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Stephen R. Hammes, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dr. Hammes graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University, after which he received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology and
Microbiology from Duke University. He then completed an Internal Medicine residency training followed by clinical and
research Endocrinology fellowships at the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. Hammes spent the next several years
in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he was an Endowed
Physician Scientist and served as co-Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Hammes is interested in ovarian development and function. Specifically, his laboratory studies steroid synthesis and actions
in the ovary, with a focus on the pathophysiology of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Dr. Hammes is an internationally
recognized leader in the field of nongenomic, or transcription-independent steroid signaling, serves on editorial boards of
major Endocrine and Reproduction journals, and is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Laura M. Calvi, M.D.
Associate Professor
Director, Endocrinology and Metabolism Fellowship Program
Co-Director, Multidiscliplinary Neuroendocrine Clinic
Dr. Calvi graduated summa cum laude from Union College and received her Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School.
She then remained in Boston to complete her residency training in internal medicine followed by her clinical and research
fellowships in Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Calvi has a long-standing clinical interest in metabolic bone disorders. In addition, she created and now,
along with Dr. Edward Vates,
co-directs the Multidisciplinary Neuroendocrine Clinic. Her basic research program focuses on hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and
the microenvironment, or niche, in which they reside. Specifically, she uses mouse models to study how activation of the PTH/PTHrP
receptor in osteoblastic cells regulates the HSC niche. Dr. Calvi is a Wilmot Scholar and a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences.
William T. Cave, Jr., M.D., FACP, FACE
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Dr. Cave graduated cum laude from Kenyon College. He received his M.D. degree from Yale University. He completed his residency in
Internal Medicine, and his fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Virginia Medical Center. He has since served on the
faculty at the University of Virginia and the University of Rochester.
Dr. Cave is a board-certified endocrinologist whose primary role in the endocrine unit is that of teacher-clinician. His time is
heavily committed to the training of fellows, residents, and students. He is active on both the outpatient and inpatient endocrine
consultation services. Over his career, Dr. Cave has received extramural research support from the NIH, U.S.Army, and several scientific
societies. He has been a regular member of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Therapeutics Program Project Review Committee, as well
as serving on many ad hoc study sections for other scientific agencies. He continues to be a reviewer for a number of scientific journals.
Currently, his research efforts have been as a collaborator on ongoing clinical investigations within the endocrine unit.
Runhua Hou, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Hou obtained her medical education in Xian Medical University, Xian, China. She received basic science training in microbiology and
immunology at the University of North Dakota and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, followed by internal medicine residency training at the
Hospital of Saint Raphael. After finishing residency, Dr. Hou received subspecialty training in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at
Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, MO.
Dr. Hou's clinical focus includes the diagnosis and management of endocrine tumors, including those of the pituitary, adrenal, thyroid,
and parathyroid. In addition, she is involved in the management of patients with diabetes, especially those with type I DM, gestational DM,
post-pancreatomy, or steroid-induced diabetes. She is interested in clinical research in the area of new drug therapy for diabetes and basic
research in pancreatic beta cell regeneration and replication.
John Gerich, M.D.
Program Director, Clinical Research Center
Co-Program Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Dr. Gerich received his B.A. from Cornell University and his M.D. from Georgetown University.
Dr. Gerich has been productive as both a clinical investigator (over 500 publications) and as a teacher (nearly 50 clinical research fellows)
for nearly 35 years. His research examines hormone-substrate control of glucose homeostasis and of hypoglycemia counter regulation by evaluating
the role of the kidney. Dr Gerich has also served as Program Director of the NIH funded Clinical Research Center (CRC). He is also an active
faculty member of the University's Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).
Mark Plessinger, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Director, University of Rochester Clinical and
Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) Laboratory Support Center
Dr. Plessinger received his BS and MS in Biology from the University of Cincinnati. After relocating to Rochester, he spent
several years as a research technician before matriculating and obtaining his PhD in Toxicology.
Dr. Plessinger provides consultation services to University Investigators to identify laboratory resources, assays, equipment,
protocol development, and patent development for clinical and translational research projects. He also administers the Laboratory
Support Center Funds, which funds pilot projects through the CTSI, with the objective of providing Investigators with the
data needed for the Supporting Data Section for extramural grant proposals. Finally, Dr. Plessinger takes part in teaching
of both graduate and medical students. Dr. Plessinger has NYDOH licensure for Clinical Laboratory Director in Endocrinology
and Andrology; and has served as Director of the URMC Andrology Clinical Laboratory.
Alvin L. Ureles, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Emeritus
Dr. Alvin L. Ureles, Professor of Medicine, Emeritus graduated from The University of Rochester Medical School, with residency training at Beth Israel Hospital, and a Harvard teaching and research fellowship in Boston, helping to pioneer nuclear and ultrasound medicine as it related to thyroid disease. He served as Chief of Medicine, Head of The Wolk Thyroid Center and Associate in Endocrinology at The Genesee Hospital for over twenty years. He directs the Thyroid Biopsy Clinic here at the University Medical Center with our Endocrine Fellows, Residents and Medical Students. He is available for thyroid consultations with faculty and private physicians. He has a major interest in teaching and thyroid cancer research.
Steve Welle, Ph.D.
Director, Functional Genomics Center (FGC)
Director, CRC Core Laboratory
After receiving his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois, Dr. Welle obtained a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Northern Illinois University.
Dr. Welle's research deals with regulation of muscle protein metabolism and gene expression, and how these are affected by aging and by endogenous growth factors. He also collaborates with faculty in the neuromuscular research group (neurology department) to study the effects of muscular dystrophies on gene expression. Finally, Dr. Welle plays a critical role in running many of the core facilities at the University of Rochester, serving as Director of the Functional Genomics Center and the CRC Core laboratory.
Steven D. Wittlin, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Clinical Director, Endocrine-Metabolism Division and Director, Diabetes Service
Dr. Wittlin received his M.D. from Tel Aviv University with honors. He then completed his residency training in internal medicine at Booth Memorial Medical Center, followed by an endocrinology fellowship at New York University Medical Center. He served as Chief of Endocrinology and subsequently Assistant Chairman of Medicine at Booth Memorial Medical Center for a twelve-year period. He moved to Rochester in 1993.
Dr. Wittlin's major clinical interest, apart from general endocrinology, is treatment of diabetes, especially new modalities of therapy with an emphasis on insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring. His research interests have mainly focused on novel diabetes treatments, preservation of beta cell function, new modalities for assessing diabetes and postprandial glucose control, and assessment of cardiovascular risk in diabetes.
