ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease

My lab works at the intersection of three areas: Radiogenetics and Magnetogenetics We are pioneering the use of radio waves and magnetic fields to stimulate individual cells and neurons - a technique that, like optogenetics, has broad research and therapeutic applications but which is non-invasive. Nanobioengineering We are developing the use of nanoparticles in bioengineered murine models for preclinical applications using ferritin and other naturally occurring nanoparticles. Neuroendocrinology of diabetes We are advancing the understanding of the interaction between central and peripheral systems in, and beyond, appetite control to find new approaches to Diabetes prevention and treatment. We are fortunate to work in close collaboration with colleagues across Mount Sinai and in partnerships with Professor Jeffrey Friedman, Rockefeller University, and Professor Jonathan Dordick, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Currently, our work is funded by The National Institutes of Health and American Diabetes Association. Profile I studied, trained and practiced as a physician at Cambridge University and London teaching hospitals, including The Royal London and The Hammersmith Hospital. My work combined clinics for diabetes and rare endocrinology issues such as neuroendocrine tumors and pituitary disease with busy Internal Medicine intakes. Although I loved providing patient care, I started to realize that most therapies were inadequate. In search of a bigger impact, I joined Professor Steve Bloom's Lab as a Wellcome fellow and completely my PhD (97-2000) "The role of orexigenic and anorexigenic peptides in the control of hypothalamo-pituitary axes". As a Medical Research Council fellow, I joined Professor Jeffrey Friedman's lab at Rockefeller University in 2005, working on murine models for CNS glucose sensing and later on the development of radio and magnetogenetics. I joined Sinai to start a new lab in 2014 with joint appointments in Endocrinology and Neuroscience. I believe the most important breakthroughs in medical research come at the intersection of existing fields and Sinai is perfectly set up to enable these collaborations. My lab philosophy is simple - medical research requires both individual acumen and team work - and so I am on the lookout for research assistants and post doctoral scientists who combine personal drive with a real desire to learn in a collaborative setting. Education BA, University of Cambridge BChir, University of Cambridge MB, University of Cambridge PhD, Imperial College, London University