Daniel Joshua Drucker (born 23 June 1956)
[ is a Canadian endocrinologist. A ]Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
, he is a professor of medicine at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute is a medical research institute in Toronto, Ontario and part of the Sinai Health System. It was originally established in 1985 as the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, the research arm of Mount Sina ...
, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) is a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mount Sinai is part of Sinai Health. Sinai Health was formed through the voluntary amalgamation of Mount Sinai Hospital (including the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute) a ...
. He is known for his research into intestinal hormones and their use in the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
Early life and education
Drucker was born and grew up in Montreal, and then enrolled in the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
.["This Toronto doctor is a superstar in the world of diabetes research — and he says it all started as a fluke"]
''Toronto Star'', By Joseph Hall, 7 February 2020 After graduation he moved to Toronto, where he studied medicine at the University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, graduating in 1980. He received postgraduate training (medicine and endocrinology) at Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 mo ...
(1980–81), and the University of Toronto (1980–84).[
]
Career
Beginning in 1984, Drucker worked as a research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...
and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
, studying molecular endocrinology.[ In 1987 he returned to Toronto, taking on the position of assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and working as a staff doctor.
Early in his career Drucker studied the effect of hormones in the gut on the onset and development of ]Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...
. In 1996, he identified the effects that GLP-2 Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a 33 amino acid peptide with the sequence HADGSFSDEMNTILDNLAARDFINWLIQTKITD (see Proteinogenic amino acid) in humans. GLP-2 is created by specific post-translational proteolytic cleavage of proglucagon in a process ...
has on small bowel proliferation in rats. His research led to the development of two types of drugs for the treatment of the disease.
Drucker joined the staff of the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2006. In 2008 he conducted studies aimed at the development and testing of long-acting insulin-control medication. He later studied the long-term effects of related weight-loss medicines on bowel health.
A Canada Research Chair at the University of Toronto, Drucker also developed treatments for short bowel syndrome, a disorder in which fluids are poorly absorbed after resection of the small intestine.
Awards and honours
Drucker has received many national and international awards in recognition of his research accomplishments revealing the mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential of enteroendocrine hormones. These include the Prix Galien Canada for outstanding academic research (2008), the Donald F. Steiner
Donald Frederick Steiner (July 15, 1930 – November 11, 2014) was an American biochemist and a professor at the University of Chicago.
Birth and education
Donald F. Steiner was born in 1930 in Lima, Ohio. He completed his B.S. in Chemistry ...
Award for Outstanding Diabetes Research from the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
(2007), the Clinical Investigator Award from the Endocrine Society
The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed ...
(2009), the Claude Bernard
Claude Bernard (; 12 July 1813 – 10 February 1878) was a French physiologist. Historian I. Bernard Cohen of Harvard University called Bernard "one of the greatest of all men of science". He originated the term ''milieu intérieur'', and the a ...
Prize from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes
The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) is a scientific association founded in Montecatini Terme, Italy in 1965 with Joseph Hoet as Founding President. The aims of the association are to encourage and support research in the fiel ...
(2012), the Oon International Award and Lecture from the University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
(2014), the Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement from the American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes (including type 1 diabetes, ...
(2014) the Manpei Suzuki Foundation International Prize for Diabetes (2014), and the Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes (2019). In 2021 he was awarded the Canada Gairdner International Award
The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a p ...
. and in 2023 the Wolf Prize in Medicine
The Wolf Prize in Medicine is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Arts. The P ...
.
Drucker was named an Officer of the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
in 2015."Four Nova Scotians among Order of Canada honourees"
''The Chronicle-Herald
''The Chronicle Herald'' is a broadsheet newspaper published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada owned by SaltWire Network of Halifax.
The paper's newsroom staff were locked out of work from January 2016 until August 2017. ''Herald'' management cont ...
'', 1 July 2015. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2015.[
]
Selected publications
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drucker, Daniel J.
1956 births
Living people
Canadian Fellows of the Royal Society
University of Toronto alumni
Academic staff of the University of Toronto
Officers of the Order of Canada
Academics from Montreal
University of Ottawa alumni
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences