I am pleased to announce the chartering of the Center for Metabolic Health (CMH), led by Founding Director, Blake B. Rasmussen, PhD and Founding Co-Directors, Luke Norton, PhD and Carolina Solis-Herrera, MD. The mission of the CMH is to support the advancement of metabolic research and education at the University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA) with the goal of translating discoveries in this field into innovative diagnostics and therapeutics that save lives. The vision of the Center will be to: 1) bolster collaboration between investigators; 2) create research infrastructure support; 3) enhance trainee career development; 4) assist in the recruitment of new faculty with an outstanding track record of basic and translational research in the fields of obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and sarcopenia.
Blake Rasmussen, PhD is a Professor of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and a member of the Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies at UT Health San Antonio. The focus of his research has been skeletal muscle biology and metabolism, using both mouse models and human clinical trials to understand sarcopenia. His research has been funded by the NIH for the past year 20 years and he is currently a PI of two NIH U01 clinical trials: MoTrPAC (Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium) and SPARX3 (Study in Parkinson’s Disease of Exercise Phase 3 Trial). His NIH R01 grant is examining the multi-omic response to muscle disuse atrophy and recovery. Dr. Rasmussen is married to Dr. Elena Volpi, Director, Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, and they have two children, Alessandro, 22, and Francesco, 19.
Luke Norton, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes and Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy. He is a translational investigator focused on the discovery of novel pathways underlying the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related comorbidities, including obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). His ultimate objective as an investigator is to foster true “bench to bedside” research by integrating basic science approaches with clinical trials. He is NIH-funded to translate laboratory findings in diabetes to the clinic, where he now performs studies in human patients with T2D and MASLD, which are epidemic in our region. As the co-director of the CMH, Dr. Norton looks forward to working with investigators at UTHSA to translate their own exciting discoveries into innovative diagnostics and therapeutics in obesity and diabetes.
Carolina Solis-Herrera, MD is an Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology in the Department of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Health Clinics at UT Health San Antonio. She continues to pursue her passion for translational and clinical research in diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disorders, where she has secured significant grant funding and published in highly cited peer-reviewed journals. Her areas of interest include the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity, the mechanisms of novel diabetic medications, and cardiometabolic and renal endocrinology. Dr. Solis-Herrera is also a superb educator, leading the Diabetes Teaching Clinic. Dr. Solis-Herrera is married to Dr. Curtis Triplitt, a Professor in the Division of Diabetes here and they have a beautiful 6-year-old daughter, Caroline.
Please join the inaugural meeting of this new Center for Metabolic Health (CMH) on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 4:30-6:00 pm in LEC-3.104.A – Pestana Lecture Hall. There will be a brief presentation followed by discussion and networking. Light refreshments will be provided.
Congratulations to Drs. Rasmussen, Norton, and Solis-Herrera on the launch of this new center!
Robert Hromas, M.D., Dean and Professor of Medicine
Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Dean’s Office
Vice President for Medical Affairs
UT Health San Antonio