. He was then appointed to the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In 1999, he moved his laboratory to the National Institutes of Health, where he became the Diabetes Branch Chief within the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases. In 2010, he moved to the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, USA, where he is the William and Doris Krupp Professor of Medicine. Dr Harlan co-directs the university's Diabetes Center of Excellence. His research interests all relate to diabetes and include the immunopathogenesis underlying type 1 diabetes and improved care delivery models, including transplant-based approaches, for the disease. Annabelle RodriguezAnnabelle RodriguezDr Annabelle Rodriguez is Professor of Cell Biology and the Linda and David Roth Chair of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Connecticut Health Center in the Center of Vascular Biology, USA. Dr Rodriguez is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. Dr Rodriguez received her MD from New Jersey Medical School in Newark, USA, and then continued with postdoctoral fellowships at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (in the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry), USA and then John Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr Rodriguez is a member of professional societies including the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Endocrine Society, and she is an immediate past member of the NIH Atherosclerosis and Inflammation Cardiovascular study section. Dr Rodriguez conducts basic science research in the area of lipid metabolism, with a particular emphasis on aspects of lipoprotein scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) in atherosclerosis and infertility. In mice, deficiency of SR-BI is associated with higher HDL cholesterol levels, but paradoxically with increased risk for atherosclerosis and female infertility. Utilizing in vitro and in vivo approaches, Dr Rodriguez's laboratory was the first to demonstrate that two human SR-BI gene (SCARB1) variants were significantly associated with reduced SR-BI function and expression in macrophages. Moreover, Dr Rodriguez's laboratory showed that a synonymous variant in the exon 8 of the human SCARB1 gene significantly affected the RNA secondary structure, and this in turn, significantly reduced SR-BI protein expression. Dr Rodriguez recently completed studies funded by a Burroughs Wellcome Clinical Translational Award to study the effects of SR-BI deficiency on human female fertility, and continues to be funded by NIH RO1 grant mechanism that examines the functional effect of SR-BI gene variation on SR-BI protein expression, and its association with cardiovascular outcomes. In October 2013 Dr Rodriguez was awarded Scientist-of-the-Year by Great Minds in STEM in recognition of her work in the area of genomic medicine and SCARB1. Dr Rodriguez will also be editing the first edition of the textbook, Translational Cardiometabolic Genomic Medicine, which will highlight the translational aspects of genomic medicine.

Dr. Joshua D. Palmer: dietary intervention and future directions of cancer treatment.

Dr. Joshua D. Palmer (Figure 1) is a senior resident at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Palmer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota with dual degrees in Biochemistry and Genetics, Cell Biology and Development. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and graduated from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine internship at NYU Langone Bellevue Medical Center and he is currently a senior resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson. He has received numerous clinical awards during his training in addition to a postgraduate research award from the Alpha Omega Alpha Society.

Communication skills curriculum for foreign medical graduates in an internal medicine residency program.

Effective communication is an important aspect of caring for the elderly, who are more likely to have multimorbidity, limited health literacy, and psychosocial barriers to care. About half of Internal Medicine (IM) trainees in the United States are foreign medical graduates, and may not have been exposed to prior communication skills education. This novel communication skills curriculum for IM interns aimed to increase trainees' confidence and use of specific communication tools with older adults, particularly in delivering bad news and conducting family meetings. The workshop consisted of two interactive sessions in a small group with two learners and one or two facilitators, during the 4-week geriatrics block in IM internship training year. Twenty-three IM interns at an urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center were surveyed at the beginning and at the end of the 4-week block and 3 months after completion of the workshop about their knowledge, confidence, and skill in communication and asked about challenges to effective communication with older adults. The primary outcome measure was change in self-reported confidence and behavior in communication at 4 weeks. On a 4-point Likert scale, there was average improvement of 0.70 in self-reported confidence in communication, which was sustained 3 months after completion of the workshop. Participants reported several patient, physician, and system barriers to effective communication. Communication skills education in a small-group setting and the opportunity for repeated practice and self-reflection resulted in a sustained increase in overall confidence in IM interns in communication with older adults and may help overcome certain patient- and physician-specific communication barriers.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Promoting quality care for recently resettled populations: curriculum development for internal medicine residents.

Residents report they lack preparation for caring for an increasingly diverse US population. In response, a variety of curricula have been developed to integrate cultural competency into medical training programs. To date, none of these curricula has specifically addressed members of recently resettled populations. A preliminary assessment was conducted among internal medicine (IM) residents at 1 program (N = 147). Based on 2 conceptual frameworks and the survey results, a pilot curriculum was developed and integrated into the interns' ambulatory block education within the general IM track (n = 9). It included (1) online information made available to all hospital staff; (2) 4 interactive didactic sessions; and (3) increased exposure to newly arrived patients. The curriculum was qualitatively evaluated through 2 focus groups. The preliminary assessment was completed by 101 of 147 residents (69%), with 61% of respondents indicating they felt that they received less than adequate education in this area. Eight of the 9 interns exposed to the new curriculum participated in the focus groups. Overall, respondents reported they thought patient care had improved for recently resettled populations and across their patient panels after exposure to the curriculum. This study demonstrated that an intervention that included didactics and enhanced exposure to a diverse population improved IM interns' perceptions of care for all patients, including recently settled individuals.

Nuclear medicine training and practice in the Czech Republic.

Nuclear medicine in the Czech Republic is a full specialty with an exclusive practice. Since the training program was organized and structured in recent years, residents have had access to the specialty of nuclear medicine, starting with a two-year general internship (in internal medicine or radiology). At present, nuclear medicine services are provided in 45 departments. In total, 119 nuclear medicine specialists are currently registered. In order to obtain the title of Nuclear Medicine Specialist, five years of training are necessary; the first two years consist of a general internship in internal medicine or radiology. The remaining three years consist of training in the nuclear medicine specialty itself, but includes three months of practice in radiology. Twenty-one physicians are currently in nuclear medicine training and a mean of three specialists pass the final exam per year. The syllabus is very similar to that of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), namely concerning the minimum recommended numbers for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In principle, the Czech law requires continuous medical education for all practicing doctors. The Czech Medical Chamber has provided a continuing medical education (CME) system. Other national CMEs are not accepted in Czech Republic.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes was launched in 1994, with Obesity added to the title in 2007. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of endocrinology and diabetes are divided into 12 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce one of the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS David M. HarlanDavid M. HarlanDr David M. Harlan is a graduate of the University of Michigan (Bachelor of Science) and the Duke University School of Medicine, USA. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at the Duke University Medical Center. This was before serving for 4 years as a staff internist at the Navy Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA. He then returned to Duke for his fellowship training in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism. In 1991 he established his laboratory at the Navy Medical Research Institute, USA, where he rose to become the Director of Combat Casualty Care. He was then appointed to the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In 1999, he moved his laboratory to the National Institutes of Health, where he became the Diabetes Branch Chief within the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases. In 2010, he moved to the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, USA, where he is the William and Doris Krupp Professor of Medicine. Dr Harlan co-directs the university's Diabetes Center of Excellence. His research interests all relate to diabetes and include the immunopathogenesis underlying type 1 diabetes and improved care delivery models, including transplant-based approaches, for the disease. Annabelle RodriguezAnnabelle RodriguezDr Annabelle Rodriguez is Professor of Cell Biology and the Linda and David Roth Chair of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Connecticut Health Center in the Center of Vascular Biology, USA. Dr Rodriguez is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. Dr Rodriguez received her MD from New Jersey Medical School in Newark, USA, and then continued with postdoctoral fellowships at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (in the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry), USA, and then John Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr Rodriguez is a member of professional societies including the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Endocrine Society, and she is an immediate past member of the NIH Atherosclerosis and Inflammation Cardiovascular study section. Dr Rodriguez conducts basic science research in the area of lipid metabolism, with a particular emphasis on aspects of lipoprotein scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) in atherosclerosis and infertility. In mice, deficiency of SR-BI is associated with higher HDL cholesterol levels, but paradoxically with increased risk for atherosclerosis and female infertility. Utilizing in vitro and in vivo approaches, Dr Rodriguez's laboratory was the first to demonstrate that two human SR-BI gene (SCARB1) variants were significantly associated with reduced SR-BI function and expression in macrophages. Moreover, Dr Rodriguez's laboratory showed that a synonymous variant in the exon 8 of the human SCARB1 gene significantly affected the RNA secondary structure, and this in turn, significantly reduced SR-BI protein expression. Dr Rodriguez recently completed studies funded by a Burroughs Wellcome Clinical Translational Award to study the effects of SR-BI deficiency on human female fertility, and continues to be funded by NIH RO1 grant mechanism that examines the functional effect of SR-BI gene variation on SR-BI protein expression, and its association with cardiovascular outcomes. In October 2013 Dr Rodriguez was awarded Scientist-of-the-Year by Great Minds in STEM in recognition of her work in the area of genomic medicine and SCARB1. Dr Rodriguez will also be editing the first edition of the textbook, Translational Cardiometabolic Genomic Medicine, which will highlight the translational aspects of genomic medicine.

PETER RUSSELL KOWEY, MD: a conversation with the editor

Peter Kowey was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, January 4, 1950, and that is where he grew up. He graduated from Bishop Kendrick High School in June 1967 as Salutatorian and received a Presidential Scholarship to St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia where he graduated in May 1971, Cum Laude with a BS in Biology and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu honors program. From there he went to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for medical school graduating in 1975. His internship in internal medicine was at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Philadelphia, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and his fellowship in cardiology was at the Harvard University School of Public Health and Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, finishing in June 1981. His major mentor was Dr. Bernard Lown. After completing his cardiology fellowship, he returned to Philadelphia, joining the Medical College of Pennsylvania as director of the coronary care unit and of the cardiac arrhythmia service. He rose to full Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology by 1990. He became chief of the division of cardiovascular diseases of the Mainline Health System, Bryn Mawr, Lankenau and Paoli Memorial Hospitals in 1999 and has remained in that position to the present. He also occupies the William Wykoff Smith Chair in Cardiovascular Research. From 1990 until the present he is also Professor of Medicine and of Clinical Pharmacology at Jefferson Medical College of The Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He was Clinical Professor of Medicine at MCP/Hahnemann/Drexel University College of Medicine from 1992 - 2003. He also serves as president of The Heart Center of Lankenau, Bryn Mawr, and Paoli Memorial Hospitals.

Women's Health Research in the Last Four Decades

Gerson Weiss speaks to Natasha Leeson, Assistant Commissioning Editor Gerson Weiss obtained his MD degree from New York University (NY, USA). After an internship in internal medicine at Baltimore City Hospital (MD, USA), he completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at New York University. Further training in reproductive endocrinology was obtained as a postdoctoral research fellow in physiology at the University of Pittsburgh (PA, USA), in the laboratory of Dr Ernst Knobil. Following this fellowship, Dr Weiss returned to New York University where he ultimately became Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Pharmacology and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. In 1986, he became Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New Jersey Medical School (NJ, USA). Dr Weiss is the author of more than 274 scientific articles. His research has been continuously funded since 1975 by grants from the NIH, the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the Andrew W Mellon Foundation. He has served as a member of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a member of the Reproductive Biology Study Section of the NIH, a member of the Residency Review Committee for Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. He has served as the President of the New York Obstetrical Society, the New York Gynecologic Society, the Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He was the Chairman of the Committee on Gynecologic Practices for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Chairman of American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Dr Weiss is a past President of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. He currently serves on the NIH's Advisory Committee on Research on Women's Health. Dr Weiss conducts an active clinical practice both in gynecology and reproductive endocrinology and infertility at his institution.

Congratulations to the 2013 RSNA Outstanding Educator: Bruce G. Haffty, MD

An internationally recognized expert in breast radiation oncology, Dr Bruce G. Haffty has forged a legacy as one of the specialty’s premier educators through a lifelong commitment to mentoring, educating, and advising the scores of students fortunate enough to call him teacher. Along with his educational accomplishments, Dr Haffty’s groundbreaking work as a clinician and breast cancer researcher has consistently garnered him national recognition as one of the country’s leading physicians. Dr Haffty’s research has focused on developing new methods for delivering radiation therapy targeting breast cancer and on exploring novel molecular targets that may influence the effectiveness of therapy. Dr Haffty completed his medical school training, internal medicine internship, and radiology residency at Yale University School of Medicine in 1988 and spent the next 18 years specializing in breast cancer and head and neck cancer in the Department of Therapeutic R adiology at Yale. Dr Haffty was a professor of therapeutic radiology from 1992 to 2001, residency program director from 1992 through 2004, and vice-chairman and clinical director from 2002 to 2005. He accepted his current positions as professor and chairman of the department of radiation oncology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Medical School of Rutgers University, and associate director of clinical sciences at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, in 2005. As director of the residency program at Yale, Dr Haffty personally mentored countless medical students, residents, fellows, and junior attending physicians who went on to carve their own indelible marks within the specialty. He served as Valerie P. Jackson, MD—RSNA Board Liaison for Education

Faculty staff-guided versus self-guided ultrasound training for internal medicine residents

Ultrasonography is of growing importance within internal medicine (IM), but the optimal method of training doctors to use it is uncertain. In this study, the authors provide the first objective comparison of two approaches to training IM residents in ultrasonography. In this randomised trial, a simulation-based ultrasound training curriculum was implemented during IM intern orientation at a tertiary care teaching hospital. All 72 incoming interns attended a lecture and were given access to online modules. Interns were then randomly assigned to a 4-hour faculty-guided (FG) or self-guided (SG) ultrasound training session in a simulation laboratory with both human and manikin models. Interns were asked to self-assess their competence in ultrasonography and underwent an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess their competence in basic and procedurally oriented ultrasound tasks. The primary outcome was the score on the OSCE. Faculty-guided training was superior to self-guided training based on the OSCE scores. Subjects in the FG training group achieved significantly higher OSCE scores on the two subsets of task completion (0.9-point difference, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-1.54; p = 0.008) and ultrasound image quality (2.43-point difference, 95% CI 1.5-3.36; p < 0.001). Both training groups demonstrated an increase in self-assessed competence after their respective training sessions and there was little difference between the groups. Subjects rated the FG training group much more favourably than the SG training group. Both FG and SG ultrasound training curricula can improve the self-reported competence of IM interns in ultrasonography. However, FG training was superior to SG training in both skills acquisition and intern preference. Incorporating mandatory ultrasound training into IM residencies can address the perceived need for ultrasound training, improve confidence and procedural skills, and may enhance patient safety. However, the optimal training method may require significant faculty input.

The importance of internal medicine internship for young doctors' training

Introduction: Internal Medicine is a “broad base” specialty where students are confronted with various clinical problems, often complex, essential for training in clinical reasoning and the acquisition of medical professional competence. The educational value of training in this specialty in early internship has never been objectively evaluated. The script concordance test (SCT) assesses the ability of doctors to prioritize assumptions in clinical situations with a degree of uncertainty. With no single correct answer, the result is expressed in “agreement” with the responses of a panel of experts. We present a pilot study evaluating by SCT, the educational value of internship in internal medicine at the beginning of the third cycle. Methods: We present a prospective multicenter controlled study from six departments of internal medicine in France. The SCTs were created and calibrated on medical students, young doctors and experts. The calibrated series of tests was then used to evaluate young doctors making their first internship in internal medicine at the beginning and the end of their first semester. The control group is represented by different interns that arrive in internal medicine after the first 6 months of training in another specialty. Results: A series of 60 versatile questions of general and internal medicine was created and then validated by a panel of 18 internal medicine experts (E) with more than 10 years of experience. Our study population (SP1) consists of 18 interns at the beginning of the semester. 14 completed the test at the end of the semester (SP2). The control group consists of 14 interns at the beginning of the second semester (CP). We note a progression of our study population at the end of the study (SP2) M = 48.1 SD= 3.9 range [41.4; 55.04] as compared to the beginning of the rotation (SP1) M = 45.96 SD= 4.7 range [36.4; 56.3]. The experts (E) were at 53.3 SD4 [44; 60]. Nonparametric statistic using the Friedman test confirms the significant difference between the beginning and the end of the internal medicine rotation as compared to the expert's results: SP1 mean rank 1.92, SP2 mean rank 2.5, E mean rank 3.67, χ2 = 14.7 p = 0.02.The control population of interns having completed a medical rotation other than internal medicine (CP) had results similar to those preceding the internal medicine rotation M = 45.46 SD = 3.8 range [35.5; 48.5]. Conclusion: The Internal Medicine rotation seems to improve the clinical reasoning training capacity of young doctors. SCT is able to evaluate its role in the formation of young doctors, but a larger study may be necessary for validation of our results.

The retina, private practice and being your own boss

Interview by Jitesh PatelAbdhish R Bhavsar, MD, is a retina and vitreous surgeon who was born in Connecticut, USA, grew up in Michigan and has practiced in the Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN, USA) area since August 1997. He graduated from Dartmouth College with an Honors Thesis in Biochemistry and from the Wayne State University School of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Duke University (NC, USA), his ophthalmology residency at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago, USA, and his retina surgery fellowship training at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA (CA, USA). He was also a Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellow.Bhavsar has maintained research interests in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, endophthalmitis and retinal oxygen metabolism. He is a principal investigator in multiple clinical trials in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and venous occlusive disease and also maintains a broad range of interests in managing vitreoretinal, medical and surgical diseases, with additional interests in retinopathy of prematurity and intraocular tumors.Bhavsar is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota and an Attending Surgeon at the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis. Bhavsar is a past President of the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology, past President of the Minneapolis Ophthalmological Society, past Chair of the Phillips Eye Institute Department of Ophthalmology, founding Chair of the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology Web Site Committee and the state Chair for Diabetes Eye Exam Initiative. Dr. Bhavsar was the first Chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Web Advisory Task Force and graduated from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Leadership Development Program in 2001.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes was launched in 1994, with Obesity added to the title in 2007. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of endocrinology and diabetes are divided into 12 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce one of the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS David M. HarlanDavid M. HarlanDr David M. Harlan is a graduate of the University of Michigan (Bachelor of Science) and the Duke University School of Medicine, USA. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at the Duke University Medical Center. This was before serving for 4 years as a staff internist at the Navy Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA. He then returned to Duke for his fellowship training in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism. In 1991 he established his laboratory at the Navy Medical Research Institute, USA, where he rose to become the Director of Combat Casualty Care. He was then appointed to the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In 1999, he moved his laboratory to the National Institutes of Health, where he became the Diabetes Branch Chief within the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases. In 2010, he moved to the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, USA, where he is the William and Doris Krupp Professor of Medicine. Dr Harlan co-directs the university's Diabetes Center of Excellence. His research interests all relate to diabetes and include the immunopathogenesis underlying type 1 diabetes and improved care delivery models, including transplant-based approaches, for the disease. Annabelle RodriguezAnnabelle RodriguezDr Rodriguez is the Linda and David Roth Chair of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Connecticut Health Center in the Center of Vascular Biology, USA. Dr Rodriguez is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. Dr Rodriguez received her MD from New Jersey Medical School in Newark, USA, and then continued with postdoctoral fellowships at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (in the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry), USA and then John Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr Rodriguez is a member of professional societies including the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Endocrine Society, and she is an immediate past member of the NIH Atherosclerosis and Inflammation Cardiovascular study section. Dr Rodriguez conducts basic science research in the area of lipid metabolism, with a particular emphasis on aspects of lipoprotein scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) in atherosclerosis and infertility. In mice, deficiency of SR-BI is associated with higher HDL cholesterol levels, but paradoxically with increased risk for atherosclerosis and female infertility. Utilizing in vitro and in vivo approaches, Dr Rodriguez's laboratory was the first to demonstrate that two human SR-BI gene (SCARB1) variants were significantly associated with reduced SR-BI function and expression in macrophages. Moreover, Dr Rodriguez's laboratory recently showed that a synonymous variant in the exon 8 of the human SCARB1 gene significantly affected the RNA secondary structure, and this in turn, significantly reduced SR-BI protein expression. Dr Rodriguez recently completed studies funded by a Burroughs Wellcome Clinical Translational Award to study the effects of SR-BI deficiency on human female fertility, and continues to be funded by NIH RO1 grant mechanism that examines the functional effect of SR-BI gene variation on SR-BI protein expression, and its association with cardiovascular outcomes.