[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    A TRIBUTE TO DR. C. RONALD KAHN

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                     HON. GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR.

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 19, 1999

  Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to 
one of our nation's leading research scientists, Dr. C. Ronald Kahn of 
the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Kahn has 
dedicated his highly distinguished professional career toward the 
elimination of diabetes, and has made significant strides in 
contributing to our understanding and treatment of this debilitating 
and vicious disease.
  Dr. Kahn's numerous awards and achievements include elected 
membership to the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy is a 
private organization of distinguished scientists and engineers 
dedicated to furthering science and its use for the general welfare. In 
October, Dr. Kahn was elected membership to the Academy's prestigious 
Institute of Medicine, of which there are only 588 currently in active 
status. As a member of the Institute, Dr. Kahn will be involved in 
protecting and advancing the health professions and science, promoting 
research related to health, improving the nation's health care and 
addressing critical issues affecting public health.
  Dr. Kahn is currently Executive Vice President and Director of the 
internationally known Joslin Diabetes Center, a 100 year old diabetes 
treatment, research and education institution affiliated with Harvard 
Medical School. Dr. Kahn is the Mary K. Iaccoca Professor of Medicine 
at the Harvard Medical School.
  Dr. Kahn chaired the Diabetes Research Working Group, which was 
established by Congress to provide recommendations on how Federal 
dollars for diabetes research can be spent most effectively to reverse 
the diabetes epidemic. In this landmark study, Dr. Kahn reported that 
the death rate from diabetes has increased by 30 percent since 1980, 
killing one American every three minutes. The DRWG recommended an 
increase of $385 million over present NIH funding for diabetes 
research, for a total of $827 million annually through all NIH 
institutes.
  Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Kahn has made significant 
scientific contributions to advancing the understanding and treatment 
of diabetes and its complications. Diabetes affects an estimated 16 
million Americans, about one-third of whom do not know they have the 
disease. It is a leading cause of heart disease, blindness, stroke, 
nerve damage, kidney disease and other serious complications.
  In the years that Dr. Kahn has served as Research Director at Joslin, 
the Center's research has truly achieved preeminence on a worldwide 
basis. Dr. Kahn's immense energy, talent, and intellect have helped 
Joslin achieve preeminence in the study of diabetes and care of people 
with diabetes.
  Scientific contributions by Dr. Kahn and his colleagues have 
contributed greatly to the understanding of cellular mechanisms that 
lead to diabetes and related complications. Throughout his academic 
career, he has trained numerous research fellows who are now making 
their own scientific contributions in laboratories around the world.
  A native of Louisville, Kentucky and a resident of Newton, 
Massachusetts, Dr. Kahn received his undergraduate and medical degrees 
from the University of Louisville. After training in internal medicine 
at Washington University's Barnes Hospital, he worked at the National 
Institutes of Health for 11 years. There he rose to head the Section on 
Cellular and Molecular Physiology of the Diabetes Branch of the 
National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Diabetes and 
Digestive and Kidney Disorders.
  Dr. Kahn is a member of numerous distinguished professional 
organizations. He has published numerous scientific papers over the 
years and has served on the editorial boards of many of the most 
prestigious medical journals.
  Dr. Kahn has received many awards and honors. These include highest 
scientific and research awards from the American Federation of Clinical 
Research, the American Diabetes Association, the Juvenile Diabetes 
Foundation and the International Diabetes Federation. He holds honorary 
Doctorate of Science degrees from the University of Paris and the 
University of Louisville.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I believe all will share in the 
appreciation we extend to Dr. Kahn for his tireless efforts toward the 
alleviation of pain and suffering from diabetes. Dr. Kahn's outstanding 
achievements serve to inspire others in his profession, as well as 
those of us who are not trained in the medical profession, to do all 
that we can to find a cure for diabetes and stop the tremendous toll 
this disease is taking on humanity.

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