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APS News Introducing
Virendra Mahesh |
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Mahesh received his PhD degree in organic chemistry from Delhi University, India, in 1955 and his DPhil degree in biological sciences from Oxford University, UK in 1958. After a year of postdoctoral work as James Brown Hudson Memorial Fellow at Yale University, he joined the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA as Assistant Research Professor of Endocrinology in 1959. He became Associate Professor in 1963, Professor in 1966 and Regents Professor in 1970. He was appointed Chairman of the Department of Endocrinology in 1972 and Chairman of the joint department of Physiology and Endocrinology in 1986. Mahesh retired in June 1999 and assumed the position of Regents Professor and Chairman Emeritus, Department of Physiology and Endocrinology in July 1999. Mahesh was among the first to show that unlike vitamins, steroid hormones like cortisol did not undergo metabolism to exert biological activity. The development of techniques to measure blood and urinary steroids in his laboratory was used to study the pathophysiology of a variety of human disorders such as the polycystic ovary syndrome and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. He was one of the investigators involved in establishing that clomiphene citrate was useful in inducing ovulation in anovulatory women. In the polycystic ovary syndrome, the ovary was shown to be the source of excessive androgens in a large number of patients. Experimental models were constructed demonstrating that feed back effects of abnormal quantities of androgens and their conversion products at the level of the hypothalamus could result in abnormal secretion of gonadotropins and ovulatory failure. The essential role of progesterone in the induction of ovulatory type gonadotropin surge was established as well as the role of excitatory amino acids and nitric oxide in GnRH release. More recent research efforts focus on the role of estrogens in neuroprotection. Mahesh’s research was funded through multiple NIH grants. One of the major problems facing the Endocrinology and Metabolism Section is the relatively poor attendance of APS members of the Section due to the large number of more specialized meetings in the area. However, the Section’s programming provides a unique opportunity to members to focus on a particular aspect of the subject through state-of-the art symposia and featured topics sessions. It also provides a unique opportunity for students and postdoctoral fellows to present papers and compete for numerous prizes. In order to bring these opportunities to the attention of members of the Section, it is proposed that during the next three years we will inform all members by individual letters the deadlines and time frame for nominations for the Solomon Berson Lecture and suggestions for the state-of-the art symposia and featured topic sessions. This will be followed by individual letters in July and again one month prior to the abstract deadline, giving them not only the scientific program organized by the Section, but also other sessions in the Experimental Biology meeting that may be of interest to them and encourage them to submit abstracts from their laboratory. At this time they will also be informed of opportunities for their students and postdoctoral fellows to compete for various awards as well as the list of awards given the previous year. We will also energetically seek candidates for the New Investigator Award. The Chair plans to interact with the Steering Committee consisting of Christopher Lynch, Secretary Treasurer, James Rose, Joint Program Committee Representative, Joshua Anthony, Liaison with Industry, Owen McGuinness, Representative on Committee on Committees, Patricia Molina and Nicholaas Deutz, Councillors, Raul Camacho, Trainee member, and Mike Mueckler, Editor, AJP: Endocrinology and Metabolism by correspondence and at the Experimental Biology meetings to achieve these goals. |
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Gutterman has served as a member or Chair of the American Heart Association (AHA) Executive, Program and Research Committees as well as President of the AHA Iowa Affiliate from 1994-1996. He currently co-chairs the National AHA Programming Committee for Scientific Sessions of the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences. Appointed to the NIH Biomedical and Behavioral Research Facilities Section in 1996, Gutterman has since served as a member of several Special Emphasis Panels, and recently completed a four-year term on the Cardiovascular and Renal Study Section Review Panel. He is currently serving as Chair of the NIH NHLBI Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Sciences Study Section. Gutterman is also active in the American College of Chest Physicians, serving as Chair of the Cardiology and Hypertension Network. He is currently fulfilling a 2-year term as the Vice-Chair of the ACCP Health and Sciences Policy Committee. Gutterman has served since 1999 as the Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology and as an editorial board member of several cardiovascular journals including Circulation Research, Basic Research in Cardiology, and Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. He was recently elected as a member of the Association of University Cardiologists and was honored in 2003 with the Boron Lectureship, UCLA School of Medicine, Cardiology Division. Gutterman earned his BA and MD degrees at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and completed his internal medicine residency and cardiovascular diseases fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where his career developed in the areas neural control of the circulation and human vascular physiology. Gutterman accepted an appointment as Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in 1998. In 2000, he was awarded the endowed chair of Northwestern Mutual Professor of Medicine and received a dual appointment in 2003 as Professor of Pharmacology. Gutterman was named Associate Director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Research Center in 1998, Vice-Chair of Medicine for Research in 1999 and Co-Director of the College’s Translational Research Initiative in 2003, positions which have fostered his leadership to successfully pilot a strategic transformation to interdisciplinary translational research and to enhance academic, investigative and clinical scholarship among MCW’s talented young investigators. He is currently guiding several junior faculty as the supervising co-PI in separate funded studies on vascular signaling by free radicals, redox mechanisms in the vascular dysfunction of inflammatory bowel disease, the effect of hyperglycemia on potassium channel function, and the impact of extreme athleticism on cardiovascular function in women. Gutterman is most recognized for his research in the human coronary microcirculation, which has increased understanding of the role of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in mediating vasodilation to shear stress, the chemical nature of EDHF and the critical role played by potassium channels in vascular smooth muscle in the regulation of vasomotor responses in microcirculation. He is currently PI of a Specialized Center of Research on Ischemic Heart Disease in African Americans, funded by the NIH in 2000. He is a project leader on a program project grant to study vascular signaling by free radicals and recently renewed a 5-year VA Merit Award study in January 2004, investigating the role of epoxyeicosotrienoic acid as EDHF in human coronary arterioles. Gutterman has identified several areas of interest that will receive the Cardiovascular Section’s increased attention during his tenure as chair. These include 1) promoting increased participation and representation of the Cardiovascular Section in APS committees and conferences; 2) maintaining the high quality programming at the Experimental Biology meetings; and 3) fostering career development among trainees and junior faculty members interested in cardiovascular sciences. The Cardiovascular Section has an enthusiastic, dedicated, and highly capable Steering Committee that will be successful in these endeavors. |
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Hicks is currently professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine. Hicks received his PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences from the School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque in 1984 and a PhD in Physiology from the School of Medicine, University of New Mexico in 1984. He did postdoctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen, Germany from 1984 until December 1985, working with Norbert Heisler, and followed this experience with a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Physiological Research Lab, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, with Fred White. Hicks was on the physiology faculty at Creighton University School of Medicine from 1988 until 1992 and then joined the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California. As a broadly trained, integrative physiologist, Hicks’ research efforts are divided among five areas; understanding the mechanism(s), regulation and functional significance of intracardiac shunting in “lower vertebrates,” investigating the factors that determine and regulate the cardiopulmonary response to elevated metabolism in “lower vertebrates,” investigating the ontogeny of cardiovascular regulation, studying acclimatization to hypoxia and investigating the effects of gravity on the vertebrate cardiovascular system. Hicks’ research efforts focus on vertebrates and spans several groups, including amphibians, reptiles and humans. His laboratory provides a unique evolutionary perspective into circulation and respiration and seeks to discover not only differences among organisms, but the unifying principles shared by diverse organisms. As the newly elected chair of the Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology section, Hicks has identified three areas of section interests that will receive increased attention over the next three years. First and foremost is to continue to be a voice for the comparative approach to physiological investigation, through outstanding programming and interactions with other sections of the APS. In a society often dominated by biomedical sciences, Hicks believes that it is important to articulate the power of comparative and evolutionary physiology and to point out that these approaches are not mutually exclusive with the biomedical sciences. Comparative physiology, at its most basic level, seeks to discover how animals work, and, most importantly, why animals work the way they do. These two seemingly straightforward questions have far-reaching implications and require a variety of investigative approaches. The comparative physiologist is challenged to determine the details of physiological mechanisms while simultaneously gaining insights into ultimate causation, i.e., the evolutionary or adaptive significance of a physiological process or trait. This manifold focus on proximal mechanism and ultimate causality requires that comparative and evolutionary physiologists bring to their investigations a diversity of analytical approaches and to effectively integrate molecular, cellular, organismal, morphological, biomechanical, biophysical, ecological and evolutionary information. Another major area of emphasis for the section will be to increase our interactions with the other sections of APS, through support and sponsorship of cross-sectional symposia at Experimental Biology. The diversity of approaches used by comparative and evolutionary physiologists results in most of the section’s members having natural affiliations, and membership in many other sections within the APS. Through coordination of our programming efforts, Hicks hopes that these interactions will grow and result in mutually interesting and exciting programming. Finally the section continues to emphasize the participation of students and young investigators. One mechanism that began under the leadership of the past chair, Stan Lindstedt, is to provide opportunities, specifically for young investigators to develop Featured Topics at Experimental Biology. This has been a success and will continue into the future. Members of the Steering Committee include Colleen Talbot acting as Secretary, who will be responsible for developing our Fall Newsletter. Siribhinya Benyajati is the sections Treasurer, and continues to do an outstanding job in raising funds for the section. Her tireless efforts have resulted in improving the section’s finances and increasing our ability to support outstanding young investigators. Michele G. Wheatly continues as our representative to the Committee on Committees and has been invaluable in integrating the role of our section members within the society. Joe M. Szewczak is the sections newly appointed representative for the Liaison With Industry Committee and our Postdoctoral Trainee Member is Rudy Ortiz. The section is fortunate to have David Goldstein assume the position of Chair of the section’s Programming Committee and section representative to the Joint Programming Committee. David plays an important role in organizing the section’s participation in the annual Experimental Biology meetings, has played an important role in the planning of the upcoming IUPS, and most importantly has taken on the job of chairing the committee that is organizing the next Intersociety Meeting in Comparative Physiology, to be held in 2006. Finally, our section continues to have a close and supportive relationship with the American Journal of Physiology; Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative. The journal’s Associate Editor, John Pritchard attends our sectional meeting at Experimental Biology and encourages feedback and submissions from our section members. |
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