Clement Cheung, MD, PhD, who studies the effects of maternal under-nutrition on fetal programming and adult obesity, has received the 2007 Melvin Grumbach Award for Pediatric Research.
A UCSF pediatric endocrinology fellow, Cheung is recognized for his research on the effects of maternal under-nutrition on fetal programming and adult obesity, an examination of the manner in which adult diseases can be shaped by events that occur in utero.
"My data suggests that early, unfavorable events - in my own case, poor nutrition during pregnancy - is associated with the development of metabolic abnormalities later in life, including obesity and glucose intolerance," Cheung said.
Cheung said that the extent of brain involvement is unknown - specifically whether changes in gene expression early on in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain known to be involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis - are affected by unfavorable events, and whether these changes result in long-lasting alterations.
Cheung's research has the long-term goal of understanding developmental factors that control brain wiring early on, which might affect the development of diseases or traits later in life. His research was conducted under the guidance of Holly Ingraham, PhD, professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology and a Herzstein Distinguished Investigator in Physiology.
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From left, are Sam Hawgood, physician in chief of UCSF Children's Hospital, Clement Cheung, Melvin Grumbach, commonly recognized as the father of modern pediatrics at UCSF, and Mary-Ann Shafer, professor of pediatrics, adolescent medicine. |
The Grumbach Award is presented annually to recognize the contributions of young physician-scientists and to honor Melvin Grumbach, MD, commonly recognized as the father of modern pediatrics at UCSF. Grumbach was chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 1966 to 1986.
"Melvin Grumbach took the department from being a small, regional clinical enterprise to being a national powerhouse," said Walter Miller, MD, chief of the Pediatric Endocrinology division and chair of the Grumbach Awards Committee.
Grumbach has received numerous honors, most notably election to the National Academy of Sciences and receipt of the American Pediatric Society's John Howland Medal, the highest award in pediatric medicine, Miller said.
Miller said that when Grumbach stepped down as chair of the department, his colleagues established the award in his honor to recognize outstanding scientific research in pediatrics. Scientists in every branch of pediatric research have received the award, he said.
Cheung, who received the honor in a ceremony on June 7, graduated from the University of Washington's School of Medicine before coming to UCSF. His doctoral work, pursued under Robert Steiner, PhD, focused on the metabolic control of the onset of puberty.
Cheung completed a pediatric residency at UCSF in 2004 and will be appointed as an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Pediatrics next month.
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