It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Irfan Lodhi has been named the Edward H. Luehrmann Professorship in the Study of Degenerative Diseases.
Dr. Lodhi earned his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He completed postdoctoral training at Washington University, then joined the WashU Medicine faculty in 2011. He is currently Professor of Medicine with tenure in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research.
Dr. Lodhi is internationally recognized as an authority in adipocyte biology and the role of peroxisomes in adipose tissue and metabolism. His work over the past 15 years has provided creative insight into fundamental processes controlling energy metabolism and the development of obesity and its complications. Landmark contributions include the discovery that plasmalogens, a complex lipid species synthesized specifically by peroxisomes, are required for thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue, the observation that acetyl-CoA generated as a product of peroxisomal metabolism is critical for the development of fatty liver, and the discovery that peroxisomes in brown fat control energy metabolism through effects on mitochondrial fission. In recent work with great potential for developing new therapies, his laboratory discovered that the liver generates circulating lipids that promote metabolic health, and discovered that a novel futile cycle for branched chain fatty acids in adipose tissue controls energy balance.
Professor Lodhi is the author of more than 45 peer-reviewed papers that have appeared in premiere journals including Nature, Cell, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Cell Metabolism, Molecular Cell, Nature Metabolism, Nature Communications, Circulation Research, Science Advances, and Science Signaling, in addition to many highly cited scholarly reviews and book chapters in Cell Metabolism, Nature, Trends in Cell Biology, Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Autophagy, and Methods in Molecular Biology. Continuously funded by NIH for 15 years, Dr. Lodhi has had extensive peer review responsibilities for scientific foundations in the United States and other countries and was appointed as a standing member of the NIH Basic Mechanisms of Diabetes and Metabolism Study Section through 2029. He also holds a leadership position in the International Plasmalogen Society.
An accomplished teacher, Dr. Lodhi has trained more than 20 individuals in his laboratory and is a current or past member of DBBS committees for 20 graduate students. He has been invited to deliver 49 prestigious lectures at leading institutions and international meetings and received the Roger Davis Award and the David L. Williams Lecture Award from the Kern Lipid Conference.
A dedicated contributor to the Washington University community, Dr. Lodhi has served as a member of the WashU Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (IACUC), organized numerous seminars at WashU for more than decade, and directs the Diabetes Models Phenotyping Core facility for the Diabetes Research Center, providing sophisticated animal characterization services for WashU scientists.
Dr. Irfan Lodhi is an eminent scholar, educator, and selfless colleague who has generated new insights into metabolism that can improve the human condition. His appointment as the Edward H. Luehrmann Professor recognizes the accomplishments of an exceptional scientist and supports his future influence on the course of metabolic research.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Lodhi on this recognition.