Alan R. Shuldiner, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Head, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Alan Shuldiner received his B.A. in Chemistry from Lafayette College, and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School.  He completed his residency in Medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York and a Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes Branch, at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Shuldiner studies the genetics of complex disorders including type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and longevity. Identification of susceptibility genes for these disorders and traits will provide novel avenues for therapy and prevention. He utilizes both candidate gene and genome-wide approaches, in which a multidisciplinary team consisting of clinical investigators, molecular geneticists, cell biologists, genetic epidemiologists and statistical geneticists work together. His research has led to the identification of genetic variants in the beta-3-adrenergic receptor and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), which are susceptibility genes for obesity and/or type 2 diabetes, as well as other gene variants.

In addition, he has localized several chromosomal regions that are likely to harbor genes for diabetes (chromosomes 1q21-q24, 14q11, 15q, and 18p11), obesity and eating behavior (chromosomes 3, 6, and 7), and hypertension (chromosome 2q31-q34). Collaborations with investigators throughout the world provide access to thousands of DNA samples from diverse populations. In addition, in his Amish Research Clinic in Strasburg, PA, Dr. Shuldiner has recruited and studied over 3,000 Old Order Amish subjects for a genome-wide linkage analysis and positional cloning of susceptibility genes for complex diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, hypertension and longevity, as well as to dissect gene-environment interactions in shaping the risk of cardiovascular disease.