Personal Statement

I am the director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, at Cedars-Sinai and professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. I also hold the Eris M. Field Endowed Chair in Diabetes Research at Cedars-Sinai. I am both a diabetologist-endocrinologist and a molecular geneticist, and am head of the Endocrine Genetics Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai.

For the past 15 years, my research has included molecular biologic, genetic epidemiologic, epigenetic and clinical investigations in multiple ethnic groups, particularly Hispanic and non-Hispanic Caucasians. I have conducted extensive studies of the molecular genetics of insulin clearance and insulin resistance and related cardiovascular traits, and published the first report describing the high heritability of insulin clearance.

I currently serve as multi-principal investigator (PI) on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01, Improving Beta-Cell Function in Mexican American Women with Prediabetes; the NIH R01, Impact of the Gut Microbiome and Diet on Change in Insulin Homeostasis and Cardiometabolic Risk (MILES, Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study); and the NIH U01, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology and Prevention of Pancreatogenic Diabetes. The last study supports Cedars-Sinai participation in the Consortium for the Study of Pancreatitis, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer-CPDPC.

I also lead the research program in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) genetics at Cedars-Sinai, having served as the site PI of the study, Adrenal Androgen Excess in PCOS: Role of Genetics. I have also been involved in physiologic phenotyping of insulin-related traits. My lab established the insulin suppression test at Cedars-Sinai. I am the co-convener (with James Meigs) of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology—CHARGE—Glycemia-Diabetes Working Group, an international consortium that assembled over 20 cohorts (comprising nearly 100,000 individuals) for the study of common and rare variants that contribute to glucose homeostasis and Type 2 diabetes. In these research activities, as well as in my role as division director, I serve as a mentor to postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and am heavily involved in coordinating clinical and research training activities.