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Johns Hopkins Pediatric Endocrinologist Receives Award - 06/16/2014

Johns Hopkins Pediatric Endocrinologist Receives Award

Wolf Receives Endocrine Scholars Award
Release Date: June 16, 2014
Risa Wolf, M.D.

Johns Hopkins pediatric endocrinologist Risa Wolf, M.D., has received the 2014 Endocrine Scholars Award from the Endocrine Society. Given out annually, the award helps fund research of pituitary disorders, bone diseases and diabetes.

Working alongside G. William Wong, Ph.D., in the Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research at Johns Hopkins, Wolf is studying whether a protein called CTRP3 protects against the development of fatty liver disease, a condition commonly seen in overweight and obese people. Wolf’s research is being conducted in mice, but the next step involves studies of the protein’s function in humans. These studies will be conducted in collaboration with surgeon Kimberly Steele, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Bariatric Research Center.

“We hope these data, combined with our laboratory discoveries, can illuminate additional research and lead to therapies that treat or prevent fatty liver disease,” Wolf says.

Fatty liver disease can be fueled by obesity or excessive alcohol use. Accumulation of fat in the liver can cause progressive inflammation and, if left untreated, permanent scarring of the liver.

Wolf is a graduate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is currently completing a fellowship in the division of pediatric endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.