by Brooke Bunch

Neil Aronin, M.D., professor of medicine and cell biology in the Department of Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, recently made the trek from New England to Appalachian Ohio where he met with OU-COM students, scientists, colleagues and an old friend at Ohio University.

Since 1999 Aronin has been the chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, which is responsible for clinical endocrine services in central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. The division also provides for the education of clinical fellows, medical residents and students in endocrinology and metabolism and is an important arm of the National Institutes of Health’s Training Program in Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Aronin has more than 120 publications, including recent articles in The Journal of Neuroscience, Nature Medicine and Cell.

During a three-day stay beginning Oct. 19, Aronin discussed cutting-edge medical care and recent research with students and faculty. He presented new treatment options for Huntington’s Disease to a lecture hall full of medical students and medical professionals the evening of Oct. 20.

“It was aimed for students to understand the basis for Huntington’s Disease and try to use what we know about pathogenesis to develop a treatment,” he says.

Aronin also made a clinical presentation on the heredity form of endocrine tumors to a group of students prior to his lecture on Huntington’s Disease.

“I thought the students were really engaging,” he says. “We discussed various clinical cases.”

In addition, Aronin shared his thoughts on research with the faculty at the Edison Biotechnology Institute.

He also met with Mark Weinberg, Ph.D., a childhood friend and director of the Voinovich Center, who updated him on the status of the center.

“He showed me the progress that’s been made, and it’s really quite remarkable,” Aronin says. “The whole campus is quite remarkable. The energy here is great. The scientists are real excited about their research. And I met with the dean (Jack Brose, D.O.), who also shares in the excitement of growth.”

Aronin says he was impressed with how much endocrine research is expanding at OU-COM.

Felicia Nowak, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences, says his visit was beneficial for the students.

“I think he has a lot of expertise in the field,” she says. “It’s a good opportunity for students to hear about research and think about the tools that can be applied to disease therapy.”

Frank Schwartz, M.D., director of the Diabetes/Endocrine Center and associate professor of endocrinology, says Aronin’s visit is part of a series they’re hoping to expand.

“We want leading investigators to come from all over the world as visiting professors,” Schwartz says. “They can meet with students and give them a personal interaction with a primary investigator.”

“Bringing eminent researchers like Dr. Aronin to the OU campus,” says Jack Blazyk, Ph.D., associate dean for research, “provides learning opportunities for our faculty and students in the latest developments in medicine.”

“Cultivating personal relationships with the people who influence the funding decisions at federal granting agencies like NIH and National Science Foundation is important in gaining national exposure for our faculty and programs.”