Title: Help! My Shoes No Longer Fit… and Neither Does My Heart!

Presenter: Zehra B. Omer ’10, Undeclared

Advisor: Mark Goldman, Physics

Abstract: What does a shoe store employee do when a customer says his feet grew two sizes in the past year? He refers him to the local endocrinologist, of course! Acromegaly is a rare condition that develops when there is too much growth hormone in the body. While it is marked by enlargement in the size of the hands, feet, and jaws, patients are more concerned about their cardiovascular condition. Too much growth hormone leads to thickening of the heart walls and stiffening of the blood vessels, which may be related to increased levels of infl ammatory cytokines, and markers of endothelial dysfunction in the blood. I will discuss my summer conducting a clinical research study at Massachusetts General Hospital, during which I gained hands-on patient experience and found a renewed enthusiasm for the booming fi eld of endocrinology.