Philipp Scherer

Philipp Scherer, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Director of the Touchstone Diabetes Center. He holds distinguished chairs in diabetes research and has dual Swiss and U.S. academic backgrounds, including a doctorate from the University of Basel and postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute. His research focuses on adipocyte biology, particularly their roles in energy homeostasis, diabetes, and cardiometabolic diseases. He discovered adiponectin, revolutionizing understanding of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ.

Dr. Scherer has over 350 peer-reviewed publications and has received the 'triple crown' of diabetes research awards (Banting Medal, EASD-Novonordisk Prize, Manpei Suzuki Prize). He is highly cited in biology/biochemistry and serves on editorial boards of journals like Journal of Clinical Investigation and Cell Metabolism. He teaches graduate and medical courses and advises professional societies including the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association.

His research spans adipose-tissue fibrosis, interorgan crosstalk via extracellular vesicles, and adipokine mechanisms in metabolic disease. Recent work explores adiponectin’s role in aging, adipocyte iron regulation, and the role of endotrophin in fibrosis. He investigates links between obesity, diabetes, and cancer progression, with contributions to understanding SARS-CoV-2 comorbidities.