Dr. Harry C. Dietz, III

“Marfan Syndrome and Related Disorders: From Molecules to Medicine” is the Astute Clinician Lecture slated for Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. The speaker will be Dr. Harry C. Dietz, III, professor of pediatrics, medicine, molecular biology, and genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also an investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Dietz heads a multidisciplinary clinic for the diagnosis and management of individuals with heritable forms of cardiovascular disease, with a special emphasis on Marfan syndrome and related connective tissue disorders. He directs the William S. Smilow Center for Marfan Syndrome Research, a group of molecular biologists focused on improvement of the lives of individuals with Marfan syndrome through the development of novel diagnostic and treatment strategies. Other research interests include the molecular basis of vessel wall homeostasis and cardiovascular aging and the mechanism and physiologic significance of mRNA quality control mechanisms in health and disease.

His awards include the Richard D. Rowe and Young Investigator Awards from the Society for Pediatric Research. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the 2006 recipient of the Curt Stern Award from the American Society of Human Genetics, the Antoine Marfan Award and the 2008 Hero with a Heart award from the National Marfan Foundation.

A graduate of Duke University, Dietz earned his M.D. degree at SUNY Upstate School of Medicine in Syracuse. At Johns Hopkins hospital, he completed an internship in pediatrics and residencies in pediatrics and anesthesia and critical care medicine. He also held a clinical fellowship in pediatric cardiology and a postdoctoral fellowship in medical genetics there.

The Astute Clinician Lecture was established through a gift from the late Dr. Robert W. Miller and his wife, Haruko. It honors a U.S. scientist who has observed an unusual clinical occurrence and, by investigating it, has opened an important new avenue of research.

The lecture is an NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series event hosted by the Clinical Center. Sign language interpretation can be provided. For information or accommodation, contact Christopher Wanjek at (301) 402-4274 or wanjek@mail.nih.gov, or call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.