I am pleased to announce that Ayotunde O. Dokun, MD, PhD, FACE, will become Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Dokun joins us from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center where he was an Associate Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Endocrine Service at Regional One Health. He earned his MD and PhD in Immunobiology while training in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Dr. Dokun subsequently completed his residency and fellowship in Endocrinology at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
Dr. Dokun’s research interest focuses on understanding how genetic factors and the metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes contribute to vascular diseases such as peripheral artery disease (PAD). Publications have appeared in Circulation, Circulation Research, American Journal of Physiology, Heart Circulation and Physiology, and a number of other high-impact, peer-reviewed journals. He is the recipient of the 2018 Icahn School of Medicine, Terry Ann Krulwich Physician Scientist Alumni award, the 2016 Elijah B. Saunders MD Physician of the Year Award from the National Medical Association’s (NMA), as well as the American Heart Association’s 2013 Jay D. Coffman Early Career Investigator Award. He has been the principal investigator on a number of grants, including an R01 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and has been continually funded for the better part of the last decade.
He has shown a commitment to positively shaping the future of the profession through national leadership roles exemplified by his current service on the National Clinical Care Commission (NCCC), which is tasked with providing recommendations on the coordination and leveraging of federal programs related to complex metabolic or autoimmune diseases that result from insulin-related issues. He has also served on a number of committees at the Endocrine Society including the Minority Affairs and Finance committee. Other service include chairing the Endocrine and the Internal Medicine Sections of the NMA, the oldest and largest African American physician organization. He has served as reviewer for NIH study sections and is currently a standing member of the Atherosclerosis and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System (AICS) study section. He also served on the editorial board of a number of reputable journals. Dr. Dokun is a regularly invited guest speaker around the region, nationally, and internationally. He has served as course director and as mentor to many postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate trainees.
The Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism is fortunate that Dr. Dokun will join the Department of Internal Medicine as its newest Division Director. His rigor in research, dedication to patient care and education, and leadership acumen will be tremendous additions to our team. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Ayotunde Dokun to the University of Iowa.