Cedars-Sinai Physician-Scientist Leads Association of American Physicians

LOS ANGELES (May 2, 2024) — Paul Noble, MD, professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and a leading physician-scientist in pulmonary fibrosis, recently began his one-year term as president of the highly regarded Association of American Physicians (AAP) at the group’s annual meeting in Chicago.

“It is a great honor to serve as the 140th president of the Association of American Physicians and the first from Cedars-Sinai,” said Noble, director of the Women’s Guild Lung Institute and the Vera and Paul Guerin Family Distinguished Chair in Pulmonary Medicine. “One of my goals this year is to ensure the AAP is a living and breathing entity—one where our members interact more regularly in our pursuit to continue improving healthcare through the highest level of research.”

Noble is best known for his pioneering work in pulmonary fibrosis, a rare disorder that causes scarring in the lungs. He was awarded $3.2 million in 2022 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how pulmonary fibrosis and chronic allograft dysfunction (a common cause of death after lung transplantation) are affected by cell interactions.

Christine Albert, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Cardiology and the Lee and Harold Kapelovitz Distinguished Chair in Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute, and Ekihiro Seki, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine at the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, were inducted as members at the annual meeting.

Albert’s research is focused on prevention of sudden cardiac death and atrial fibrillation, or heart rhythm disturbances. Her seminal findings on the impact of diet, supplements, lifestyle and genetics on heart rhythm disorders have influenced public health and clinical practice guidelines. She currently leads a large NIH-funded multicenter clinical study aiming to identify people at higher risk of sudden cardiac death.

Seki, an immunology investigator, has centered his career on basic liver research. He studies the role of the body’s immune cells and stellate cells in liver fibrosis, or scar tissue caused by liver damage; steatotic liver disease (formerly called fatty liver disease); and liver cancer. His research is supported by three NIH grants.

With their inductions, Albert and Seki join 21 other Cedars-Sinai faculty members in the prestigious academic organization. Only 70 new members are inducted each year.

The AAP recognizes the most outstanding physician scientists over a broad range of expertise. It was established in 1885 by seven physicians for “the advancement of scientific and practical medicine.” Today it comprises more than 1,800 active elected members—leading senior physician-scientists from across the U.S. and around the world who are noted for achieving excellence in scientific discoveries and contributions.

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