Health Impact Award Winner Supports Higgins Fund

"I know what it takes to fund 
professorships: What can I do
 for The William J. Higgins Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Fund?" 
asks Jeffrey Mechanick, M.D.
, (B.S. '81, zoology) at a recent
 lunch with Higgins. Mechanick,
 along with several other former
 students, have honored Higgins 
for his dedication, inspiration,
 wisdom and continued support with generous gifts to the Higgins Fund over the years.

Mechanick is in his own right a very distinguished graduate of the college. This April he was selected as its Distinguished Alumnus by the Department of Biology. Then, in early June, the university's Alumni Association honored Mechanick, Director of Metabolic Support and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center's Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease with a Health Impact Award to recognize his contributions to patient care.

Board certified in endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes as well as nutrition, Mechanick earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. He then returned to Mount Sinai to complete his fellowship training in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition. In addition to treating patients at Mount Sinai, he also sees outpatients in his private office in Manhattan.

The author of more than 180 scientific publications and editor of five books, Mechanick is an officer of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). Mechanick is Section Editor for "Nutrition
and ICU" in Current Opinions in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care and "Obesity and Nutrition" in Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes. In addition, he is past president of the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists and serves in editorial positions for major journals in the nutrition and endocrinology fields.

Most recently, he has been appointed to serve on
the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) Science Board. "Nutrition is a vital first step toward a healthier population," says Mechanick. "We must change the mindset of Americans to eat better and to get more exercise as part of their daily routine."

For more information on the The William J. Higgins Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Fund, please contact the CMNS Office of Development at 301.405.9624.