Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., Named Director of
NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases
Bethesda, Maryland Elias A. Zerhouni,
M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today
announced the appointment of Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., as director
of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases (NIDDK), effective April 1, 2007.
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Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. |
“Griff Rodgers is an outstanding physician-scientist and
molecular hematologist. He has made singular contributions
to the study of globin disorders and is internationally recognized
for his contributions to the development of effective therapy for
sickle cell anemia and other genetic diseases of hemoglobin. In
addition to his research experience, Dr. Rodgers is a dedicated
and knowledgeable clinician and a first rate research administrator. He
has all the qualities we search for in an Institute Director,” said
Zerhouni.
Dr. Rodgers, who was appointed Deputy Director of NIDDK in January
2001, is currently Acting Director of NIDDK and also serves as
chief of NIDDK's Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, which
he has headed since 1998
As the new Director of the NIDDK, Dr. Rodgers will oversee an
annual budget of $1.8 billion and a staff of 650 scientists, physician-scientists,
and administrators. The Institute conducts and supports research
on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health including
diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases
and nutrition, including obesity; and kidney, urologic and hematologic
diseases. NIDDK conducts and supports much of the clinical
research on the diseases of internal medicine and related subspecialty
fields as well as many basic science disciplines at its research
facilities in Bethesda, Md. and Phoenix, Ariz. and at research
institutions and medical centers throughout the United States. In
addition, NIDDK also supports education programs to translate the
results of research to health professionals, patients and the public.
“It is truly an honor to be given the opportunity to lead
an organization with a mission as far-reaching and varied as the
NIDDK,” said Dr. Rodgers. “While NIDDK has a long
and distinguished history of accomplishment as an Institute, we
must look to the future to capitalize on the opportunities for
disease prevention that new technologies and discoveries are giving
us. The health problems we face as a Nation are real and
the results of research offer substantive promise for solving the
difficult questions faced by millions of Americans every day and
the health professionals who treat them,” he said.
Dr. Rodgers received his undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees
from Brown University in Providence, R.I. He performed his residency
and chief residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital and
the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His
fellowship training in hematology/oncology was in a joint program
of the NIH with George Washington University and the Washington
Veterans Administration Medical Center. In addition to his medical
and research training, he earned a master's degree in business
administration, with a focus on the business of medicine, from
Johns Hopkins University in 2005.
As a research investigator, Dr. Rodgers is widely recognized for
his contributions to the development of the first effective and
now FDA approved therapy for sickle cell anemia. He was
a principal investigator in clinical trials to develop therapy
for patients with sickle cell disease and also performed basic
research that focused on understanding the molecular basis of how
certain drugs induce gamma-globin gene expression. He was honored
for his research with numerous awards including the 1998 Richard
and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, the 2000 Arthur S. Fleming
Award, the Legacy of Leadership Award in 2002 and a Mastership
from the American College of Physicians in 2005.
Dr. Rodgers has been an invited professor at medical schools and
hospitals in France, Italy, China, Japan, and Korea. He has
been honored with many named lectureships at American medical centers
and has published over 150 original research articles, reviews, and
book chapters and has edited four books and monographs.
Dr. Rodgers served as Governor to the American College of Physicians
for the Department of Health and Human Services from 1994 to 1997. He
is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society
of Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians,
among others. He is the chair of the Hematology Subspecialty
Board and is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine
Board of Directors. He is board certified in Internal Medicine,
in Emergency Medicine and in Hematology.
Note: To interview Dr. Rodgers or obtain a photo, please
contact the NIDDK Communications Office at 301-496-3583. For
more information about NIDDK and its programs, see www.niddk.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
Note: On April 29, 2008 "Clinical and Molecular Hematology Branch" was
corrected to read "Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch" in
the third paragraph, at the request of NIDDK. |