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Paul Michael Yen

Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition
300 North Duke Street, Durham, NC 27701

Overview


Paul M. Yen currently is Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore and Head of the Laboratory of Hormonal Regulation in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Program. He also is Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC and a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute. He received his B.A. in Chemistry from Amherst College and his M.D. from Johns Hopkins. He completed his residency in internal medicine at University of Chicago and fellowship in endocrinology at National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. He was formerly Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Neuro-endocrinology and Molecular Regulation Section of the Clinical Endocrinology Branch at NIDDK (at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD), and Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has served on the editorial boards of Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, and Thyroid. He also is a U.S. board-certified physician in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is listed as a top 2% scientist worldwide by Stanford University and a leading World Expert on thyroid hormone by Expertscape. He has served as an Asia-Oceanic Thyroid Association (AOTA) Council Member and the AOTA delegate to the World Thyroid Foundation and Singapore Representative to the International Iodine Global Network. He was awarded the 2020 Nagataki-Fujifilm Prize for his contributions to basic and clinical thyroid hormone research in Asia by AOTA. At Duke-NUS, he has served as Master of Sheares Medical College since 2010. He also has served as the clinical faculty advisor for the Duke Overseas Volunteer Expedition (DOVE) program in which medical students deliver primary care in neighbouring underdeveloped countries since its inception in 2010.. His laboratory uses molecular biological and genomic approaches to study hormonal regulation of transcription, autophagy, and metabolism as well as searching for ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Medicine · 2021 - Present Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Medicine
Member of Duke Molecular Physiology Institute · 2013 - Present Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published November 18, 2015
Research yields potential treatment approach for glycogen storage disease
Published August 19, 2013
Coffee and tea may protect your liver
Published August 19, 2013
Coffee and Tea May Contribute to a Healthy Liver

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Recent Publications


ESRRA (estrogen related receptor, alpha) induces ribosomal protein RPLP1-mediated adaptive hepatic translation during prolonged starvation.

Journal Article Autophagy · February 18, 2025 Protein translation is an energy-intensive ribosome-driven process that is reduced during nutrient scarcity to conserve cellular resources. During prolonged starvation, cells selectively translate specific proteins to enhance their survival (adaptive trans ... Full text Link to item Cite

Actions of thyroid hormones and thyromimetics on the liver.

Journal Article Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol · January 2025 Thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine and thyroxine) are pivotal for metabolic balance in the liver and entire body. Dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis can contribute to hepatic metabolic disturbances, affecting lipid metabolism, glucose ... Full text Link to item Cite

Esrra regulates Rplp1-mediated translation of lysosome proteins suppressed in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and reversed by alternate day fasting.

Journal Article Mol Metab · September 2024 OBJECTIVE: Currently, little is known about the mechanism(s) regulating global and specific protein translation during metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH; previously known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH). METHODS: Unbiased label ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


Johns Hopkins University · 1982 M.D.