Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal to Be Awarded to Marvin C. Gershengorn, MD

Newswise — The American Thyroid Association (ATA) announces with pleasure that the 2018 John B. Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal will be awarded to Dr. Marvin C. Gershengorn at the ATA Annual Meeting this week. Dr. Gershengorn is Chief of the Clinical Endocrinology Branch (formerly the Laboratory of Endocrinology and Receptor Biology) at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

The Stanbury Medal recognizes outstanding research contributions, either conceptual or technical, to the understanding of thyroid physiology or the pathophysiology of thyroid disease, that have had a major impact on research or clinical practice. The medal is traditionally conferred at the ATA Annual Meeting, held this year from October 3 to 7 in Washington, DC.

Dr. Gershengorn received his MD with honors in Biochemistry in 1971 from New York University School of Medicine after completing his BS magna cum laude at City College of the City University of New York (CUNY). He completed his internship and residency in Medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

He became a Clinical Associate in the Clinical Endocrinology Branch of the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases at NIH, then returned to the NYU School of Medicine as Assistant Professor, then Director of the Honors Program, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Moving to Cornell University Medical College and the New York Hospital, he was appointed in turn Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, the Abby Rockefeller Mauze Distinguished Professor of Endocrinology in Medicine, Professor of Cell Biology and Genetics, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Molecular Medicine, and Director of the Molecular Medicine Training Program. At Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University, Dr. Gershengorn was appointed Chair of the Program in Physiology, Biophysics, and Molecular

Medicine. He joined the NIDDK in 2001 as Director of the Division of Intramural Research (Scientific Director) before his current appointment in 2008.

During his various research positions, Dr. Gershengorn has made groundbreaking scientific contributions that have increased our understanding of thyroid physiology, from the development of the first assays to measure T3 in human serum, to using lithium as an adjunct to radioiodine therapy in thyroid cancer, to fine-needle aspiration biopsy for the diagnosing thyroid nodules, to determining the gene sequence of the TRH receptor, among many others. His laboratory has been the leader in developing small-molecule, drug-like compounds that target the TSH receptors of the thyroid.

Dr. Gershengorn has received numerous awards, honors, and fellowships during his career, including both the Van Meter Award and the Sidney Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship for Outstanding Thyroid Research from the ATA, two awards from the Endocrine Society, and the NIDDK Director’s Award for Translational Research. He has served on the editorial boards of journals dedicated to endocrinology, biological chemistry, and physiology and on advisory boards, review committees, and as a board director. From 1999 to 2001, Dr. Gershengorn was a Director of the ATA.

In addition to holding five patents, Dr. Gershengorn has shared in writing 280 journal articles since 1968.

His four decades of very productive research, teaching, writing, and continuous contributions to our understanding of the pathophysiology of thyroid disease make Dr. Gershengorn an extremely appropriate recipient of the 2018 John B. Stanbury Pathophysiology Medal. 

###

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement, understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. ATA is an international membership medical society with over 1,700 members from 43 countries around the world. Celebrating its 95^th anniversary, the ATA continues to deliver its mission of being devoted to thyroid biology and to the prevention and treatment of thyroid disease through excellence in research, clinical care, education, and public health.  These efforts are carried out via several key endeavors:

• The publication of the highly regarded professional journals Thyroid^®, Clinical Thyroidology^®, and VideoEndocrinology
• Annual scientific meetings
• Biennial clinical and research symposia
• Research grant programs for young investigators
• Support of online professional, public, and patient educational programs
• Development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer

The ATA promotes thyroid awareness and information online through Clinical Thyroidology for the Public and extensive, authoritative explanations of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA website serves as the clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable information on the Internet. Every fifth year, the American Thyroid Association joins with the Latin American Thyroid Society, the European Thyroid Association, and the Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association to cosponsor the International Thyroid Congress (ITC).