Astute Clinician Lecture

The annual Astute Clinician Lecture was established in 1998 through a gift from the late Dr. Robert W. Miller and his wife, Haruko. It honors U.S. scientists who have observed unusual clinical occurrences and, by investigating them, have opened an important new avenue of research. The lectureship exemplifies how astute clinical observations can lead to innovative research. Speakers are proposed by members of the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) with voting for the top three candidates. Selection from this slate of candidates is made by the NIH Director.

Heart of the Matter: Unraveling Cardiovascular Disease in Autoimmune Disorders

Mariana J. Kaplan, M.D.
NIAMS, NIH

Astute Clinician Lecture

Patients with systemic autoimmune diseases exhibit a significantly enhanced risk to develop premature heart attacks and strokes. The mechanisms implicated in this complication, as well as preventive and treatment strategies, have been incompletely characterized. This lecture will address the scope of the problem, the putative pathogenic pathways leading to premature vascular disease in autoimmunity and discuss potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic methods.

Learning Objectives: 

Sleuthing the Microbiome Reveals Undercover Agents of Oncogenesis

Cynthia L Sears, M.D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Astute Clinician Lecture

Each human microbe reveals to us a story about health or disease, guided by its individual potential and community interaction. This Astute Clinician Lecture will provide context for microbe promotion of colon carcinogenesis as illustrated by two vignettes, one defined by a single bacterial gene and a second revealing community potential to mold disease.

Objectives: 

1. To inform on microbial promotion of human colon cancer.

2. To illustrate the potential of individual bacterial contributors to human colon cancer pathogenesis.

Anticytokine Autoantibodies: Causes, Concomitants and Complications of Infectious Diseases

Steven Holland, M.D.
NIH

Astute Clinician Lecture

Steve Holland's research entails immune defects of phagocytes: GATA2 deficiency (MonoMAC), nontuberculous mycobacterial infections, chronic granulomatous disease, hyper IgE (Job’s) syndrome, leukocyte adhesion deficiency; cytokines and their receptors in the pathogenesis and therapy of infections; susceptibility to disseminated mycobacterial infections, such as GATA2, autoantibodies to interferon gamma and defects in the interferon gamma/IL-12 pathway; mechanisms of mycobacterial pathogenesis; mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis (e.g., Burkholderia); mechanisms of Coccidioides

Advancing Therapies for Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1): Lessons Learned from Every Patient

Brigitte Widemann, M.D.
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

Astute Clinician Lecture

Dr. Brigitte Widemann is a pediatric oncologist with the primary interest of developing effective therapies for children and adults with genetic tumor predisposition syndromes, such as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and rare solid tumors through innovative clinical trial design. Dr. Widemann currently serves as the head of the Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics Section and as Chief of NCI’s Pediatric Oncology Branch. Anticancer drug discovery and development are moving towards a more rational and targeted approach.

Gaucher Disease: How a Rare Disease Provides a Window into Common Neurodegenerative Disorders

Ellen Sidransky, M.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute

Astute Clinician Lecture

Gaucher disease is a rare disorder caused by a hereditary deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase and is characterized by easy bruising, fatigue, anemia, low platelet count, and enlargement of the liver and spleen. Dr. Sidransky played a lead role in establishing the association between glucocerebrosidase and parkinsonism. She also has spearheaded two large international collaborative studies regarding the genetics of Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

We Are What We Eat: Nutrition, Genes, Cognition & Deep Learning in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Emily Y. Chew, M.D.
National Eye Institute

Astute Clinician Lecture

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States and in the developed world. Two NIH-supported randomized clinical trials with 10 years of follow-up in nearly 10,000 participants demonstrated that nutritional supplements with antioxidant vitamins and minerals reduces the risk of progression to late AMD. Dietary data suggest the importance of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of AMD, particularly fish consumption. The analyses of the genetic interaction with nutrition challenges the idea that you can eat away your genetic risk.

What makes America great

William A. Gahl, M.D., Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute

Astute Clinician Lecture

Dr. Gahl studies the natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of rare genetic disorders such as cystinosis, Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, sialic acid storage diseases, GNE myopathy, and disorders of platelets and pigmentation. He also investigates undiagnosed disorders under the aegis of the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program and Network, and pursues new disease discovery.

Perspective on autoimmunity: a view from the ANCA vasculitis looking glass

Ronald J. Falk, M.D.
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Astute Clinician Lecture

Dr. Ronald Falk is internationally recognized physician-scientist whose lifelong career has been the study of autoimmune kidney disease and ANCA vasculitis. For over three decades, his research has led to a deeper understanding of the causes and conditions that may lead to the development of ANCA vasculitis in an effort to improve the lives of those patients afflicted with vasculitis and autoimmune kidney diseases.

Relief from severe depression and suicidal ideation within hours: from synapses to symptoms

Carlos Zarate, M.D.
National Institute of Mental Health

Astute Clinician Lecture

Dr. Zarate’s current research focus is on developing novel medications for treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder. His areas of expertise include biological and pharmacological aspects of mood disorders in adults. Dr. Zarate’s group conducts proof-of-concept studies utilizing novel compounds and biomarkers (magnetoencephalography [MEG] and polysomnography [PSG], positron emission tomography, functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy [MRS]) to identify potentially relevant drug targets and biosignatures of treatment response.

This page was last updated on Wednesday, November 17, 2021