Physicians

Leon-Paul Georges, MD FACP, FACE
Director, Strelitz Diabetes Institutes
Chairman and Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School

After serving as a consultant to evaluate the feasibility of a comprehensive diabetes program at EVMS, Dr. Georges designed and developed the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes. Following a distinguished career with the federal government, he brings more than 35 years experience in clinical care, research, administrative and medical education to his role in providing the overall management and leadership to the Institutes. Dr. Georges is a former member of the national Diabetes Advisory Board, the Diabetes Mellitus Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health, and has held academic appointment at Georgetown and George Washington Universities, as well as the Uniformed Services University of Health Science.

Aaron I. Vinik, MD, PhD, FCP, FACP
Director, Diabetes Research Institute
Scientific Director, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School

One of the leading diabetes researchers in the world, Dr. Vinik is key in the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes’ regenerative research both toward a cure for diabetes and restoring feeling and function to nerves.

On the leading edge of medical research toward a cure, his pioneering work in islet regeneration led to the discovery of the gene INGAP that is believed to play an important role in regenerating islets to reawaken the insulin-producing capacity of the pancreas.
Dr. Vinik’s work in regeneration is also showing great promise in restoring nerves damaged due to neuropathy, a most common complication of diabetes.

Internationally renowned for his research in the areas of hormone secreting tumors and chronic complications of diabetes, Dr. Vinik presents his work at conferences all over the world. Recognized as a pioneer and scholar, Dr. Vinik has written four books, over 102 chapters for books and hundreds of manuscripts and abstracts.

Dr. Vinik has received research funding for his studies from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the Kroc Foundation, HUD, and the American Diabetes Association among others.

John O’Brian, MD, FACP, FACE
Clinical Director, The Strelitz Diabetes Institutes
Professor of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Dr. O’Brian joined the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes of Eastern Virginia Medical School having previously been affiliated with the prestigious Bethesda Naval Hospital, where he served as staff endocrinologist, head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and director of the Endocrinology Fellowship Training Program. He holds that post at EVMS.

Dr. O’Brian has also served as the advisor of the Surgeon General of the Navy in the areas of endocrinology and clinical research. He is the author of numerous articles and abstracts. In addition to diabetes, his areas of expertise include insulin pump therapy, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, and sophisticated endocrine laboratory testing.

Donald Richardson, MD, FACE
Assistant Director of Education, Strelitz Diabetes Institutes
Associate Professor of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School

During his fellowship and postdoctoral training in physiology and endocrinology at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Richardson established a reputation as a clinician and teacher with a special interest in endocrine disorders. His investigations into sexual hormonal changes brought him an Individual National Research Service Award in 1979. Since that time, his research has produced a number of articles and abstracts. He continues to focus on hormone-related sexual disorders and obesity.

M. Elizabeth Mason, MD, FACE
Associate Professor of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Dr. Mason joined the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes in 1996 to pursue her interests in endocrinology and teaching. Previously, she was on the faculty of the Internal Medicine Department at the University of Virginia where she conducted basic and clinical research in thyroid disease. Research studies included molecular mechanism of pituitary regulation of thyroid activity, inherited thyroid diseases, and alterations in thyroid function during the menstrual cycle. Dr. Mason’s clinical focus is on thyroid disease with a special emphasis on endocrine disorders in women.