MU Department of Medicine 2011-2013 Annual Report Feb. 2014 | Page 20

20 Annual Report University of Missouri- Columbia Spotlight On September 20, 2012, at a A 1971 graduate of MU’s School of Medicine, Dr. Sowers returned ceremony in Washington D.C, to MU in 2003 as one of the nation’s leading endocrinologists. Dr. James Sowers was awarded He spent the early years of his career as a faculty member at the Irvine Page-Alva Bradley the University of California, Los Angeles. He moved on to Wayne Lifetime Achievement Award in State University in Detroit, serving 15 years as the director of Hypertension from the American endocrinology, metabolism and hypertension. Beginning in 1999, Heart Association’s Council for High he became chief of endocrinology, diabetes and hypertension at Blood Pressure Research. Dr. Sowers the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center in was recognized for his more than Brooklyn. 30 years of accomplishments as a physician, scientist and educator. A native of Waverly, Missouri, Dr. Sowers studied physiology and biochemistry at MU before entering the university’s medical school. He has since examined the cellular mechanisms of insulin action for more than three decades, focusing primarily on in vitro research and ex-vivo analysis of animal models. His research has also led him to examine vascular biology as it relates to metabolic disorders. “My major research has always been in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but I started some of that work at MU when I was in medical school,” said Sowers, noting his research then focused on insulin resistance and propensity to diabetes in pigs. “The pig studies probably had the biggest impact on my career. I was utilizing pigs in research before it became fashionable. Now, pig research continues to play an ever- Dr. Sowers is now MU’s Thomas W. and Joan F. Burns Missouri Chair in Diabetology, as well as director of the Thomas W. and Joan F. Burns Center for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Research. He also directs the endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism division in the Department of Medicine, where he serves as vice chair for research. He holds a joint appointment as a professor in the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, where he trained as a student under James O. Davis, MD, PhD, a National Academy of Sciences member who helped build MU’s international reputation in cardiovascular research. “Dr. Sowers is one of our most accomplished graduates and faculty members, and we are proud that he has received this award from the American Heart Association,” said Robert Churchill, MD, former Dean of the MU School of Medicine. “Few physician-scientists have contributed so much to the field of cardiovascular disease and diabetes research”, Churchill added. important role in how we study these diseases.” Honors + Awards In 2012, the division was recognized as one of the nine specialities from the University of Missouri Health Systems in the US News and World Report in the “Most Specialties Recognized in Central Missouri” category. In 2013, the division was one of the six recognized specialities in the same category. Shawn Bender, PhD, 2012 University of Missouri Mizzou Advantage Faculty Development Award Romayne Kurukulasuriya, MD, 2011-2012 Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care James R. Sowers, MD, 2011 COSEHC Life time Achievement Award; 2012 Irvine Page-Alva Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award Mariana Touza, MD, 2012 Department of Medicine Quality Improvement Champion