Mitchell Lazar

Mitchell Lazar serves as Professor and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism within the Department of Medicine, while also directing the Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. His leadership bridges clinical endocrinology and cutting-edge metabolic research, focusing on the molecular architecture of metabolic diseases.

Dr. Lazar's research program centers on circadian-metabolic integration, with core expertise in nuclear receptor biology (particularly REV-ERB and PPARγ pathways), epigenetic regulation of metabolic genes, and inter-organ communication networks. His work demonstrates how disrupted circadian rhythms drive obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease through mechanisms involving hepatic fructose metabolism, adipose tissue thermogenesis, and neuroimmune crosstalk. Recent investigations highlight REV-ERB as a master regulator connecting biological clocks to metabolic homeostasis across liver, brain, and adipose tissues.

Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals three dominant trajectories: (1) circadian control of immune cell plasticity in metabolic tissues, (2) epigenomic memory in adipose adaptation to environmental stressors, and (3) neural regulation of feeding via vagal and hindbrain pathways. These studies consistently employ advanced techniques including tissue-specific genetic models, epigenomic profiling, and circadian transcriptomics to dissect chrono-metabolic pathways.

As Director of the Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Dr. Lazar fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians. The institute serves as an incubator for translational research targeting metabolic diseases, with particular emphasis on circadian-based therapeutic strategies. Ongoing work explores time-restricted feeding interventions, nuclear receptor modulators, and tissue-specific clock resetting to combat metabolic syndrome.