The Endocrine Society’s 2011 Laureate Award winners are:

• Martin Myers, MD, PhD – Ernst Oppenheimer Award. This annual award is presented to young investigators in recognition of accomplishments in the field of basic or clinical endocrinology. Myers’ work has focused on revealing the mechanisms of leptin and his most recent research includes devising a new set of molecular genetic tools to explore the network of neurons that mediate leptin action, including a set that regulates neuroendocrine reproductive function. Myers is an associate professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
  
• Pierre Chambon, MD – Fred Conrad Koch Award. This annual award recognizes exceptional contributions to endocrinology and includes a $25,000 honorarium. Chambon’s achievements in the field of nuclear receptors, notably of steroid and retinoid receptors, have paved the way to a molecular understanding of fundamental processes such as embryonic development, cell differentiation, reproduction, behavior, homeostatic control of metabolism as well as some of their pathological disorders. Chambon is director emeritus of the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire in France.
  
• David Ron, MD – Edwin B. Astwood Award Lecture. This annual award recognizes outstanding research in endocrinology. Ron’s research, which explores the association of the protein folding environment in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) with metabolic and endocrine disorders, has led to landmark discoveries in the fields of molecular pathophysiology and cell biology. Ron is currently the Julius Raynes Professor at NYU School of Medicine.
• William F. Young, MD – Distinguished Physician Award. This annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to the practice of clinical endocrinology. Young’s clinical research focuses on primary aldosteronism and pheochromocytoma and he has published more than 225 articles on endocrine hypertension and adrenal and pituitary disorders. Young is a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
  
• Tracy Bale, PhD – Richard E. Weitzman Memorial Award. This annual award recognizes an exceptionally promising young clinical or basic investigator. In her work on stress pathways in disease, Bale has utilized innovative and exciting approaches that differentiate her work from others in their design and applicability to human disease. Bale is an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania.
  
• Derek LeRoith, MD, PhD – Gerald D. Aurbach Award Lecture. This annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to research in endocrinology. LeRoith is widely recognized for his research on the roles of IGF-1 and insulin and their family of receptors. His recent work has helped explain the heightened susceptibility to a wide range of cancers in individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes. LeRoith is chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Bone Disease at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York.
  
• Andrew Hattersley, MD – Clinical Investigator Award Lecture. This annual award honors an internationally recognized clinical investigator who has contributed significantly to the pathogenesis, pathophysiology and therapy of endocrine diseases. Hattersley is known for his contributions to the understanding of the genetics of diabetes and the application of that knowledge to clinical practice. He uses the accidents of nature that cause monogenic diabetes to understand the critical role of the gene product in man and his scientific discoveries are rapidly and effectively translated into improvements in clinical care. Hattersley is a professor of molecular medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, U.K.
  
• Paolo Sassone-Corsi, PhD – Roy O. Greep Award Lecture. This annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to research in endocrinology. Sassone-Corsi is a leader in the field of gene expression and a pioneer in uncovering how signaling pathways control CNS transcription. His work has greatly contributed to the field of circadian rhythms and he recently discovered how epigenetic regulation governs the circadian clock, linking metabolism to chromatin remodeling. Sassone-Corsi is a distinguished professor at the University of California, Irvine.
  
• Ora Pescovitz, MD – Robert H. Williams Distinguished Leadership Award. This annual award recognizes outstanding leadership in fundamental or clinical endocrinology. Pescovitz is a multi-faceted and versatile leader in pediatric endocrinology, medical education and administrative medicine. She has a notable record of mentoring medical students and residents, and in 2009 she was selected as one of the top 25 women in health care nationally by Modern Health Care. Pescovitz is chief executive officer of the University of Michigan Health Systems.
  
• Susan Mandel, MD – Distinguished Educator Award. This annual award recognizes exceptional achievement as an educator in the discipline of endocrinology and metabolism. Mandel is an internationally acknowledged expert on thyroid disease who has changed the way endocrinologists approach thyroid nodules and cancer. Her work has been critically important to the education of endocrinologists in the use of thyroid ultrasound for diagnosis of the nature of thyroid nodules and detection of recurrent or residual thyroid cancer. Mandel is professor of medicine and radiology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  
• John H. Nilson, PhD – Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes distinguished service in the field of endocrinology. Nilson has given exceptionally high quality service and devoted considerable time to The Endocrine Society and to the broader community of basic scientists in endocrinology. He has served as Endocrine Society Vice-President for Basic Science, editor-in-chief of Molecular Endocrinology, and as a member of the Publications Committee and Endocrine Reviews Editorial Board. He has also taught short courses in endocrinology at colleges with significant enrollment of under-represented minorities and conducted workshops on publication ethics and scientific writing. Nilson is Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor at Washington State University.