It is my pleasure to announce that Antonio Bianco, MD, PhD, will join UTMB as Vice President and Vice Provost, Research, and Chief Research Officer, effective Sept. 1. Dr. Bianco is a renowned physician-scientist, scholar, and research leader, with an impressive academic career that includes influential contributions to the field of thyroid diseases and an enduring commitment to education and mentorship.

Dr. Bianco earned his MD at the Santa Casa Medical School and PhD in human physiology at the University of São Paulo, both in São Paulo, Brazil. In 1998, he was recruited to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where for 10 years he studied the cell and structure biology of the deiodinases. After he served as Chief of the Thyroid Section, he moved to Miami to lead the Division of Endocrinology at the University of Miami. In 2014, he was appointed the Charles A. Weaver Professor of Cancer Research, Senior Vice President and Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs, and President of the Rush University Medical Group in Chicago. Since 2018, he has served as Professor in the Department of Medicine, Section of Adult and Pediatric Endocrinology, and Director of the Thyroid Study Unit at the University of Chicago. 

Dr. Bianco has published extensively in the area of thyroid hormone metabolism and action. His findings have significant clinical implications and have shaped the treatment of patients with hypothyroidism. His research career has focused on how T3 (triiodothyronine) initiates or terminates critical biological steps while maintaining relatively stable plasma levels. Most recently, his laboratory has focused on the epigenetic mechanisms of T3 action and their implication for children with congenital hypothyroidism. 

He has been recognized with numerous awards from national and international professional associations, and membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He served as a regular member of NIH study sections for almost 10 years, and the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Dr. Bianco was elected and served as president of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in 2016. 

In addition to his Vice President and Vice Provost role, Dr. Bianco will serve as faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, holding the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine. Through his leadership, we are excited to propel our dynamic Research Enterprise to even greater heights. Please help us welcome him to UTMB.