Instructor of Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB) Dr. Marlene Chakhtoura, received the Endocrine 2017 Early Investigators Award at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting and Expo, ENDO 2017 in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments in the field of osteoporosis and metabolic diseases. The Early Investigators Award provides monetary support to assist in the development of early career investigators and public recognition of their accomplishments and research achievements in various society platforms and therefore allows networking opportunity and international collaborations.
Dr. Chakhtoura was recruited as Instructor of Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at AUB in July 2016.She earned her medical degree in 2008 from the Lebanese University, and then completed three years of Internal Medicine residency training and two years of fellowship training in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the American University of Beirut (AUB). After that, she pursued a three-year research fellowship in the Calcium Metabolism and Osteoporosis Program. Concomitantly, she joined the Scholars in Health Research Program (SHARP) in 2013 and completed the requirements of SHARP Master’s Degree until she graduated in 2016.
She is lead author on 14 publications in first tier endocrine or bone journals and 3 published protocols of ongoing projects, all revolving around vitamin D supplementation and osteoporosis. In addition to her interest in bone metabolism and diseases, she has recently started establishing her career in obesity and medical weight management and initiated new projects on diet and drug therapy in obese patients. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and has received several awards, including the “Best Resident Award in Internal Medicine” at graduation in 2011, the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Phoebe Leboy Professional Development Award in 2015, and the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Continuing Education Travel Award in 2016 and 2017.
The 100-year-old Endocrine Society is the largest global membership organization representing professionals from the intriguing field of endocrinology. Its mission is to advance excellence in endocrinology and promote its essential and integrative role in scientific discovery, medical practice, and human health.