Medical Advisory Board

One of the Cushing's Support and Research Foundation's objectives is to provide you with medical information from the best available sources. For this reason, we have established a Medical Advisory Board. The Board is composed of highly experienced surgeons and endocrinologists, many who are active in Cushing's research and world-renowned. These doctors have generously donated their time and resources to provide up-to-date information on Cushing's.

Dr. David Aron, MD, MS
David C. Aron received his BA from Columbia College, New York in 1971, MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1975, and MS in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis from the University of Michigan in 1995. He did a medical residency at the University of California, San Diego and fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been on the faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine since 1980 and is now Professor of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He is a Dept. of Veterans Affairs Senior Scholar and directs a two year fellowship program for physicians in quality improvement (VA National Quality Scholar Fellowship Program). He has been involved in the management of patients with Cushing's syndrome for more than 20 years and continues to do research on this disorder.
Link to Web site

Dr. George Chrousos, MD
Chief, Section of Pediatric Endocrinology, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Link to Web site
Link to niddk Web site
Link to nih Web site

Dr. David Cook, MD
Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University
Department of Endocrinology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR

Dr. James Findling, MD
Endocrinology & Diabetes, St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
Link to Web site

Laurence Katznelson, M.D
Laurence Katznelson, M.D. is currently Medical Director of the Pituitary Center at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California. He is a member of the Editorial Boards for Pituitary and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Katznelson has served as an ad hoc member of NIH study sections. He is currently Chairman of Membership for the Pituitary Society. Dr. Katznelson received his medical degree from UCLA and performed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He then performed a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. He was a member of the Neuroendocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital until he recently assumed the medical directorship of the Pituitary Center at Stanford University. Dr. Katznelson is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Katznelson has a long standing clinical and research interest in the pathophysiology and treatment of pituitary disease.
Link to Web site

Dr. Anne Klibanski, MD
Anne Klibanski, M.D, is Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Chief, Neuroendocrine Unit and Director of the Neuroendocrine Clinical Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. She is Co- Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital/MIT Clinical Research Center. A leader in the field of neuroendocrinology, Dr. Klibanski's research interests include the pathogenesis of human pituitary tumors, the pathophysiology of growth hormone disorders, and, the neuroendocrine control of bone metabolism. An elected member of ASCI and AAP, Dr. Klibanski is on the board of directors and President of The Pituitary Society. She has served on NIH study sections and was the Chairman of the NIH Osteoporosis Consensus Conference. She served on the Endocrine Society Council and currently is a member of the Executive Committee on Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Klibanski has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and other Journals. The author of over 200 papers and chapters, she is the recipient of many Awards including the prestigious Endocrine Society 2002 Clinical Investigator Award, Honorary Master's Degree, Harvard University, the British Endocrine Society Trust Medal in 2003 and the Harvard Medical School Dean's A Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award.
Link to Web site

Dr. Andre Lacroix, MD
André Lacroix, M.D. is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at University of Montreal teaching hospital (CHUM). He is also Head of the Laboratory of Endocrine Pathophysiology at CHUM's Research Centre. He obtained his medical degree at University of Montreal, where he also completed his training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology. This was followed by fellowships in pituitary adrenal disorders at Vanderbilt University and in hormone-dependent cancers at NCI, NIH. One of his main research interest since joining the Division of Endocrinology at CHUM is the molecular pathophysiology of adrenal Cushing's syndrome; his group has uncovered the adrenal expression of aberrant hormone receptors leading to adrenal overgrowth and hyperfunction. Other interests include the pituitary-adrenal axis, adrenal medulla and cortex pathologies and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN-2). Dr Lacroix will serve as president of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology for a two-year term beginning in October 2005.
Email link

Dr. Edward R. Laws, MD, FACS
Dr. Laws received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University with honors in Economics and Sociology in the Special Program in American Civilization, and then attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland receiving the MD in 1963. He did his surgical internship and neurosurgical residency at Johns Hopkins under A. Earl Walker. After completing his residency in 1971, he joined the faculty at the Johns Hopkins medical school with a primary appointment in pediatric neurosurgery. In 1972, he joined the staff of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where ultimately he became Professor of Neurosurgery and developed major interests in pituitary surgery and epilepsy surgery along with a continuing interest in the metabolism and pathophysiology of primary brain tumors. In 1987 he became Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, and in 1992 joined the faculty of the University of Virginia as Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Medicine, establishing a Neuro-Endocrine Center there. During his surgical career he has operated upon more than 5,000 brain tumors, of which 4,200 have been pituitary lesions.

Dr. Laws has served as President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Editor of Neurosurgery, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for International Education in Neurosurgery, Director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and President of the Pituitary Society. He has authored over 400 scientific papers and book chapters, and with Andrew Kaye is co-editor of the encyclopedic volume, "Brain Tumors". Currently he is President of the American College of Surgeons. Recently he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine. He remains actively involved in brain tumor and Neuroendocrine research.
Email: erlaws@stanford.edu

Dr. Robert Levine, MD
Private Physician and Endocrinologist, Nashua, NH
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dartmouth Medical School
Link to Web site

Dr. Lynnette K. Nieman, MD
Clinical Director, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Link to Web site
Link to nih Web site

David E. Schteingart, M.D.
David E. Schteingart, M.D. is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Michigan. He is currently the Associate Director of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) and Director of the University of Michigan Training Programs in Clinical Research. Dr Schteingart received his M.D. degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and completed training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at the University of Michigan. He has been on its faculty since 1962. His areas of current research interest are disorders of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis, Cushing’s disease and adrenal cancer for which he has been internationally recognized. He has 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters.
Link to Web site

Dr. Constantine Stratakis, M.D.
Dr. Constantine Stratakis, M.D. work focuses on understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms leading to disorders that affect the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland, which has long has been a field of research in the NICHD at NIH. Emphasis is on disorders that are hereditary and associated with multiple tumors and abnormalities in other endocrine glands and other tissues. The aim of this work is to understand, diagnose and treat endocrine neoplasias. Dr. Stratakis has formulated a hypothesis that endocrine tumorigenesis follows the pattern of oncogenesis, i.e. the progress to malignancy is associated with an increasing number of genetic changes. Thus studying the relatively few genetic changes in benign hyperplasias may represent the first and most important genetic changes leading to endocrine tumors. Studies by Dr. Stratakis and his group include Carney complex, MEN I and II, other causes of Cushing syndrome, particularly in children, pituitary tumors, acromegaly, familial hyperaldosteronism, childhood adrenocortical cancer, adrenocortical hypoplasia and hyperplasia, and massive macronodular adrenococrtical hyperplasia. As Laboratory Chief and Director of the Pediatric Endocrinology Program, Dr. Stratakis has treated a large number of Pediatric Cushing’s patients and trained numerous students and fellows in laboratory research, molecular and medical genetics and pediatric endocrinology.
Link to Web site

Dr. Brooke Swearingen, MD
Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Link to Web site

Dr. J. Blake Tyrrell, MD
Chief, Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Link to Web site

Dr. Mary Lee Vance, MD
Professor of Medicine and Neurosurgery, Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Link to Web site

Dr. Martin Weiss, MD
Chairman, Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Link to Web site

Back to Top