The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) will present the 2019 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award (OSAA) to Sadaf Farooqi, MB, ChB (Hons), PhD. Dr. Farooqi will be recognized with this honor, which is given annually for research in diabetes that demonstrates particular independence of thought and originality, during the ADA’s 79th Scientific Sessions, June 7-11, 2019, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. She will deliver her OSAA Lecture, titled “Obesity and the Biology of Weight Regulation,” during the National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Awards Presentation on Monday, June 10.

Dr. Farooqi is a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow and Professor of Metabolism and Medicine at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, UK.

“We are pleased to recognize Dr. Farooqi for her seminal contributions to understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms that underlie severe human obesity and its complications,” said the ADA’s 2019 President of Medicine and Science Louis H. Philipson, MD, PhD, FACP. “Congratulations to Dr. Farooqi on this achievement and her outstanding research defining the connections between genetics and obesity.”

Notably, Dr. Farooqi played a leading role in the identification and characterization of congenital leptin deficiency and was responsible for coordinating the first clinical trial of recombinant leptin therapy in this disorder. Treatment of recombinant leptin provided the first proof of principle that leptin is an essential regulator of body weight, T-cell mediated immunity and the onset of puberty in humans. In addition, Dr. Farooqi played an integral role in characterizing human MC4R deficiency, the most common monogenic cause of obesity identified to date. Following these formative studies, Dr. Farooqi established a comprehensive international study of children with severe, early onset obesity, the Genetics of Obesity Study (GOOS), which is now the largest cohort of its kind in the world.

The American Diabetes Association’s 79th Scientific Sessions, the world’s largest scientific meeting focused on diabetes research, prevention and care, will be held June 7-11, 2019, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. Nearly 15,000 leading physicians, scientists, health care professionals and industry representatives from around the world are expected to convene at the Scientific Sessions to unveil cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations and advances toward a cure for diabetes. During the five-day meeting, attendees will receive exclusive access to more than 850 presentations and 2,000 original research presentations, participate in provocative and engaging exchanges with leading diabetes experts, and can earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Continuing Education (CE) credits for educational sessions. The program is grouped into eight thematic areas: Acute and Chronic Complications; Behavioral Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Education and Exercise; Clinical Diabetes/Therapeutics; Epidemiology/Genetics; Immunology/Transplantation; Insulin Action/Molecular Metabolism; Integrated Physiology/Obesity; and Islet Biology/Insulin Secretion. Gretchen Youssef, MS, RDN, CDE, President of Health Care and Education, will deliver her address, “It’s All about Access!,” on Saturday, June 8, and Louis H. Philipson, MD, PhD, FACP, President of Medicine and Science, will address attendees on Sunday, June 9. Join the Scientific Sessions conversation on social media using #ADA2019.

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