Metabolic Syndrome

Rexford S. Ahima is a Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Diabetes, and director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Johns Hopkins University. He received his medical degree from the University of Ghana, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He did his internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at the Jacobi Medical Center and Weiler Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, New York, and clinical and research fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Ahima has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians, American College of Physicians, Interurban ClinicalClub, and the Obesity Society. He is a former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and associate editor of Gastroenterology, Molecular Endocrinology, and Endocrine Reviews.  Dr. Ahima has served on various committees of the National Institutes of Health, the Endocrine Society, and other health and scholarly organizations. His research is focused on central and peripheral regulation of energy homeostasis and the pathophysiology of obesity, diabetes and related diseases. He is board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and is the leader of the Johns Hopkins Diabetes Initiative.

• Part I. Epidemiology.- Overview of metabolic syndrome.- Obesity in the United States.- Obesity in Latin America.- Obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa.- Obesity in Middle East.- Obesity in South Asia.- Obesity in East Asia.- Part II. Genetic Factors.- Evolution of obesity.- Genetics of obesity.- Genetics of type 2 diabetes.- Genetics of lipid disorders.- Genetics of cardiovascular risk in obesity.- Part III. Environmental Factors.- Fetal metabolic programming.- Childhood environment and obesity.- Diet and obesity.- The built environment and obesity.- Community networks and obesity.- Part IV. Pathophysiology.- Principles of energy homeostasis.- Carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism in obesity.- Brain regulation of feeding and metabolism.- Adipose structure (white, brown, beige).- Adipokines and Metabolism.- Gut hormones and obesity.- Gut microbiome, obesity and metabolic syndrome.- Pancreatic islet adaptation and failure in obesity.- Insulin resistance in obesity.- Linking inflammation, obesity and metabolic syndrome.- Dyslipidemia in obesity.- Myokines and metabolism.- Circadian rhythms and metabolism.- Sleep disruption and obesity.- Intermittent fasting and time restricted eating.- Part V. Diseases Associated with Obesity.- Body composition assessment.- Type 2 diabetes: etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment.- Obesity and cardiac disease.- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.- Metabolic syndrome, GERD, Barrett’s esophagus.- Sarcopenic obesity.- Obstructive sleep apnea and other respiratory diseases in obesity.- Reproductive disorders in obesity.- Obesity, metabolic dysfunction and dementia.- Linking obesity, metabolism and cancer.- Endocrine disorders associated with obesity.- Kidney disease in obesity and metabolic syndrome.- Part VI. Prevention and Treatment.- Diet, exercise and behavior therapy.- Pharmacotherapy of obesity and metabolic syndrome.- Bariatric surgery.- Prevention and treatment of childhood obesity and metabolic syndrome.- Global,national and community obesity prevention programs.