Dr. Kamal Rahmouni, an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, was awarded an FOE Diabetes Research Center Faculty Scholar grant. Dr. Rahmouni, is a research scientist whose research interest seeks to elucidate the fundamental biological events that control metabolism and cardiovascular function in health and disease. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He received his PhD in Molecular Pharmacology in 2000 from the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. He then joined the University of Iowa for post-doctoral training in molecular neurobiology and was subsequently recruited to the faculty of the Carver College of Medicine. The research performed in his laboratory, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, has led to several breakthroughs including the identification of  biochemical pathways in the brain that control body weight and blood pressure. These studies are significant in understanding why  individuals with type 2 diabetes are likely to also have high blood pressure.  Dr. Rahmouni is actively involved with the FOEDRC in various ways including active mentorship of junior colleagues including input into grant preparations and submissions.  His laboratory has served as a resource to the research community at the University of Iowa and beyond, by providing scientific expertise in the area of the brain control of metabolic function. In addition, he is actively involved in training the next generation of scientists interested in diabetes and related disorders. 

Dr. Rahmouni’s Diabetes Research Scholar award will be used tofurther his research program that focuses on his recent discovery of the mechanisms that lead to obesity and diabetes in people born with certain genetic disorders. His work identified new proteins that are required for insulin to properly regulate glucose. To study why and how precisely these new proteins are needed for insulin to control glucose metabolism, his laboratory has pioneered unique methods which will fill the gaps in our knowledge of how defects in these proteins may interfere with insulin action. These studies will provide new insights into why certain individuals develop diabetes or its complications and may lead to new ways to treat or prevent diabetes.