Education
- PhD, Uppsala University, Sweden
Research Interests
A professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Henry Dong, PhD, focuses on studies of the molecular basis of beta-cell compensation, an adaptive mechanism by which pancreatic beta cells increase insulin secretion to overcome insulin resistance for maintaining glucose homeostasis in obesity. Beta cell compensation is manifested by beta cell mass expansion, increased insulin synthesis, and enhanced glucose sensing. Failure of beta cells to compensate for insulin resistance results in insulin insufficiency, contributing to overt diabetes.
Dr. Dong’s research team is positioned to identify how beta cells compensate for insulin resistance in obesity and what causes beta cell failure in type 2 diabetes through examining genetic factors responsible for integrating beta-cell compensation with over nutrition in animal models of obesity. His lab is funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health and American Diabetic Association.
View Dr. Dong’s full list of publications from PubMed.
