2009 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

 C. Ronald Kahn, B.A., M.D., M.S., D.Sc.

Lecture Friday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m.: "Insights into the Epidemic of Diabetes and Obesity at a Molecular Level"

Dr. Kahn is the Vice Chairman of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  He received his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine (with highest honors) and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Louisville (Honoris Causa) (1984), Universite de Paris Pierre et Marie Curie (1994) and the University of Geneva (2000).  Dr. Kahn has received over 60 awards and honors and is the author of over 170 publications.  The Kahn lab seeks to understand the link between metabolism and aging. Recent studies from the lab showed that a reduction of fat mass without caloric restriction can be associated with increased longevity in mice, possibly through effects on insulin signaling. 

Dr. Kahn has been recognized for his pioneering work in the field of diabetes, including seminal discoveries that have defined the molecular and cellular mechanisms of insulin action and have yielded critical information about insulin resistance in obesity and diabetes.  He has received the highest scientific awards of the American Diabetes Association, U.S. Endocrine Society, British Diabetes and Endocrine Societies, International Diabetes Federation and American Federation for Clinical Research.  Dr. Kahn is the first recipient of the Manpei Suzuki International Prize for Diabetes Research.  He has chaired the congressionally established Diabetes Research Working Group which developed the plan that resulted in a more than doubling of diabetes research efforts in the United States.