2019 M. Irené Ferrer Awardee, Columbia University
Dr. Gabrielle Page-Wilson is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Division of Endocrinology (the glands that produce hormones). She studies how the endocrine glands regulate metabolism and energy balance. She is particularly interested in pituitary tumors. She has a longstanding clinical and research interest in diagnosing and treating pituitary diseases and reproductive hormonal disorders. Dr. Page-Wilson has a special interest in diagnosing and treating rare diseases including Cushing’s syndrome, prolactinomas, and hypothalamic obesity. She also has extensive expertise in the management of reproductive conditions including PCOS, amenorrhea, menopause, and male hypogonadism, as well as in obesity medicine.
Awarded: $60,000
What is Dr. Gabrielle Paige-Wilson studying?
Doctor Gabrielle Paige-Wilson is studying disorders that produce obesity in humans including diseases of the pituitary and adrenal glands, as well as excessive weight gain in pregnancy.
Hormonal Regulation and the Role of Cortisol
Most recently, Dr. Gabrielle Page-Wilson demonstrated that cortisol—the stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands—is a key regulator of Agouti-related protein, a brain peptide that stimulates appetite and reduces energy expenditure. This mechanism helps the body store food and conserve energy during times of stress. Building on this, Dr. Page-Wilson is investigating how oral steroids (glucocorticoids), which are biologically similar to cortisol and commonly used to reduce inflammation, often lead to weight gain and obesity through mechanisms that remain unclear.
Sex Differences and Broader Obesity Research
Her research also explores how these effects differ between males and females, with a focus on their impact on appetite and caloric expenditure. In addition to steroid-related weight gain, Dr. Page-Wilson studies disorders that cause obesity in humans, including diseases of the pituitary and adrenal glands, as well as excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Her work aims to better understand and prevent the unwanted side effects of vital medications and hormonal imbalances.
Why study global obesity?
By 2025, global obesity is expected to affect 18% of men and 21% of women, with low and middle-income countries experiencing the steepest increases. Only 7% of countries have policies to address this phenomenon. Obesity is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast, liver, and colon cancer, as well as diseases of the liver, respiratory system, and joints.
What did Dr. Paige-Wilson find?
Dr. Paige-Wilson has shown that obesity is an independent risk factor for severe complications of COVID-19 infection, particularly for women. 75.2% of patients in her survey of over a thousand hospitalized individuals were obese: 58.7% were men, and over half were either Black or Hispanic. She has also concentrated on Cushing’s disease, which is caused by an over-secretion of cortisol; in her study of 55 patients with this disorder, she showed that despite effective treatment, weight gain, pain, and anxiety resisted improvement in the disease and required focused attention from health care professionals treating these individuals.
Her interest in the pituitary control of hormone secretion extended to studies on therapeutic interventions that are or might be effective in the treatment of pituitary tumors.
How did The Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine’s grant impact Dr. Paige Wilson’s research?
Since receiving our award, Doctor Paige-Wilson has published four papers in prestigious journals. Her paper, A medical chart audit to assess endocrinologist perceptions of the burden of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome was published in the National Library of Medicine, January 8, 2024. All of her published papers can be found on Google Scholar. This level of productivity attests to the importance of her work and justifies our naming her a Ferrer scholar.
What is Dr. Gabrielle Paige-Wilson’s current status?
Dr. Paige-Wilson continues her work at Columbia MR Research Center and in the Department of Medicine at the Vagelos School of Medicine at Columbia University.