VCU researcher recognized for work

By Erin Lucero
Office of Development, School of Medicine

Maria Iuorno, M.D., a researcher and instructor with the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Virginia Commonwealth University, was recognized as Virginia’s leading young investigator of 1999 by the Virginia chapter of the American Diabetes Association. Her work in the field of diabetes earned her distinction as the winner of the Sandra Tate Russell Memorial Research Award.

Iuorno’s research focuses largely on the phenomenon of insulin-sensitivity. She currently is investigating both the effectiveness of combination insulin-sensitizing drugs in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the possibility of insulin resistance serving as an independent risk factor for the development of breast cancer.

"Dr. Iuorno promises to become a highly successful and independent clinical researcher," said John Nestler, M.D., chairman of VCU’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. "Her accomplishments, talents and dedication make her exactly the type of individual for whom the Young Investigator Award was designed."

At a lunch reception in Charlottesville on Sept. 11, Iuorno accepted the award and a financial prize that will support her research.

The Virginia ADA bestows the Sandra Tate Russell Memorial Research Award in memory of the young woman who passed away from complications of diabetes.