Beena Akolkar, PhD

Current Position:  Program Director, Immunopathogenesis and Genetics of Type 1 Diabetes Program

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Current Portfolio/Responsibilities:
Coordinate Autoimmunity/Transplant research activities across DEM; manage Genetics of Type 1 Diabetes and Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes portfolio; serve as Program Director and Executive Secretary for International Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Consortium (T1DGC) and The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY); review projects for RAID program.

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Serve as representative to or for:

• TrialNet genetics, ancillary, and mechanistic committees
• Matthews Media Group for needs of T1DGC and TEDDY
• Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) (NIAID) Network Executive, Steering Committee and DSMB meetings
• Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACE) (NIAID) Steering Comm. and DSMB Autoimmunity Prevention Centers (APC) (NIAID) Steering Comm. and EAB
• NOD sequencing contract (NIAID); rat genetics (NHLBI)
• DEM representative for the central repository and for Extramural Policy and Procedure Oversight Committee (EPPOC)

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Previous Training and Experience:

• Ph.D., Bombay University, Bombay, India (1980-1984)
• Research Fellow, Cancer Research Institute, Bombay, India (1980-1985)
• Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York (1985-1987)
• Research Associate, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, M. S. University of Baroda, Baroda, India. (1987-1989)
• Research Associate, Dept. of Medicine, Cornell University Medical College, North Shore University Hospital, New York (1989-1992)
• Instructor, Cell Biology, Cornell University Medical College, Dept. of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, New York (1992-1995)
• Instructor, Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, New York (1995-1996)
• Assistant Professor, Medicine and Pathology, NYU School of Medicine, Dept. of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, New York (1996-2000)

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Committees/ Working Groups:

• Autoimmunity/Transplant Working Group – coordinator
• Resources and technologies Working Group
• Type 1 Diabetes Working Group
• Genomics Working Group
• Translation Working Group

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Other Activities:
Harmonizing type 1 diabetes autoantibodies for NIDDK