Endocrine Society announces 2015 Laureate Award winners

Washington, DC--The Endocrine Society today announced it has selected 14 accomplished endocrinologists as winners of the organization's prestigious 2015 Laureate Awards.

Established in 1944, the awards recognize the highest achievements in the endocrinology field, including groundbreaking research and innovations in clinical care. The Endocrine Society will present $101,000 in awards to the winners at ENDO 2015, the Society's 97th Annual Meeting & Expo in San Diego, CA from March 5-8, 2015.

The Endocrine Society's 2015 Laureate Award winners are:

Andrzej Bartke, MS, PhD - Fred Conrad Koch Lifetime Achievement Award. The Society's highest honor, this annual award recognizes lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions of an individual to the field of endocrinology. The award includes a $25,000 honorarium. Currently Professor Emeritus and Director of Geriatric Medicine in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, IL, Bartke has been contributing to the field for more than five decades. After devoting his early career to the reproductive role of growth hormone and prolactin on testicular physiology, he has become a leader in the field of mammalian aging. His laboratory was the first to show that growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) are major players in the regulation of lifespan in the mammal. He served as President of the American Society of Andrology and the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Bartke has written more than 700 publications and has had continuous National Institutes of Health funding for his research since 1972.

Shalender Bhasin, MD - Outstanding Clinical Investigator Award. This annual award honors an internationally recognized clinical investigator who has contributed significantly to understanding of the pathogenesis, pathophysiology and therapy of endocrine diseases. Bhasin is an internationally known translational investigator whose pioneering investigations in the field of androgen hormones such as testosterone have been notable for their bold study design, innovation and enduring impact in bringing resolution to controversial issues in reproductive endocrinology. His landmark study demonstrated conclusively that testosterone increases muscle mass and strength in healthy men with normal levels of the hormone and that the hormone's anabolic effects are augmented by resistance exercise. He is Director of the Research Program in Men's Health, Aging and Metabolism at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

Susan A. Sherman, MD - Outstanding Clinical Practitioner Award. This annual award recognizes extraordinary contributions by a practicing endocrinologist to the endocrine and/or medical community. Dedicated to patient care, Sherman has run a solo and highly respected private practice for more than 35 years and accepted patients from all socio-economic groups. Sherman has organized the highly respected Snowmass Conference in Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology for the last 20 years, and she has run the Colorado Endocrine Club since 1981. She served as chair of the Society's Clinical Affairs Core Committee, represented the Physicians-in-Practice on the Society's Council, and continues to represent the Society at the American Medical Association as its Delegate and Alternate Delegate. She practices at Aurora Medical Associates in Aurora, CO.

Anne M. Etgen, PhD - Distinguished Educator Award. This annual award recognizes exceptional achievement as an educator in the discipline of endocrinology and metabolism. In three decades, Etgen's enthusiasm for neuroendocrinology has enticed a generation of high school through postdoctoral trainees into the field of steroid receptor biology and reproductive endocrinology. She has had more than 30 years of National Institutes of Health funding, including 2 NIH MERIT awards, published more than 150 original manuscripts and has trained several dozen MDs, PhDs, and MD/PhDs. Etgen is Professor Emerita and the former Director of Graduate Studies at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

Diane M. Robins, PhD - Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes distinguished service in the field of endocrinology. Robins is being honored for her remarkable service to the success and future of the Endocrine Society. Robins became a member of the Society in 1992 and has tirelessly contributed to the organization. She volunteered to serve on more than 12 different committees and editorial boards, and she chaired the Annual Meeting Steering Committee for ENDO 2013, the Society's 95th annual meeting. Robins is Professor of Human Genetics and Research Scientist for the Reproductive Sciences Program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.

Robert M. Neer, MD - Gerald D. Aurbach Award for Outstanding Translational Research. This annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to research that accelerate the transition of scientific discoveries into clinical applications. Neer played a critical role in the work that led to the successful introduction of parathyroid hormone therapy for osteoporosis. With his colleagues, he was the first to test synthetic PTH 1-34 in clinical medicine. He also served as a pioneer in the development of standardization and precision criteria for the quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density tests. Neer is the Director of the Bone Density Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.

Gkhan S. Hotamisligil, MD, PhD - Roy O. Greep Award for Outstanding Research. This annual award recognizes meritorious contributions to research in endocrinology. Hotamisligil has been a pioneer in research efforts to explain the mechanistic basis of common chronic metabolic diseases, particularly obesity, diabetes and heart disease. His work has led to the emergence of novel concepts that have altered the understanding of disease pathogenesis. He is currently the JS Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism and Chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, and the Sabri lker Center at Harvard University's School of Public Health in Boston, MA.

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Endocrine Society announces 2015 Laureate Award winners