Spotlight on The Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism

Endocrinology is an ever-evolving field, and the Division of Endocrinology at LifeBridge Health (LBH) is very busy keeping up! However, with the help of the LBH Clinical Research Support Unit based in the Department of Research, this small but dynamic group now has a rapidly expanding clinical research program.

Endocrinology has a diverse and unique group of physicians, each with a keen interest in research. They have a team approach to their clinical research program, and when possible, all faculty participate as coinvestigators on each study protocol.

Henry Fein, M.D., has conducted research in the areas of obesity, diabetes, pituitary disorders and thyroid diseases, and is currently a member of LBH’s Administrative Review Board (ARB). Dr. Fein is the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Thyroid Cancer Treatment Registry, and is the PI of a study designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a new treatment for Cushing’s syndrome.

Esther Krug, M.D., directs the Sinai Hospital Center for Bone Health and has a special interest in managing osteoporosis and androgen disorders in women. Dr. Krug is currently the PI of a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of a growth hormone-inhibiting implant in patients with acromegaly (extremities enlargement), a study examining osteoporosis in women with high multiple births, and a medical record review of the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus that are referred to endocrine clinic.

Sally Pinkstaff, M.D., PhD, directs the Sinai Diabetes Program and has clinical and research interests focused on that disease. She is currently the PI of a clinical study examining exenatide, a drug that enhances insulin secretion, and may help to better regulate glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Division Director Asha Thomas, M.D., is a clinical research endocrinologist with interests in nutrition, bariatrics, preventive cardiology, lipid management, and the metabolic complications of HIV. In addition to her coinvestigator activities within the department, Dr. Thomas serves as a mentor in the Internal Medicine resident research program and serves on the LBH Institutional
Review Board (IRB).

Keep your eye on this division’s expanding research program which will enable them to offer LBH patients greater access to clinical trials that test promising new therapies for a variety of endocrinological disorders.