Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to honor professional achievement in the health sciences and to serve as a national resource for independent analysis and recommendations on issues related to medicine, biomedical sciences and health, the IOM this year celebrates its 35th anniversary.

"Election [to the IOM] recognizes those individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health," said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg in announcing the newly elected members. "It is considered one of the highest honors in these fields."

Kahn joined BIDMC in 1986 and served as chief of the diabetes unit from 1990 to 2000 before assuming her current position. She received both BA and MD degrees from Stanford University and an MS in Health and Medical Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. After completing training in internal medicine at the University of California, Davis Medical Center, Kahn began her career in molecular research as a Fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

One of the country's leading diabetes investigators, Kahn's research has had a major impact on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes and the cellular and physiologic processes that render obesity a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Her lab has identified novel pathways by which specialized cells in the brain respond to nutrients and hormones and send out signals that regulate food intake and body weight. Most recently, the Kahn lab identified a novel protein secreted from fat cells that may be a new target for treatment or prevention of type 2 diabetes.

'"/>

Contact: Bonnie Prescott
bprescot@bidmc.harvard.edu
617-667-7306
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
24-Oct-2005