Message from Suzanne Jan De Beur MD, Endocrinology Division Chief
It is an exciting time for the Division of Endocrinology at the University of Virginia as we continue to grow and advance our mission in patient care, education, and research. We are thrilled to welcome three outstanding new faculty members to our team: Dr. Layal Esper, Dr. Erica Giraldi, and Dr. Lisette Rodriguez. Their expertise and dedication will enhance our clinical services, expand research opportunities, and strengthen our commitment to excellence in training the next generation of endocrinologists.
Our inpatient and outpatient clinical programs are expanding. Under the leadership of Dr. Jennifer Kirby and Ms. Julie Costin, our inpatient diabetes team is ramping up to offer its critical services hospital-wide eventually. Drs. Christine Eagleson and Dr. Meg Crook are leading our outpatient clinical programs through the ONE TEAM implementation to expand access to your patients and provide cutting-edge, patient-centered care across a broader spectrum of endocrine disorders.
Additionally, our fellowship program continues to thrive under the leadership of Drs. Greg Hong and Ben Horton are attracting excellent candidates and have a particularly excellent match this year. Our fellows benefit from robust clinical training, impactful mentorship, and outstanding research opportunities, positioning them for success in both academic and clinical careers.
Research remains a foundational pillar of our division, with ongoing groundbreaking studies in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, diabetes technology, and metabolic disorders. Our faculty and trainees continue to contribute to the field with innovative discoveries and collaborative efforts pushing endocrinology’s boundaries.
Although we face the headwinds of uncertainty, we look forward to another year of growth, discovery, and excellence buoyed by our University of Virginia colleagues in the Department of Medicine and School of Medicine.
~Suzanne Jan De Beur MD
RESEARCH
FACULTY ACTIVITIES
Samina Afreen, MD is a general endocrinologist interested in metabolic bone disease, obesity, and diabetes technology. She is triple board-certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Obesity Medicine. Dr. Afreen is a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. She is an associate editor of the journal Obesity Pillars and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Sue Brown, MD is a clinician who directs clinical trials primarily related to automated insulin delivery (artificial pancreas) systems. Dr. Brown’s research was supported by 4 R01 as a Co-PI and industry grants in managing Type 2 Diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis-Related Disease. Her current R01s include R01 DK085623, “Bio-behavioral Human Machine Co-Adaptation of the Artificial Pancreas,” R01 DK129553, “Advanced Artificial Pancreas Systems to Enable Fully Automated Glycemic Control in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus”, R01 DK133148 “Adaptive Motif-Based Control: A Fundamentally New Approach to Automated Treatment Optimization for Type 1 Diabetes and R01DK138366 “Automated Insulin Delivery for Inpatients with DysGlycemia (AIDING): Randomized Controlled Trial.” Dr. Brown has continued her track record of publishing papers related to this work. Clinically, Dr. Brown is a general endocrinologist interested in metabolic bone disease and diabetes. In 2024, Dr. Brown was honored with a Patient Experience Award for the fifth year. Dr. Brown is also a core faculty member of our fellowship program and is the division’s Kenneth R. Crispell Professor of Internal Medicine.
Sara Chhabra, MD is a full-time general endocrinologist who sees patients at the Specialty Care Clinic, Fishersville. She completed her medicine residency training at Mount Sinai Medical Center and her Endocrinology fellowship training at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center. We are thrilled to be able to provide full-time endocrine care for patients in the Shenandoah Valley.
Margaret Crook, MD is a general endocrinologist interested in metabolic bone disease and calcium disorders. She co-founded Blue Ridge Endocrinology in 2010 but has practiced at the University of Virginia Endocrinology in the Charlottesville Pantops area since 2015. Her patient survey results are outstanding, and Dr. Crook was honored with the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Patient Experience Awards. Dr. Crook was featured in Virginia Business magazine’s 2024 Top Doctors list for the state. She was on the Endocrine Society task force for physician burnout in 2024, continues to serve as co-medical director at the leading Endocrinology clinic at Fontaine, and is serving on the Department of Medicine compensation committee. She enjoys trail running and biking in her free time. She has a new dog, Rosie, who always wants to go for walks.
Silas Culver, MD is a previous iTHRIV scholar graduate pursuing basic science research related to obesity-associated kidney dysfunction and renal lipotoxicity and the role of the (pro)renin receptor in obesity-associated hypertension, aging, and cellular senescence. Dr. Culver is an NIH K08 career-development grant awardee (project entitled “Role of Atp6ap2 in renal proximal tubule lipotoxicity”) and recently received a divisional award to study the effects of intermittent fasting on obesity-related kidney injury. Clinically, Dr. Culver is a general endocrinologist interested in adrenal disease, endocrine hypertension, and obesity, staffing inpatient consults, and seeing outpatients at our leading endocrinology clinic. Dr. Culver is also a Co-System Leader for the NexGen Endocrine-Reproduction System (Pre-Clerkship) block for second-year medical students.
Christine Eagleson, MD is a general endocrinologist with exceedingly valuable contributions to the division’s clinical mission. Dr. Eagleson is the primary adult endocrinologist for UVA Health’s Gender Health program, thus contributing to a critically crucial institutional mission. Dr. Eagleson is known for her unending devotion to the underserved. Dr. Eagleson is a highly valued preceptor for the fellows’ continuity clinic and serves on our Clinical Competency and Program Effectiveness Committees. She has also served on UVA’s Gender Health Committee since its inception and is Co-Chair of UVA Health’s Transparency and Appeals Committee. She has been promoted to Associate Professor and is co-leader for the Endocrinology Clinic. She has been elected to Virginia Business Magazine’s Top Endocrinologist of Virginia.
Layal Esper, MD joined us from George Washington University School of Medicine, where she recently completed an Endocrinology and Metabolism Fellowship. During her fellowship, Dr. Esper developed an interest in thyroid disease and did additional rotations at Washington Hospital Center with Dr. Ken Burman and Dr. Len Wartofsky. Dr. Esper was a hospitalist for 5 years before embarking on her fellowship and will teach the internal medicine residents on the inpatient service. Dr. Esper will work with ENT and Endocrine Surgery to develop multidisciplinary clinics for thyroid cancer and complex thyroid disease. Dr. Esper will spearhead the thyroid biopsy clinic and instruct our fellows in thyroid biopsy. Her clinical Practice and research focus on pituitary disorders, but she will also see general endocrinology patients.
Leon Farhy, PhD is an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology. He is a biomathematician with background and expertise in systems endocrinology and studies synergizing bio-mathematical modeling with basic or clinical work. He is currently the PI of a $600K JDRF grant entitled “Improving prediction of T1D risk by establishing a self-administered CGM-based technology and whole genome-based polygenic risk scores in diverse populations.” This effort continues his prior NIH-funded work (e.g., R21EB018052 and R01DK082805) on modeling the glucagon network regulation in health and diabetes and on understanding the pathophysiology of pre-type 1 diabetes (DP3DK106907). In 2024, Dr. Farhy was selected to receive pilot funding from the Division of Endocrinology Pilot Project Research Funding for his proposal “Novel self-administered CGM test technology for assessing the impairment of metabolic parameters associated with T1D risk: a machine learning approach”. He also published three peer-reviewed manuscripts [1, 2, 3] on predicting the T1D immunological risk from Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) data and filed one patent application [4]. Dr. Farhy is also a member of the UVA Center for Diabetes Technology (CDT), where he works on mathematical models of the glucose metabolism machine learning methods for data analysis associated with diabetes.
Heather Ferris, MD PhD was promoted to Associate Professor, is a basic scientist whose interest concerns brain insulin and IGF-1 action and the interactions among diabetes, cholesterol, and Alzheimer’s disease. Her 2024 research was supported by an NIH R01 grant (Ferris PI – “Mevalonate Pathway Regulation of Astrocyte ApoE”), an Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund award from the state of Virginia, and a Transformative Neuroscience Grant from the Brain Institute. She was also a co-investigator for two NIH R01 grants. Clinically, Dr. Ferris is a general endocrinologist interested in diabetes in older patients. She serves the division as our Endocrinology Grand Rounds Course Director.
Erica Giraldi, MD joined us from Emory University School of Medicine, where she was assistant professor of medicine and the co-director of the Emory Pituitary Center. She completed her medical school at Case Western Reserve University, internal medicine residency at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and endocrinology fellowship at Emory University. Her clinical and research interests include pituitary diseases, focusing on acromegaly and Cushing’s disease. Dr. Giraldi will be the Medical Director of the University of Virginia Pituitary Center. Her clinical practice and research focus on pituitary disorders and general endocrinology patients.
Daniel Haisenleder, PhD is a reproductive neuroendocrinologist with a long history of crucial basic science research on regulating gonadotropin synthesis. Dr. Haisenleder is the director of the Ligand Assay and Analysis Core Laboratory in the Center for Research in Reproduction, a busy research laboratory supported by NIH R24 HD102061. This role includes the development and refinement of hormone assays. Recently, Dr. Haisenleder co-authored manuscripts validating a multiple-marker test panel for early pregnancy outcome prediction, as well as the NIH-supported FIT-PLESE Project, a large multicenter randomized trial to compare the effects of two preconception lifestyle interventions in infertile women with obesity. Dr. Haisenleder continues to serve as a UVA Animal Care and Use Committee member and an External Advisory Board Member for the Wisconsin National Primate Center.
Gregory Hong, MD PhD is a general endocrinologist interested in neuroendocrinology and pituitary disease: he is an integral part of our multidisciplinary pituitary program. In addition to being a highly skilled clinician, Dr. Hong is an outstanding educator and continues to do an exceptional job as our fellowship program director. Dr. Hong is one of five preceptors in our endocrinology fellows’ continuity clinic and chairs our Clinical Competency and Program Effectiveness Committees. Nationally, Dr. Hong serves as the Secretary for the Association of Program Directors in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (APDEM). He is also chair of the Fellowship Recruitment Committee, which oversees national recruitment policies for endocrinology fellowships. He is also a member of the Endocrine Society’s Clinical Endocrine Education Committee, where he chairs the Endocrine Educators Forum working group.
William (Ben) Horton, MD is an Assistant Professor investigating the effects of glucometabolic therapies on oxidative stress, inflammation, and myocardial microvascular function in people with type 1 diabetes. Dr. Horton also pursues clinical research related to heart failure in patients with type 1 diabetes. His work is currently supported by an American Heart Association career-development grant (project entitled “A Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Glycemic Variability and Improving Cardiovascular Health in Type 1 Diabetes”) and a large strategic research agreement with Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) entitled “Reducing Glycemic Variability to Improve Cardiovascular Health in Type 1 Diabetes.” Clinically, Dr. Horton is a general endocrinologist interested in cardiovascular diabetology. In addition to staffing inpatient consults, Dr. Horton serves the division (and Virginians) by staffing our clinic at Zions Crossroads. He also became the Associate Program Director for our Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Fellowship Training Program in December 2023.
Suzanne Jan de Beur, MD, is a professor whose clinical and research work focuses on understanding rare and metabolic bone diseases at the basic level and translating these observations to the bedside. Her work has led to significant new treatments for X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), tumor-induced osteomalacia, and osteogenesis imperfecta. She is an internationally recognized expert in osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. She has contributed to recently published guidelines and position statements that guide clinicians in caring for patients with osteoporosis and XLH. Dr. Jan de Beur was awarded the prestigious Gerald D. Aurbach, MD, Professor in Endocrinology and selected as the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Fellow. Clinically, Dr. Jan de Beur is a metabolic bone disease specialist who sees osteoporosis patients in the UVA Midlife Center.
Susanna Keller, MD is a basic research scientist whose areas of research interest include insulin signaling and action, the regulation of nutrient metabolism and energy homeostasis, and metabolic disease-associated cardiovascular complications. She is the Principal Investigator on NIH R01 HL128189 and a Co-Investigator on several grants (NIH R01 HL155165; NIH R01 HL166161; NIH R01 DK136126). Dr. Keller recently published a peer-reviewed manuscript on the importance of genetic background in the metabolic response to diet. Dr. Keller also serves as the vice chair for the UVA Animal Care and Use Committee and is a valuable contributor to several SOM educational efforts.
Jennifer Kirby, MD PhD is a general endocrinologist interested in diabetes and obesity. In addition to staffing inpatient consults and seeing outpatients at our main endocrinology clinic, Dr. Kirby served the division (and Virginians) by staffing clinics in Fishersville. Dr. Kirby is our division’s Associate Chief for Clinical Affairs, the Medical Lead for our Endocrinology and Metabolism clinic, the Director of our Cardiovascular Diabetes Consult Service, and the Co-Medical Lead for Inpatient Glycemic Management. These activities and awards highlight Dr. Kirby’s clinical and leadership skills and sempiternal devotion to her patients and colleagues. Dr. Kirby is also an outstanding educator and mentor.
Zhenqi Liu, MD is a clinician-investigator whose primary interests relate to regulating insulin action in the vasculature and the cardiovascular complications of diabetes. Dr. Liu’s 2024 research was supported by R01 DK125330 (PI Liu – “Effects of Exercise and GLP-1R Agonism on Muscle Microvascular Perfusion and Insulin Action”), R01 DK124344 (Co-PI Liu – “Role of Microvascular Insulin Resistance and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Diabetes”) and a LaunchPad grant (Targeting endothelial AMPK and Nrf2 to attenuate microvascular insulin resistance and improve muscle function in diabetes). Dr. Liu was an essential Co-Investigator for an additional R01 (HL129510) and served as program director of the NIH training grant in neuroendocrinology and metabolism (2T32DK007646) and the primary mentor for a K23 award (DK131327). In 2024, Dr. Liu published eight peer-reviewed manuscripts; he served on the Endocrine Society and American Diabetes Association committees (described elsewhere in this newsletter), as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Endocrine Society, and as a Chair of the Nutrition Science and Metabolism interest group of the American Diabetes Association. Clinically, Dr. Liu is a general endocrinologist interested in diabetes and thyroid diseases.
Kaitlin Love, MD is a clinical researcher and endocrinologist investigating microvascular dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in type 1 diabetes and response to GLP-1-receptor agonism and exercise treatment. Her clinical focus is diabetes and obesity management. She is PI for an ongoing NIH K23 career-development grant (project entitled “Therapeutic Strategies for Microvascular Dysfunction in Type 1 Diabetes”). In 2024, she was also awarded internal pilot funding for the project “Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Agonism and Obesity-Associated Chronic Kidney Disease.” She published two peer-reviewed manuscripts as first/senior author, including one in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM), which received editorial commentary, and Clinical Diabetes. She was the senior investigator for a poster presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in June 2024. She was recently first author of a commentary on the QWINT-5 study, reporting the outcomes of once-weekly insulin efsitora, in The Lancet. She was invited to serve on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Outside of research accomplishments, she was recognized with the Department of Medicine’s Excellence in Clinical Medicine Award in 2024.
Ralf Nass, MD is an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology. He is a biomathematician with background and expertise in systems endocrinology and studies synergizing bio-mathematical modeling with basic or clinical work. He is currently the PI of a $600K JDRF grant entitled “Improving prediction of T1D risk by establishing a self-administered CGM-based technology and whole genome-based polygenic risk scores in diverse populations.” This effort continues his prior NIH-funded work (e.g., R21EB018052 and R01DK082805) on modeling the glucagon network regulation in health and diabetes and on understanding the pathophysiology of pre-type 1 diabetes (DP3DK106907). In 2024, Dr. Farhy was selected to receive pilot funding from the Division of Endocrinology Pilot Project Research Funding for his proposal “Novel self-administered CGM test technology for assessing the impairment of metabolic parameters associated with T1D risk: a machine learning approach”. He also published three peer-reviewed manuscripts [1, 2, 3] on predicting the T1D immunological risk from Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) data and filed one patent application [4]. Dr. Farhy is also a member of the UVA Center for Diabetes Technology (CDT), where he works on mathematical models of the glucose metabolism machine learning methods for data analysis associated with diabetes.
Lisette Rodriguez, MD Dr. Rodriguez attended medical school at Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and her IM residency at Florida State University. She joins us from our own UVA Endocrinology and Metabolism Fellowship program. She is well known for her excellence in many domains, including clinical care, medical knowledge, and compassion for her patients. Her clinical interests include endocrine complications of cancer and cancer treatment. Dr. Rodriguez will anchor UVA Endocrinology at Zions Cross Roads, seeing general endocrinology patients.
Helmy Siragy, MD is a clinician-scientist whose primary interests relate to the endocrine/paracrine control of blood pressure and renal function. In 2023, he spoke at the European Society of Hypertension in Athens, Greece; the University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; and the Egyptian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Atherosclerosis, Alexandria, Egypt. In January 2024, the University of Virginia School of Medicine awarded the renewal of his en-dowed Harrison Chair of Excellence in Medical Education for the next five years. Dr. Siragy is a reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, an Endocrine Society’s International Mentor for Young Physicians, and an Editorial Board of the Nature Research Group member. Additionally, he is a guest editor for Scientific Reports (Nature publication) on the Cardio-renal axis and guest editor for the International Journal of Molecular Sciences on the Renin-Angiotensin System in Health and Disease. In collaboration with Michigan University and Harvard Medical School, his research team studies novel biomarkers for diagnosing primary aldosterone.
Richard Santen, MD Emeritus Professor of Medicine, is organizing a program to enlist retired endocrinologists to care for patients with diabetes mellitus in rural, underserved areas via telemedicine. The program involves the US’s 1400 Federally Qualified Health Centers, which receive $5.7 billion in federal support. Over the past six years, he has been caring for patients at the Tri-Area Clinics in Laurel Fork and Floyd, Virginia, and has established a template that facilitates the process. The level of glucose control in the patients seen has improved substantially. Patients are returned to the care of their primary care physicians when they are well-versed in self-management, usually after less than six months. The plan is to enlist 20 retired endocrinologists nationally to participate in the program. A navigator has been identified to assist in the startup process. The theme of the project is “practicing medicine without the hassles.” Details of the program are available on the website and can be accessed via this URL: https://rural-diabetes-telemedicine.com/
Meaghan Stumpf, MD was promoted to associate professor and is a general endocrinologist specializing in diabetes and transplant endocrinology. Dr. Stumpf is the director of our Transplant Endocrinology Program, which treats endocrine pathologies in recipients of solid organ transplants. She also uses diabetes technologies such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. She enjoys a strong partnership with UVA’s Charles O. Strickler Transplant Center and aims to continue growing endocrine services for this patient population. In 2024, Dr. Stumpf was honored with a Patient Experience Award for the fifth year. Dr. Stumpf is the Communications Director for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) interest group on Immunology and Transplantation, and she is a member of several American Society of Transplantation (AST) ‘s community of practice work groups focused on kidney, pancreas, and islet transplantation. Dr. Stumpf also serves as a preceptor for the Endocrinology fellows’ clinic and attends the general endocrinology inpatient service.
CLINICAL
Several faculty members were honored with Patient Experience Awards in 2024
William “Ben” Horton MD and Helmy Siragy MD – Zion Crossroads Endocrine Clinic
Meg Crook MD and Katie Love MD – Pantops Endocrine Clinic
Meaghan Stumpf MD – Endocrine Transplant Clinic
Several faculty members were honored with Department of Medicine Awards for their excellence.
Silas Culver MD was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the research mission with the Department of Medicine Excellence in Research Award.
William “Ben” Horton MD was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the educational mission with the Department of Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award.
Zhenqi Liu MD was recognized for his outstanding contribution to mentoring with Department of Medicine Excellence in Mentorship Award.
Katie Love MD was recognized for her outstanding contribution to the clinical mission with the Department of Medicine Excellence in Clinical Care Award.
William (Ben) Horton MD received the 2024 Virginia ACP Chapter Outpatient Subspecialty Teaching Award.
Jennifer Kirby MD PhD was recognized for her scholarship, mentorship, empathy, and trailblazing spirit with the Diane Snustad, MD Award. This prestigious award, named after Dr. Diane Snustad, recognizes exceptional female faculty or staff within the UVA Department of Medicine who exemplify the qualities of scholarship, mentorship, empathy, and a trailblazing spirit.
Michael Thorner, MBBS Emeritus Professor and a foundational figure in the history of UVA Endocrinology and Metabolism, received the Human Growth Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. We offer our congratulations and gratitude.
Special thanks to this group and to all for the wonderful and compassionate care you provide to our patients and the honor you bring to our division.
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EDUCATION
Congratulations to Our 2024 Fellowship Graduates!
Current Fellows
2025 FELLOWSHIP UPDATE
• We received the highest-ever number of applications.
• We had an outstanding match, with all 2025 Fellows ranked in the top 1/3 of our list.
• 2025 Fellowship class 66% female and 33% underrepresented in medicine. – Photos # 7;8 & 9
• Dr. Jonathan Ambut – University of Miami-FL (second-year clinical fellow)
• Dr. Jennifer Poncelet – Case Western University – OH (second-year clinical fellow)
• Dr. Zhaoyang (Vill) Wen – UCSF-CA (3y research fellow)
Medical School Engagement Program The Endocrine Society has chosen the University of Virginia as one of only ten medical schools to receive funding to enhance engagement with medical students, aiming to attract more individuals to the specialty. Two students from the group will be chosen to attend the Endocrine Society’s 2025 Meeting in San Francisco next July. We have been delighted by the robust and enthusiastic turnout for our fall programs. These included dinner and faculty engagement discussing ‘Why Endocrinology?’ and ‘Academic v. Private Practice Opportunities’. We have also created a Near-Peer group so students can meet informally with our fellows to explore career options. Spring programs will cover hot topics such as ‘The Use of Technology in Endocrinology’ and ‘Hormone Administration, Public Policy and the Law.’ Since any interest by students must be maintained throughout residency, we plan to connect graduating students with Endocrinology Fellowship program directors at their matched institutions. The group is being co-led by Drs. Layal Esper and Susan Kirk.
FOND FAREWELLS
Dr. Mary Lee Vance
Mary Lee Vance MD, retired from the Division of Endocrinology in September 2024. Throughout her 41-year tenure at the University of Virginia, Dr. Vance has exhibited unwavering dedication to the University of Virginia School of Medicine and consistently displayed exceptional proficiency in research, clinical practice, education, and mentorship. She has substantially contributed to the School of Medicine and the University’s research endeavors.
Dr. Vance joined the University of Virginia in 1980 as a Fellow in the Endocrinology & Metabolism Fellowship program. After completing her fellowship, Dr. Vance assumed the role of research assistant professor at UVA. She spent her entire career at UVA, achieving the rank of professor without term in 1994. In her distinguished career at UVA, she has been elected to AOA and is a member of the oldest and most prestigious honorary society at UVA, the Raven Society.
Early in her career, in groundbreaking work, she studied the effects of a newly discovered hypothalamic hormone, growth hormone-releasing hormone, on regulating growth hormone secretion in normal and adolescent subjects. She continued and expanded her studies to experimental treatments for patients with various pituitary disorders, acromegaly, prolactinomas, Cushing’s, and hypogonadism in men, which have gained FDA approval and are now standard-of-care treatments. Her paradigm-shifting work has resulted in 179 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals, numerous invited articles, and book chapters.
Dr. Vance has excelled in research and served the University and its faculty in several capacities. She was the associate director of the General Clinical Research Center, which provided valuable clinical research resources to the entire academic community. Dr. Vance served on the Faculty Senate to advocate for the faculty and move important initiatives forward. As a member of the School of Medicine Admissions Committee, she attracted and selected the best and brightest students for UVA.
Dr. Vance has been a female role model for generations of trainees in medicine and endocrinology. She mentored and garnered financial support for three Pituitary fellows who extended their endocrinology fellowship for another year to concentrate on pituitary disorders. She has hosted and inspired dozens of medical students, medical residents, neurology residents, and endocrinology fellows in her clinic for over four decades.
Dr. Vance has been the face of the nationally-recognized Multidisciplinary Pituitary Tumor Clinic since 1992, creating a care model that facilitated remarkable patient innovation and advancement. Because of Dr. Vance, patients travel from across the country and the world to receive treatment for pituitary disorders at UVA. Not surprisingly, Dr. Vance has achieved the distinction of America’s Top Doctors for numerous years.
Dr. Vance has garnered international acclaim for her work; she received the highest honor bestowed by the Pituitary Society, the Lifetime Achievement Award. She has served in national organizations at the highest level, including as the president of the Pituitary Society and executive director of the Pituitary Society.
Dr. Vance’s tenure as a faculty member at the University of Virginia over the past 41 years has been marked by remarkable achievements. Dr. Vance’s lifetime of work and notoriety has elevated the University of Virginia’s Endocrinology and Metabolism name.
We thank Dr. Vance for her contributions to the Division of Endocrinology, the Department of Medicine, and the School of Medicine as an exceptional clinician, educator, and mentor. We wish her a fulfilling, gratifying, and engaging next chapter.
Nancy Howell
Nancy started working in Endocrinology with Dr. Carey when he obtained his first NIH grant in 1983. She stayed in the Carey laboratory until his retirement at the end of 2023. In the last year, before Nancy retired at the end of 2024, she continued her work under Dr. Keller. During the 41 years at the University of Virginia, Nancy witnessed the expansion of the School of Medicine. She started working in the Old Schuyler building when the only buildings were the Old Hospital and Medical School. Eventually, the laboratory moved into the then-new Jordan Hall, built when Dr. Carey was dean of the Medical School. The last move was 2002 to the then-new Aurbach Building at Fontaine Research Park.
The work in the Carey laboratory focused on the role of the kidney in developing hypertension through regulating sodium excretion. The Carey laboratory pioneered new methodologies to isolate in vivo responses of agents in the kidney (without affecting the rest of the body) that remain unique in the field. This work would not have been possible without Nancy’s outstanding surgical skills in animals, her adept microsurgeries (cannulating small vessels and the kidney cortex in mice and rats), and performing renal interstitial infusions into kidneys. She first worked with dogs as an animal model, which was hard for her as Nancy is an animal lover. It became more manageable when the group switched to rats and mice as research models. Nancy attributes her loyalty to the Carey laboratory to Dr. Carey’s compassionate leadership style. He was a leader who understood the human element behind all research, did not get upset because of failure, but looked for better answers and moved forward with an open mind. Also, the laboratory was constantly changing and evolving, with new team members coming and going. Nancy could use her skills in interesting collaborations with others, including Drs. Siragy, Keller, and Culver. Nancy’s outstanding work earned her co-authorship on numerous publications from Dr. Carey’s laboratory and collaborating groups.
Nancy is liked by everyone for her unwavering dedication and persistence, hard work, and exceptional expertise, as well as for being kind, thoughtful, and generous, always willing to lend a hand and offer support. She took things into her own hands and got them done, conquering all the difficulties. Working with her has been an absolute pleasure; we will sorely miss her!
Additional Divisional Updates
Dr. Christine Eagleson MD, gave a talk on “Gender Diverse Care of the Bariatric Patient” for the Virginia Bariatric Society Annual Conference at the Boar’s Head Resort.
Dr. Heather Ferris MD PhD, received new grants.
•Guest speaker – Being Patient Podcast. “This is your brain on Ozempic” (September 3, 2024)
•“Discussant in the Know Diabetes” by Heart podcast sponsored by the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association discussing prevention of stroke in people with diabetes.
Dr. Suzanne Jan de Beur MD:
•International Task forces – Appointed to ASBMR Task Force on Denosumab Discontinuation
•Appointed to an International Working Group to develop Clinical Practice Guidelines for X linked Hypophosphatemia Management in Adults and Children
National or international lectures
•University of Chicago Endocrinology Grand Rounds, “Tumor Induced Osteomalacia: Bench to Bedside Boomerang,”
•Brown University, Endocrinology and Metabolism Grand Rounds, “Tumor Induced Osteomalacia: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment”
•Faculty, Calcium Metabolism and Osteoporosis Program (CaMOP), American University Beirut, Lebanon, “Anabolic Therapies and Romozosumab: Where Does it fit in OP Care Pathways?”
•Featured Expert. DDx Podcast, “X-linked Hypophosphatemia”
Dr. Zhenqi Liu MD attended several talks as an invited lecturer in 2024.
•The Houston Methodist Hospital / Houston Methodist Academic Institute lecture. February 27, 2024. Houston, TX. “Muscle insulin action and resistance: The microvascular connection.”
•19th Xiangya International Diabetes Immunology Forum plenary lecture. April 21, 2024. Changsha, PR China. “2024 ADA Standards of Care and Precision Diabetes Care”
•University of Alabama at Birmingham Endocrine Grand Rounds. April 25, 2024. Virtual. “Insulin action and resistance: The microvasculature comes of age.”
•University of Texas Health San Antonio Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy lecture. November 5, 2024. San Antonio, Texas. “Unraveling the cause of muscle insulin resistance – role of the microvasculature.”
•Symposium lecture at the 26th Chinese Diabetes Society Scientific Meeting. November 14, 2024. Nanjing, PR China. “GLP-1 and microvascular insulin sensitivity: Implication for diabetes prevention and management.”
•Plenary lecture at the 11th Chinese National Congress of Microcirculation. November 16, 2024. Shanghai, PR China. “Microvascular insulin resistance and cardiorespiratory fitness in diabetes.”
EVENTS
CONFERENCES
2024 ENDO Conference
•Dr. Silas Culver, MD presented an abstract at ENDO 2024
2024 American Diabetes Association Conference
• Dr. Heather Ferris, MD, PhD, Session/Oral Chair during ADA – Professional Interest Group Discussion on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease—Obesity and Diabetes—Innovative Research to Inform Clinical
• Jia Liu ADA presentation – Session: Actions of incretins in the brain and beyond Title: GIP acutely blunts insulin- and GLP-1-induced muscle microvascular perfusion
• Dr. Helmy Siragy, MD – Session/Oral Chair during ADA 84th Scientific sessions (6/21-6/24) Session Title: Emerging Molecular Mechanisms of ASCVD Progression in Cardiometabolic Disease (With Edwin Bierman Award Lecture)
• Dr. Meaghan Stumpf, MD Moderator during ADAsession Professional Interest Group Discussion on Immunology/Beta-Cell Replacement— Beta-Cell Stressors, Autoantigen Targets, and How this Provokes Immune Attack
CELEBRATIONS
Welcome Event for Faculty and Fellows
Holiday Party
The holiday season was filled with laughter and good times. A holiday party at Boars Head was lovely; having the whole team together was wonderful.
LIFE EVENTS
The holiday season was filled with laughter and good times. A holiday party at Boars Head was lovely; having the whole team together was wonderful.
Read full February edition of Medicine Matters
Filed Under: Basic Research, Clinical Research, Education, In the Know, News and Notes, Notable Achievements, Publications, Research
Tags: Awards, DOM, Education, Endocrinology, faculty, February 2025, February 2025 Medicine Matters, fellows, medicine matters, profile, profiles, Publications, Research, Residents, staff