Diabetes expert Dr. Jake Kushner elected vice president of the Society for Pediatric Research

Kushner will serve one-year term as VP with a succession to presidency for three-year term

HOUSTON, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Jake Kushner, renowned leader in diabetes treatment and research at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, has been elected vice president of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR).

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120426/DC95720)

With his official duties beginning fall 2012, Kushner will serve a total of four years with the SPR. He will first serve a one year term as vice president, followed by a one year term as president elect, a one year term as president and finally, as past president, with his term concluding in 2016.  Kushner, a McNair Scholar in diabetes at BCM, is chief of diabetes and endocrinology at Texas Children's and head of the pediatric diabetes and endocrinology section at BCM.

The Society's mission is to advance academic pediatrics by promoting pediatric research and scholarship, as well as cultivating excellence, diversity and equity in the field of pediatrics through advocacy, scholarship, education and leadership development.

"Dr. Kushner's direction of the Diabetes and Endocrinology programs at Texas Children's and Baylor College of Medicine is truly outstanding," said Dr. Mark Kline, physician-in-chief at Texas Children's and chair of pediatrics at BCM. "We commend him on this tremendous honor as we know his leadership will make a significant impact on the Society for Pediatric Research."

Kushner joined BCM and Texas Children's in 2011. His research focuses on improving the health of children and adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, contributing to the development of novel cell-based insulin replacement therapies. He is an active National Institutes of Health-funded investigator with research focused on pancreatic beta-cell homeostasis and regeneration.

Ranked 10th in the nation for its diabetes and endocrine program, the Texas Children's Hospital Diabetes and Endocrinology Care Center provides diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care to children and adolescents with endocrine system diseases and disorders including congenital adrenal hyperplasia, growth hormone deficiency; hypo/hyperthyroidism, hyper/hypocalcemia and precocious puberty. The clinic also treats and educates diabetes patients and their families in self-management of all aspects of types 1 and 2 diabetes, a disease 15,000 U.S. children are diagnosed with each year.

Kushner earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and his medical degree from Albany Medical College in New York. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Brown University and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Children's Hospital of Boston. Early in his career, Kushner served as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and an instructor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Kushner is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in pediatric endocrinology, his research has been published in more than 30 peer-reviewed journals and he has given more than 50 lectures, presentations and research seminars.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation, Texas Children's has recognized Centers of Excellence in multiple pediatric subspecialties including the Cancer and Heart Centers, and operates the largest primary pediatric care network in the country. Texas Children's is completing a $1.5 billion expansion, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; and Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston.  For more information on Texas Children's, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

About Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as a premier academic health science center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked as one of the top 25 medical schools for research in U.S. News & World Report. BCM is listed 17th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, and No. 2 in the nation in federal funding for research and development in the biological sciences at universities and colleges by the National Science Foundation. Currently, BCM trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, and physician assistant students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

Contact:
Veronika Javor Romeis
Texas Children's Hospital
o: +1-832-824-2157
c: +1-713-837-6289
[email protected]

or

Glenna Picton
Baylor College of Medicine
(o) +1-713-798-4710
(c) +1-210-912-7946
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital