Dr. Foa honored with endowed lectureship

The inaugural Piero P. Foa, MD, PhD, Endowed Lecture was delivered by its namesake, who is professor emeritus in the department of physiology and has been associated with the Wayne State University School of Medicine for nearly 40 years. The Foa lectureship, established in January 1999, celebrated an endowment of more than $70,000 to underwrite the costs of an annual Foa lecture to be hosted by the department of physiology.

In 1962, Dr. Foa came to Detroit as chairman of the department of research at Sinai Hospital and professor of physiology at WSU. With the collaboration of numerous associates and students, Dr. Foa has celebrated many scientific accomplishments, including his presentation of evidence to establish that glucagon is a pancreatic hormone and his documentation of the mechanism of drugs used for the oral treatment of diabetes. Dr. Foa’s primary research has focused on glucagon and insulin secretion and their role in the utilization of nutrients and the regulation of blood sugar levels.

Joseph Dunbar, PhD, professor and chair of physiology, completed his dissertation under the guidance of Dr. Foa. "An advocate and practitioner of equality of opportunity, Dr. Foa has been the mentor of new generations of medical scientists, based solely on promise, talents and achievements. I have been proud to have been among them," said Dr. Dunbar.

In fact, three-quarters of the post-doctoral research fellows whose work was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Foa’s research department at Sinai Hospital have become department heads in institutions on four continents.