The Section on Endocrinology and Metabolism focuses primarily on education.  This is one of the Section’s strengths.  The Section chair, K. Patrick Ober, M.D., also serves as the associate dean for Education for the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and medical director for the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Students have recognized Dr. Ober’s commitment to excellence by selecting him for eight major teaching awards during his career at Wake Forest.

The Section’s research efforts concentrate on clinical investigations, primarily addressing diabetes mellitus, a disease affecting more than seventeen million Americans and whose numbers are escalating in white and minority populations. To this end, the Section is heavily involved in the multi-center National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigation, Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, an eight-year to identify ways to prevent heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death in adults with type two diabetes mellitus using intensive glycemic control, blood pressure control, and lipid management.

The Section maintains a comprehensive endocrinology practice with each faculty member maintaining a clinic. Diabetes education and community outreach extends to primary care physicians and to the public at large as disease management remains a major challenge with diabetes mellitus.