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SamuelKlein

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Samuel Klein is the William H. Danforth Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science, Director of the Center for Human Nutrition, Director of the Weight Management Center, and Associate Program Director of the General Clinical Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He also serves as Medical Director of the Nutrition Support Service at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

He received his MD with honors from Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia and earned a master's degree in Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed a Clinical Nutrition Fellowship at University Hospital in Boston; a National Institutes of Health Nutrition and Metabolism Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School; and a Gastroenterology Fellowship at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Nutrition and is also a Certified Nutrition Support Physician.

Samuel Klein is President of the American Board of Nutrition, chair of the American Gastroenterology Association's newly-formed Nutrition and Obesity Section, Associate Editor for Nutrition for Gastroenterology, and serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology & Metabolism.

What made you decide to become a gastroenterologist?

I was always interested in nutrition and the gastrointestinal tract seemed to be a direct route to get there.

Who was the teacher you admired the most?

There are many. College: Irving Zola who stimulated my interest in human illness and clinical care; residency: Tom LaMont who helped guide my career decisions; GI Fellowship: Henry Janowitz and David Sachar, brilliant clinicians and teachers whose confidence in me gave me confidence in myself; faculty position: David Alpers an extraordinary combination of clinician, researcher, teacher and human being.

Which research paper influenced you the most?

Clinical paper: Dudrick et al. Surgery 1968; 64: 134, which described the ability to provide complete parenteral nutrition by central vein infusion in Beagle puppies. This paper represented a major breakthrough in clinical medicine and increased my interest in clinical nutrition.
Research paper: Randle et al. Lancet 1963; 1: 785, which proposed the presence of a fatty acid-glucose cycle and underscored the importance of fatty acid metabolism in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The implications of this provocative paper are still being debated today and helped stimulate my interest in lipid metabolism research.

What is the most important fact that you have discovered?

That our most important accomplishments in life are not measured by research grants or published articles.

What is the biggest mistake that you have made?

Not spending enough time with family, friends and hobbies.

What is your unfulfilled ambition?

To write an award-winning novel, be a concert violinist, win the Olympic 1500-meter run.

What is your greatest regret?

That I never wrote a novel, learned to play a musical instrument, or had the talent to be an Olympian.

How do you relax?

Being with my family - I have great (11 and 8 year-old) kids.

What is your favorite sport?

Track and Field.

What is your best place in the world?

Boracay, Philippines. Beautiful beaches, weather, food and relaxation without the feel of commercialism.

What is your favorite film?

Chariots of Fire. I still hum the tune from the soundtrack when I am overwhelmed with work. I have been humming a lot lately.

What car do you drive?

Volkswagen Golf III.

What is your best electronic 'toy'?

My Toshiba Dynabook 3440 laptop - 2.94 lbs.

What book are you reading at the moment?

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson - about the 1900 hurricane that was the deadliest natural disaster in US history. This book has particular relevance for me because I lived in Galveston, Texas, the site of the story.

Why did you get in involved in GastroHep.com?

Somebody has to represent Nutrition.