Chevy Chase, MD, June 14, 2008 - The Endocrine Society is pleased to announce that John C. Marshall, MD, PhD, is the 2008 recipient of its Clinical Investigator Award Lecture. This award is presented annually to an internationally recognized clinical investigator who has contributed significantly to the pathogenesis, pathophysiology and therapy of endocrine diseases. The award will be presented to Dr. Marshall at ENDO 08, the 90th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society, which will take place from June 15-18, 2008, in San Francisco, California.

John C. Marshall has made seminal scientific contributions that have resulted in quantum advances in our understanding of reproductive biology. In the dawn of a new discovery of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), he was able define the mechanisms by which this peptide was able to regulate gonadotropin secretion in humans, in vivo and at a molecular level. For the first time in humans, he showed that a fixed pattern of pusatile GnRH release could produce a differential pattern of Luteinizing and Follicle Stimulating Hormone release due to changes in pituitary sensitivity. His work continued to define the contributions of sex hormone feedback to the regulation of gonadotropin secretion in men as well as women, studies that suggested a key role for endogenous opiates as mediators of sex hormone feedback. Dr. Marshall was able to provide a cogent model for human puberty initiated solely by changes in GnRH pulsatility, a finding that was not only a major milestone in neuroendocrinology, but also the provider of an important molecular mechanism for pulsatile hormone action. Moreover, he has elucidated the intracellular signaling pathways mediating these GnRH actions.

Most recently his studies of polycystic ovary syndrome have led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of the etiology of the disorder. His findings suggest that androgens play a primary, developmental role of in the pathogenesis of the disorder’s characteristic gonadotropin secretory defects. Dr. John C. Marshall is the quitessential clinical investigator who has truly translated physiologic observations into powerful mechanistic insights through complementary human and basic studies.

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Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.