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Who We Are

Meet the Program Advisory Committee

The seven members of the Program Advisory Committee serve under the authority of their respective institutional presidents as the governing body of the Bone Disease Program of Texas. This year, we welcome four new members to the ranks: Michael Heggeness of Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Kronenberg of Massachusetts General Hospital and Drs. Raphael Pollock and Steven Sherman of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Brendan H. Lee, M.D, Ph.D.

Director, Bone Disease Program of Texas
Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine

Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor in Baylor’s Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and is chief of the Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Lee belongs to an elite group of scientists with the title of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. He was one of 12 physician scientists chosen in 2002 as part of a new HHMI initiative to fund translational research.

He is interested in the consequences of gene mutations on craniofacial and limb development. To understand these consequences, he combines studies on tissue and organ development with clinical research in patients who have skeletal malformations.

Robert F. Gagel, M.D.

Co-Director, Bone Disease Program of Texas
Professor and Head, Division of Internal Medicine
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Recognizing that bone health had not been a priority in Houston or the Texas medical community, Dr. Gagel worked with other physicians and members of the Houston community, including C. Berdon Lawrence, to establish the Bone Disease Program of Texas. Over the past three decades, Dr. Gagel has made significant contributions to bone research, including studies on calcitonin, a major regulator of bone resorption

Dr. Gagel has focused on the clinical management of osteoporosis and other disorders of bone metabolism. He is a charter member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and for the past 30 years has been broadly involved in the development of strategies to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Lawrence C. B. Chan, D.Sc., M.B.B.S.

Betty Rutherford Chair for Diabetes Research
Professor of Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Biology
Chief, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism
Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Chan is the head of endocrinology at Baylor and is a charter member of the Program Advisory Committee. He is a recognized authority in the genetics of atherosclerosis and lipid disorders. Dr. Chan’s focus on endocrinology had its beginnings when he was an endocrine fellow at Vanderbilt University. After his fellowship, he accepted a position with Baylor College of Medicine, and he has been an integral part of Baylor’s faculty for the past 36 years.

Dr. Chan received a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health and has been the principal investigator of four NIH grants, including a NIH Specialized Center of Research Grant on gene therapy and cardiovascular disease. In 2003 he received the Michael DeBakey Award for Excellence in Research, and he also has received numerous national and international awards from organizations including the American Heart Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Association and the Endocrine Society. Dr. Chan is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.

Michael Heggeness, M.D., Ph.D.

Chair and Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Baylor Collge of Medicine

Dr. Heggeness joined the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in 1990, In addition to serving as chair of the Department, he is chief of the Orthopaedic Spine Services at Veterans’s Administration, Medical Center. 

Dr Heggeness has earned numerous awards including the Cervical Spine Research Award in 1991 and the John B. Carter Award for Technological Innovation in 2004. His research interests include the study of introsseous nerves and the biology of osteogenesis

Henry Kronenberg, M.D.

Chief, Endocrine Unit
Massachusetts General Hospital
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Dr. Kronenberg is a foremost authority on the endocrine system, currently serving as chief of the Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and as professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. 

During his 40-year career, he has held numerous academic and hospital appointments, served on several editorial boards and providing his expertise and leadership to countless professional organizations including the Endocrine Society, the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the Association of American Physicians. Having contributed to well over 200 original articles, reviews, chapters and editorials, Dr. Kronenberg is an expert in skeletal biology and bone and mineral metabolism, winning, among other awards, the D. Harold Copp Award in 2007 from the International Bone and Mineral Society.


Raphael Pollock, M.D.

Division Head, Surgical Oncology
Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgical Oncology
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Professor of Surgery
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Pollack became the head of the Division of Surgery at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1997. His entire career has been focused on patient care and research in soft tissue sarcoma. Currently Dr. Pollack provides leadership for the Sarcoma Research Center at M. D. Anderson. His laboratory research interests include molecular-oriented tissue and cell-line-based investigations focusing on the role of the p53 tumor.


Steven I. Sherman , M.D.

Chair and Professor, Department of Endocrine Neoplasisa and Hormonal Disorders
Medical Director, Endocrine Multidisciplinary Center
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Sherman is the chair and Naguib Samaan Distinguished Professor in Endocrinology in the Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the medical director of the Endocrine Multidisciplinary Center. Dr. Sherman is an authority on all forms of thyroid cancer with special interest in differentiated thyroid carcinoma. 

He lends his knowledge and experience to many national organizations and special task forces and sits on the board of the International Thyroid Oncology Group based in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Development Advisory Committee

Mr. C. Berdon Lawrence leads a group of dedicated community volunteers who work with development officers at both institutions to raise philanthropic dollars in support of the Bone Disease Program.

  • Berdon Lawrence, Chairman
  • Kirby Atwell
  • Allan Bailey
  • Mary Bass
  • Karen Calvert
  • Irene Franz
  • Gloria Hicks
  • Jennie Hull
  • John Lollar
  • Sandy Soriero
  • Suzi Swanson
  • Pat Thomas
  • Jerry Trzeciak
  • L. M. "Skip" Vaughan, Jr.
  • Marilyn M. Wright.

Last updated June, 2009


© 2009 The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center