Ravi Shah, MD, the Gottlieb C. Friesinger II Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and professor of Medicine, has been named co-director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center (VDC).
He will serve in this role alongside current director Alvin C. Powers, MD, the Joe C. Davis Professor of Biomedical Science and professor of Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. The VDC oversees the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) at Vanderbilt.
“Dr. Shah has exceptional capabilities as demonstrated by his broad research portfolio and strong history of leadership in both clinical and translational research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. We are grateful to him for stepping into this crucial role,” said Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Research at VUMC.
“The Vanderbilt DRTC, now in its 52nd year of continual operation, advances innovative investigations related to the cause, prevention, treatment and complications of diabetes and obesity,” added Pietenpol, who holds the Brock Family Directorship in Career Development. “Dr. Shah will be working closely with Dr. Powers and other DRTC leaders as they pursue the center’s upcoming competitive grant renewal from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.”
Powers recently stepped down from the role of chief of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at VUMC. A national search is underway for his successor. He will remain as the co-director of the VDC and DRTC with Shah.
“I am honored to be asked to serve as co-director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center, renowned for its transformative impact and innovation,” said Shah. “The Center’s investigative teams have positioned VUMC as a global leader in diabetes, obesity and metabolism science. I’m excited to deepen my collaboration with the center’s exceptional faculty and staff to help advance the groundbreaking work already underway.”
Shah also directs Clinical and Translational Research in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, and until June 30 he served as the director of the Neilson Society at Vanderbilt, which supports junior faculty in the Department of Medicine as they work toward independent research careers, tenure and promotion.
Shah conducts translational research in cardiometabolic disease, specifically understanding the impact and mechanisms of obesity, nutrition, fitness and aging on multisystem disease. He has led multiple institutional efforts with other Vanderbilt faculty, including the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Vanderbilt’s center in the Human Virome Program, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) 2.0 Core Laboratory. He serves on the Human Studies of Diabetes and Obesity Study Section at the NIH and has been recognized for his contributions at VUMC in mentoring translational scientists.
There are 17 Diabetes Research Centers and seven Centers for Diabetes Translation Research in the United States, funded by the NIH. Vanderbilt was the first diabetes research center funded. Today, the Vanderbilt DRTC includes 140 faculty members from 15 departments and three colleges or schools at Vanderbilt and Meharry Medical College.
The research of the center’s investigators is supported by approximately $78 million in research funding, with five affiliated diabetes-related training grants supporting graduate and postdoctoral fellow training efforts.
