Erik Musiek
Diabetes scholars announced
Anup Sabharwal, M.D.
Julio Ayala, Ph.D.
The Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) and the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center have established an annual award to recognize the work of Vanderbilt trainees who demonstrate potential as future leaders in diabetes research.
At the recent Vanderbilt DRTC Symposium, Jeffrey Balser, M.D., Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for Research, presented the first annual Vanderbilt Scholars in Diabetes awards to three talented young diabetes researchers. The recipients received a certificate and a monetary award in recognition of this honor.
In the graduate student category, Erik Musiek was selected for his research on the role of fish oil in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in overweight people and those with metabolic syndrome. Musiek is conducting research in the laboratory of Jason Morrow, M.D., director of Clinical Pharmacology.
Two postdoctoral fellows were also named. Anup Sabharwal, M.D., is a senior clinical fellow working with James May, M.D. Sabharwal received the Scholar award in the M.D. postdoctoral category for his investigations of the antioxidant lipoic acid's ability to protect the body's cells from free radicals caused by 'bad' cholesterol, or LDL.
In the Ph.D. postdoctoral category, Julio Ayala, Ph.D., who works with David Wasserman, Ph.D., received the award for his work assessing the function of diabetes genes and the use of “glucose clamping” techniques to study glucose homeostasis.
The DRTC helps facilitate the diabetes-related research of more than 90 scientists and physicians in 18 departments at four Vanderbilt colleges and Meharry Medical School.