Louis Philipson MD PhD

Louis Philipson, MD, PhD, is an endocrinologist and a leading world authority on diabetes mellitus. His clinical interests include type 1 diabetes, complicated type 2 diabetes, monogenic diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Recognized for unmatched expertise in the treatment of diabetes that is difficult to manage, Dr. Philipson's multisciplinary team frequently accepts referrals and provides consultations. Under his leadership, Kovler Diabetes Center has been recognized as a one of only seven National Institutes of Health (NIH) Diabetes Research and Training Centers in the U.S.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Philipson has tirelessly explored the biophysical, molecular and genetic aspects of insulin secretion, and the genetics of diabetes. He and his colleagues discovered rare insulin gene mutations that produce beta cell ER stress and, in turn, cause neonatal diabetes. In addition, Dr. Philipson and his colleagues are among the nation's leading experts on monogenic diabetes, following more than 100 patients diagnosed with neonatal diabetes and many others with maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) type diabetes. He also serves as co-director of the Human Islet Transplantation project at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Philipson has served as principal investigator on numerous research projects. His work is widely published in biomedical journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, Nature, Diabetes, American Journal of Physiology and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

As president of the Chicago/Northern Illinois board of the American Diabetes Association and a member of its National Board, he has been invited to speak and present at scientific research conferences and symposia worldwide. In addition, Dr. Philipson is the recipient of numerous awards including ADA Research Awards and the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) Outstanding Scientist Award. He was also named the 2011 recipient of the Samuel Eichold II Memorial Award for Contributions in Diabetes by the American College of Physicians.