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George P. Chrousos, M.D., FAAP, FACP, MACE
Dr. George P. Chrousos is Director of the Pediatric Endocrinology Program and Chief of the Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Physiology at Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, DC.
Recognized as an outstanding researcher in endocrinology and metabolism, his contributions include research on the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and the pathophysiologic and molecular mechanisms of the syndromes of glucocorticoid hormone resistance and congenital isolated glucocorticoid deficiency. His research team introduced corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) as a diagnostic test for Cushing's syndrome and adrenal insufficiency. Their research also elucidated the pathophysiology of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis alterations in a number of developmental/ psychiatric states, including major affective disorder, anorexia nervosa, chronic strenuous exercise, atypical depression, the chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia syndromes, and the adolescent and postpartum blues/depression syndromes. Dr. Chrousos and his colleagues determined the neuropeptide feedback and cytokine regulation of the hypothalamic CRH neutron. His research team isolated "tissue corticotropin releasing factor," and demonstrated that it is a major determinant of peripheral inflammation. He cloned the regulatory region and studied the regulation of the human CRH gene. He and his colleagues elucidated neural and hormonal mechanisms through which the stress system influences the immune and inflammatory reaction and predisposes individuals to allergic, autoimmune, infectious and neoplastic disorders.
Dr. Chrousos is the recipient of, among others, the Endocrine Society's Richard Weitzman Award (1987) "for outstanding research achievements in Endocrinology and Metabolism"; the Superior Service Award of the U.S. Public Health Service (1992) "for pioneering studies on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, leading to new insights into the pathophysiology of adrenal diseases"; and the Endocrine Society's Clinical Investigator Award (1997) "for major achievements in clinical investigation." He also has received the Hans Selye Award of the Hans Selye Foundation (1997) for "outstanding contributions to stress research"; the International Society of Neuroimmunomodulation N.H. Spector Award "for significant contributions in both leadership and Research in Neuroimmunomodulation"; and the Endocrine Society's Pharmacia - Upjohn International Award (1999) "for excellence in published clinical research."
As one of the most influential investigators in the field of endocrinology, Dr. Chrousos has written more than 600 scientific papers, and his work has been cited in more than 14,000 other scientific articles, a tremendous testimony to the importance and influence of his research. As an author on 18 papers published in the New England Journal of Medicine, his work has educated a broad community of physicians around the world. Dr. Chrousos has not only left an indelible mark on the field of endocrinology through his research, but also by his mentorship of a whole school of young leader clinician/investigators. He has been elected to the most respected medical societies, served on the editorial boards of many outstanding journals, and has given plenary and endowed lectures at universities and scientific congresses around the world. He exemplifies the best tradition of medical scientists who are universally esteemed by their colleagues as truly extraordinary physicians, investigators, scholars, and teachers.
March 2002
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