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UF Diabetes
Researcher Mark Atkinson Ranks
Among Most Cited
In Diabetes Literature
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2002
For more information contact:
Arline Phillips-Han, 352/392-9542, e-mail: arline@vpha.health.ufl.edu
GAINESVILLE, Fla.---Results
of a worldwide survey of scientific publications on
diabetes reveal University of Florida Professor MarkAtkinson
ranks first for the largest number of literature citations
per research article.
Atkinson, who is the Sebastian
Family/American Diabetes Association professor for
diabetes research at UF's College of Medicine, also
placed fifth among more than 65,700 diabetes investigators
for citations in the scientific literature.
"Recognition by peers for the
quality and overall impact of one's research is perhaps
the highest accolade a scientist can receive," said
Douglas Barrett, M.D., UF vice president for health
affairs. "We are extraordinarily proud of Dr. Atkinson
and his diabetes research collaborators here at UF."
The new rankings were compiled
by Thomson ISI through a 10-year retrospective survey
of published journal articles on diabetes research
worldwide. During the decade, Atkinson published 48
papers, which generated 2,724 citations in papers
published by other researchers. The data showed an
average of 56.75 citations per article by Atkinson.
The findings are published, along with a short feature
article on Atkinson
, in ISI's online editorial
service called "Special Topics." The survey encompassed
38,378 published papers by authors in 141 countries
and represented 10,205 research institutions.
Atkinson's most-cited papers
included those evaluating immune system components
believed to be key to the formation of type 1 (insulin-dependent)
diabetes, uncovering the role of infant diets in the
disease, and identifying potential methods for disease
prevention.
Engaged in diabetes research
for nearly 20 years, Atkinson is research director
for the Center for Immunology and Transplantation
based in the UF medical school's department of pathology,
immunology and laboratory medicine. He also directs
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Gene Therapy
Center for the Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications
at the University of Florida and the University of
Miami.
Diabetes researchers at UF are
conducting pioneering studies of genetic and immunologic
markers for disease activity, newborn screening programs
to assess risks for type 1 diabetes, animal studies
of gene therapy and stem cell transplantation for
potential diabetes treatment, as well as basic investigations
of immune tolerance and new pharmaceuticals. The UF
team recently was selected by the National Institutes
of Health to be part of a 14-center nationwide network
that will conduct studies of various medications to
prevent type 1 diabetes, which afflicts close to 1
million people in the United States.
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