Biographical Sketch – James R. Gavin, III, 1995
James Raphael Gavin, III was born November 23, 1945, in Mobile, Alabama. Today, he and his spouse, Annie, live with their two children Hakkim and Lamar in Potomac, Maryland. He received a BS degree in Chemistry in 1966 from Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Emory University, with Dr. Leo Reichart in 1970. Following a two-year post doctoral period with Dr. Jesse Roth in the Diabetes Branch of NIDDK at the NIH, Dr. Gavin received his MD degree in 1975 from Duke University, where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. He then conducted an Internship there in the Department of Pathology. In 1977 he was a resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO. where he became a Clinical Fellow under Dr. William H. Daughaday and began to develop his academic career. James Gavin holds medical licensure in both Missouri and Oklahoma. He became an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in 1978, and Associate Professor in 1985. In 1987 Dr. Gavin moved to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City to become a full Professor and Chief of the Diabetes Section. Dr. James Raphael Gavin, III became the William K. Warren Professor for Diabetes Studies at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1989. Currently, he serves the role of Senior Scientific Officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, MD.
Dr. Gavin has devoted much of his research career to the study of insulin and insulin-like growth factors where he has published over 76 peer-reviewed articles and book reviews. Most recently, his publications have centered on the cellular mechanisms involved in insulin resistance, and the development of suitable animal models for the study of this problem. He has fascinated his colleagues and audiences with his work on the role of disordered cellular calcium homeostasis in the pathogenesis of insulin-resistant diabetes. His work was featured in an article in the American Journal of Medicine, 96:260-273, 1994.
James R. Gavin has previously held positions as Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service and remains enlisted in the Ready Reserves. Dr. Gavin has served on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Physiology, the American Journal of Medical Sciences, as well as Academic Medicine. Dr. Gavin is the recipient of several honors and awards, as well as a member of professional societies and organizations, including the American Association of Academic Minority Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the Endocrine Society, and recipient of the Banting Medal for Distinguished Service from the American Diabetes Association (1994). In addition, Dr. Gavin is a Life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary Society and Sigma Xi Scientific Honorary Society.
About the Author:
Ashanti Edwards is ASCB's Director of Professional Development.
