Shana E. McCormack, MD, MTR
Areas of expertise: Neuroendocrinology, Endocrine disorders in individuals with hypothalamic/pituitary brain tumors, Pituitary disorders, Hypothalamic obesity, Endocrine disorders in individuals with mitochondrial diseases, Endocrine disorders in Friedreich's Ataxia, Diabetes mellitus, Hypoglycemia, Lipodystrophy, Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome or idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH)
Locations: Specialty Care, 3550 Market Street, Main Building
About Shana E. McCormack, MD, MTR
Shana E. McCormack, MD, MTR, is an attending physician and Scientific Director of the Neuroendocrine Center in the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She is also part of the Friedreich Ataxia Center of Excellence and Mitochondrial Medicine at CHOP. She is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Clinical Expertise:
Dr. McCormack cares for children with pediatric endocrine disease. She has a clinical focus on patients with endocrine dysfunction related to individually rare neuroendocrine and metabolic disorders. She serves as scientific director for CHOP's Neuroendocrine Center.
She cares for children inherited and acquired forms of hypothalamic and pituitary dysfunction, with a focus on hypothalamic obesity and arginine vasopressin deficiency/central diabetes insipidus. She also cares for children with endocrine complications of primary mitochondrial disease and Freidreich Ataxia. She collaborates with CHOP's Mitochondrial Medicine Frontiers Program and CHOP's Friedreich Ataxia Center of Excellence.
Research Expertise:
Dr. McCormack's translational research program focuses on children and adults with rare disorders that impact neuroendocrine and metabolic function. Her goal is to improve the lives of affected individuals and their families.
Her group studies two main disease areas. First, they study mitochondrial forms of diabetes that occur in the setting of genetic disorders like Friedreich’s Ataxia that impact mitochondrial metabolism. Second, they study hypothalamic obesity and pituitary hormone deficiencies that result from hypothalamic/pituitary tumors, with a focus on craniopharyngioma.
They perform mechanistic studies and clinical trials to develop new therapeutic approaches. To do this work, they develop novel techniques for in vivo assessments of metabolism, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and neuroendocrine function in humans using, for example, non-invasive imaging techniques, stable isotope tracing, and integrated metabolomics and proteomics. They also develop innovative strategies to assess body composition and statistically model pediatric growth in health and disease, and collaborate with CHOP/Penn colleagues to understand the contribution of nuclear and mitochondrial genetics to metabolic phenotypes. Insights from these rare metabolic conditions may help to better understand and treat more widespread problems related to energy balance, including obesity and diabetes.
Dr. McCormack's profile on the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania website.
Titles
Attending Physician
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Certifications
Diplomate – American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM)
Pediatric Endocrinology – American Board of Pediatrics
Pediatrics – American Board of Pediatrics
Awards and Honors
2019, Young Investigator Award, Uplifting Athletes
2016, American Society for Clinical Investigation Young Investigators Award
2013, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) Fellowship
2012, Travel Award for Young Investigators Pediatric Academic Society, Boston MA
2011, Outstanding Abstract and Travel Award Endocrine Society, Boston MA
2010, Fellow Travel Award, Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society
2008, Resident Teaching Award, Harvard Medical School
2006, Family-Centered Care Award, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
2002, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Student Research Fellowship
1999, Phi Beta Kappa Society, Harvard College
1996, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Leadership and Memberships
Memberships in Professional Organizations
International
2015-present, Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders
National
2015-present, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
2014-present, Society for Pediatric Research
2014-2017, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- 2014-2017, Chair, Mitochondrial Disease Common Data Element Working Group on Endocrinology, Diabetes, GI, Nutrition
2013-present, United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
2013-present, Mitochondrial Medicine Society
- 2016, Mitochondrial Preventative Care Work Group, Endocrinology Lead
2009-present, Pediatric Endocrine Society
2009-present, Endocrine Society
- 2017-2020, Member, Research Affairs Core Committee
- 2017-2020, Member, Diabetes Government and Public Affairs Advisory Board
Editorial and Academic Positions
Editorial Positions
Ad hoc reviewer
2016-present, Science Translational Medicine
2016-present, British Journal of Nutrition
2016-present, BMJ Open
2016-present, International Journal of Epidemiology
2015-present, Metabolism
2015-present, PLOS One
2014-present, Pediatric Obesity
2013-present, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Academic and Institutional Committees
2013-present, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Scientific Review Committee
Research Interests
Dr. McCormack studies the neuroendocrine systems that regulate energy balance in humans. Her translational and clinical research program has two main areas of focus. First, her team studies individuals with metabolic disorders with characterized by risk for diabetes mellitus, including primary mitochondrial diseases, Friedreich's ataxia, and lipodystrophy. Second, her group focuses on brain disorders associated with excess weight gain, including brain-tumor related hypothalamic obesity syndrome and idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Education & training
Graduate Degree
Master of Science in Translational Research (MTR) - University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA
Medical Degree
MD - Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Internship
Pediatrics - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Residency
Pediatrics - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Fellowship
Pediatric Endocrinology - Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA