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Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has appointed Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., as director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), effective April 1, 2007. Dr. Rodgers served as Acting Director from March 2006 and as Deputy Director from January 2001 until his appointment to Director. Dr. Rodgers also serves as chief of NIDDK 's Clinical and Molecular Hematology Branch, which he has headed since 1998. Dr. Rodgers received his undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees from Brown University in Providence , R.I. He performed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis . His fellowship training in hematology/oncology was in a joint program of the NIH with George Washington University and the Washington Veterans Administration Medical Center . In addition to his medical and research training, he earned a master's degree in business administration, with a focus on the business of medicine, from Johns Hopkins University in 2005.

As a research investigator, Dr. Rodgers is widely recognized for his contributions to the development of the first effective - and now FDA approved - therapy for sickle cell anemia. He was a principal investigator in clinical trials to develop therapy for patients with sickle cell disease and also performed basic research that focused on understanding the molecular basis of how certain drugs induce gamma-globin gene expression. He was honored for his research with numerous awards including the 1998 Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, the 2000 Arthur S. Fleming Award, the Legacy of Leadership Award in 2002 and a Mastership from the American College of Physicians in 2005.

Dr. Rodgers has been an invited professor at medical schools and hospitals in France , Italy , China , Japan , and Korea . He has been honored with many named lectureships at American medical centers and has published over 150 original research articles, reviews, and book chapters and has edited four books and monographs.

Dr. Rodgers served as Governor to the American College of Physicians for the Department of Health and Human Services from 1994 to 1997. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology , the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians, among others. He is the chair of the Hematology Subspecialty Board and is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Board of Directors. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, in Emergency Medicine and in Hematology.

The NIH Record

Press Releases

Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., Named Director of NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

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