GÖKHAN HOTAMIŞLIGİL

Early Life and Education Prof. Dr. Gökhan Hotamışlıgil was born in the Pazar district of Rize and completed his primary education in Vakfıkebir, Turgutlu, and Gediz. He graduated from Ankara Anadolu High School in 1980 and received his Medical Doctor degree from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1986.

Academic Career After completing his Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School in 1994, he began his academic career at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he established his own laboratory. He received the title of Professor in 2003; in the same year, he was appointed as the founding Chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases and was named the James S. Simmons Professor for life.

Between 2014 and 2024, the Hotamışlıgil laboratory was designated as the Sabri Ülker Center for Nutrient, Genetic, and Metabolic Research and continued its pioneering research in the field of metabolic diseases under Prof. Dr. Hotamışlıgil’s leadership.

Currently, Prof. Dr. Hotamışlıgil serves as the Director of the Harvard Center for Advanced Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases (CAP-CVD). Through the Enlila project, established in collaboration with Türkiye İş Bankası and İş Girişim, he plays a significant role in advancing scientific studies to human trials, developing international scientific collaborations, supporting long-term projects, and fostering scientific education.

Scientific Contributions His scientific work focuses on the molecular basis of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. His research examining the interaction between the immune system and metabolism pioneered the emergence of the field of "immunometabolism". He introduced the concept of "Metaflammation" to the literature and defined the functions of molecules such as JNK, PKR, and STAMP2 that play a role in insulin resistance.

Furthermore, he demonstrated the relationship between metabolic diseases and processes such as endoplasmic reticulum stress, organelle dynamics, autophagy, and lipid signaling, and defined a metabolically beneficial lipid-hormone he named "lipokine". The FABP4 and Fabkin hormones discovered in the Hotamışlıgil laboratory have created significant and widespread drug development opportunities and programs against diseases associated with obesity and aging.

Mentorship and Memberships Deemed worthy of a mentorship award at Harvard University, Prof. Dr. Hotamışlıgil works in close cooperation with young researchers through organizations such as the Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association (TASSA) and the Boston Turkish Biological Working Group.

He is a principal member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) and continues to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of Kadir Has University. In addition to serving as an editor for prestigious scientific journals, he serves on many national and international award juries.

Awards and Honors Prof. Dr. Hotamışlıgil has been deemed worthy of numerous prestigious awards throughout his academic career. A list of his most significant awards is as follows:

1991 Lucille P. Markey Predoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Biology

1997 Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, Pew Charitable Trusts

2004 TÜBİTAK Science Award, TUBA Principal Membership

2007 American Diabetes Association Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award

2009 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

2010 The Obesity Society Wertheimer Award

2010 Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Diabetes Research

2012 ASBMB, Richard J. Havel Lecture

2013 Koç Science Award

2014 Danone International Prize for Nutrition

2015 Endocrine Society Roy O. Greep Award for Outstanding Clinical Research

2017 Hans L. Falk Memorial Award Lecture

2018 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence

2021 Honorary Doctorate, Ankara University

2021 Venice Biennale “Molecular Architecture” exhibition (in collaboration with Refik Anadol)

2024 John K. and Mary E. Davidson Award and Lecture, University of Toronto

Personal Life Prof. Dr. Hotamışlıgil is married to Dr. Selen Ciliv Hotamışlıgil, a physician and scientist who is a World Health Organization consultant and an expert on Reproductive Technologies, and he is the father of two children