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Donald A. McClain, M.D., Ph.D.

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English
German

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Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, clinical expertise in Type 2 Diabetes.

Locations

Schedule An Appointment	Clinical Office Address
(801) 581-7763	Utah Diabetes Center 615 Arapeen Drive, Suite 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments	Internal Medicine - Professor Biochemistry - Adjunct Professor Pediatrics - Adjunct Professor Physical Therapy - Adjunct Professor
Academic Divisions	Endocrinology and Metabolism Pediatric Endocrinology
Board Certification	American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism)

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments	Internal Medicine - Professor Biochemistry - Adjunct Professor Pediatrics - Adjunct Professor Physical Therapy - Adjunct Professor
Academic Divisions	Endocrinology and Metabolism Pediatric Endocrinology
Board Certification	American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism)

Academic Office Locations

Academic Office Phone Number	Academic Office Address
(801) 581-6736	Eccles Health Sciences Library Center for Clinical and Translational Science 10 North 1900 East Salt Lake City, UT 84112
(801) 581-6736	Radiobiology Administration Endocrinology 40 N 2030 E Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Academic Bio

I received MD and PhD degrees from the Rockefeller University/ Cornell Medical School Biomedical Sciences Program in 1979, with thesis work performed in the laboratory of Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman. Training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology were completed at Stanford and the University of California at San Diego. I came to the University of Utah after holding faculty positions at the Universities of California San Diego, Alabama at Birmingham and Mississippi. I am currently Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine, where I hold the Bettilyon Chair in Diabetes Research. After serving as the Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism for eight years, in 2008 I assumed the positions of Associate Vice President for Clinical Research and the Directorship of the NIH-funded (CTSA) Center for Clinical and Translational Science. I participate in the national consortium as a co-chair for the Clinical Service Center Key Function Committee, co-chair of Strategic Goal Committee 5, and member of the CTSA Consortium Executive Committee. I have also served as Associate Editor of the journal Endocrinology and Chair of grant review panels of the NIH, VA, and American Diabetes Association.

My current research program, funded by the NIH and VA, is aimed at further understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes, obesity, and its complications, using both human studies and animal or cell culture models. Our current work in this area includes three projects: (1) How glucose regulates transcription and protein function through the hexosamine pathway of glucose metabolism; (2) How excess iron, a risk factor for diabetes, regulated metabolism, and; (3) How hypoxia regulates metabolism.

We have previously shown that artificially increasing hexosamine flux in the tissues responsible for fuel homeostasis recapitulates many of the central phenotypic characteristics of type 2 diabetes. We have shown that the basis for these effects is the modification of cytosolic and nuclear proteins by O-linked GlcNAc. We are currently engaged in work to more fully characterize the biochemical basis for these changes, concentrating on the transcriptional regulation, activation and subcellular partitioning of key enzymes of fuel homeostasis such as glycogen synthase and AMP-dependent kinase.

Our laboratory also studies the mechanisms by which high levels of iron, such as are seen in some hereditary conditions (e.g. hemochromatosis) and also with simple dietary iron overload, are associated with diabetes. To this end, we have discovered novel mechanisms by which iron regulates fat metabolism and impairs mitochondrial function. Current projects focus on the regulation by iron of adipokines, the circadian rhythm, and cellular signaling pathways involved in metabolic regulation.

Finally, because iron can exert some of its effects through the hypoxia signaling pathway, we are also studying the effects of hypoxia on metabolism in animal models and human populations that are adapted to high altitude.

Type	School	Degree
Fellowship	University of California - San Diego Endo/Metabolism	Fellow
Residency	Stanford University Medical Center Internal Medicine	Resident
Internship	Stanford University Medical Center	Intern
Professional Medical	Cornell University Medical College Medicine	M.D.
Doctoral Training	Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences Cell Biology	Ph.D.
Undergraduate	Haverford College	B.A.

Contact Info:

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420 Chipeta Way, Suite 1900
Salt Lake City, UT 84108

801-581-2897

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Find A Physician

Donald A. McClain, M.D., Ph.D.

Specialties

Languages

Bio

Locations

Board Certification and Academic Information

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Office Locations

Academic Bio

Education History

Selected Provider Publications

Contact Info:

801-581-2897

Quick Links

Site Information

Social Media