Two School of Medicine have been elected to become members of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Orlando Gutierrez, M.D., MMSc, is a professor in the Division of Nephrology, and Erik Roberson, M.D., is a professor in the Department of Neurology.
The ASCI is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies. It is dedicated to applying research to the treatment of human diseases, and members are committed to mentoring future generations of physician-scientists. Each year, the ASCI considers several hundred nominations and elects up to 80 new members. Because members must be 50 years of age or younger at the time of their election, membership reflects accomplishments by its members relatively early in their careers.
Using both epidemiological and patient-oriented physiological approaches, Gutierrez has concentrated his research efforts on the relationships between disturbances in mineral metabolism and clinical outcomes, focusing particularly on disorders of phosphorus and vitamin D metabolism and their associations with cardiovascular disease and mortality in kidney disease.
Roberson leads a lab at UAB that seeks to understand the neurobiology of age-related conditions affecting cognition, including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and cognitive aging, and to contribute to developing new treatments for these conditions.
Gutierrez and Roberson were officially inducted into the ASCI on April 5, at the ASCI Annual Dinner & New Member Induction Ceremony as part of the 2019 AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park.