GOALS AND ORGANIZATION OF THE CENTER

The center employs state-of-the-art techniques to address the problems of diabetes, focusing primarily on the islets of Langerhans.  It is composed of five independent laboratories;  the laboratory of Bruce Beutler located in the Howard Hughes Institute, the laboratory of Denis McGarry located in the Department of Internal Medicine, the laboratory of Chris Newgard located in the Gifford laboratories, the laboratory of Chris Rhodes in the Gifford Laboratories, and laboratory of Roger Unger at the VA Medical Center.  These groups share a program project grant funded by the NIH and JDF since 1988 and collaborate extensively, sharing facilities and other resources.

Student Education- The Center for Diabetes Research at UT Southwestern also takes an active educational role in the Medical School and in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, particularly the graduate programs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Cell Regulation.

Departmental Interactions- The fluid interpersonal relationships between departments at UT Southwestern has resulted in a diabetes center with roots in at least three major departments and close ties with others.
 
    Internal Medicine: Daniel Foster, M.D. is the Donald Seldin professor and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine, a world renowned diabetologist and endocrinologist, who played a crucial role in establishing the Center of Diabetes Research and has a very active role in its activities. Dr. Foster is a winner of the Banting Medal from the American Diabetes Association and a member of the Institute of Medicine. He is co-editor of the Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, and together with Dr. Unger, co-authors its chapter on diabetes mellitus. All primary members of the Center for Diabetes Research are also faculty members of the Department of Internal Medicine.

    Biochemistry: Steven McKnight, Ph.D., Professor and Chairman of Biochemistry, holds the Sam G. Winstead and F. Andrew Bell Distinguished Chair in Biochemistry and Distinguished Chair in Basic Biomedical Research. He is an exceptional gene transcription biologist, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The biochemistry department has close ties to the Center for Diabetes Research, especially as Drs. McGarry and Newgard are faculty members, and Drs. McGarry, Newgard and Rhodes participate in the graduate program of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.