Skip to main content
Sign In

Resources For: Prospective Students | Current Students | Parents | Faculty & Staff | Alumni & Friends | Patients

 

Robert H. Eckel, M.D.

Charles A. Boettcher Endowed Chair in Atherosclerosis
Professor of Medicine - Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, and Cardiology
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
Program Director, Adult General Clinical Research Center

Dr. Eckel received both his Bachelor of Sciences in Bacteriology (1969) and his Medical Doctorate (1973) from the University of Cincinnati. He did his Housestaff training in Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals (1974-1976) and from there did a senior fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Eckel was then appointed as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (1979) where he is now Professor of Medicine and holds the Charles A. Boettcher Endowed Chair in Atherosclerosis. In addition, Dr. Eckel has held joint appointments in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Genetics (1989-1995), the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University, and an adjunct appointments in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also the Director of the Lipid Clinic at University Hospital.

Presently Dr. Eckel’s research is focused on the relationship between nutrition, insulin action, energy balance and body weight regulation with experiments carried out in both humans and mice. Dr. Eckel's research has led to his involvement and presidency in a number of national organizations, including the American Heart Association, the Western Society for Clinical Investigation, the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, and the Association for Patient Oriented Research.

​
​​

  • Lipids
  • Obesity
  • Metabolism
  • Diabetes
​

Selected Publications

  1. Tissue-Specific Responses of Lipoprotein Lipase to Dietary Macronutrient Composition as a Predictor of Weight Gain Over 4 Years.
    Ferland A, Château-Degat ML, Hernandez TL, Eckel RH.
    Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012 Jan 19. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.372. [Epub ahead of print]
  2. Prevention of overweight/obesity as a strategy to optimize cardiovascular health.
    Cornier MA, Marshall JA, Hill JO, Maahs DM, Eckel RH.
    Circulation. 2011 Aug 16;124(7):840-50. Review. No abstract available.
  3. Childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease: links and prevention strategies.
    Nadeau KJ, Maahs DM, Daniels SR, Eckel RH.
    Nat Rev Cardiol. 2011 Jun 14;8(9):513-25. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2011.86. Review.
  4. Obesity and type 2 diabetes: what can be unified and what needs to be individualized?
    Eckel RH, Kahn SE, Ferrannini E, Goldfine AB, Nathan DM, Schwartz MW, Smith RJ, Smith SR.
    J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Jun;96(6):1654-63.
  5. Triglycerides and heart disease: still a hypothesis?
    Goldberg IJ, Eckel RH, McPherson R.
    Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2011 Aug;31(8):1716-25. Epub 2011 Apr 28. Review.
  6. Fat redistribution following suction lipectomy: defense of body fat and patterns of restoration.
    Hernandez TL, Kittelson JM, Law CK, Ketch LL, Stob NR, Lindstrom RC, Scherzinger A, Stamm ER, Eckel RH.
    Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Jul;19(7):1388-95. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.64. Epub 2011 Apr 7.
  7. Deficiency of lipoprotein lipase in neurons modifies the regulationof energy balance and leads to obesity.
    Wang H, Astarita G, Taussig MD, Bharadwaj KG, DiPatrizio NV, Nave KA, Piomelli D, Goldberg IJ, Eckel RH.
    Cell Metab. 2011 Jan 5;13(1):105-13.
  8. Fatty acids increase glucose uptake and metabolism in C2C12 myoblasts stably transfected with human lipoprotein lipase.
    Capell WH, Schlaepfer IR, Wolfe P, Watson PA, Bessesen DH, Pagliassotti MJ, Eckel RH.
    Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Oct;299(4):E576-83. Epub 2010 Jul 13.
  9. Approach to the patient who is intolerant of statin therapy.
    Eckel RH.
    J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 May;95(5):2015-22.
  10. Lipoprotein subfraction cholesterol distribution is proatherogenic in women with type 1 diabetes and insulin resistance.
    Maahs DM, Hokanson JE, Wang H, Kinney GL, Snell-Bergeon JK, East A, Bergman BC, Schauer IE, Rewers M, Eckel RH.
    Diabetes. 2010 Jul;59(7):1771-9. Epub 2010 Apr 14.
  11. Altered intramuscular lipid metabolism relates to diminished insulin action in men, but not women, in progression to diabetes.
    Perreault L, Bergman BC, Hunerdosse DM, Eckel RH.
    Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Nov;18(11):2093-100. Epub 2010 Apr 8.
  12. Increased intramuscular lipid synthesis and low saturation relate to insulin sensitivity in endurance-trained athletes.
    Bergman BC, Perreault L, Hunerdosse DM, Koehler MC, Samek AM, Eckel RH.
    J Appl Physiol. 2010 May;108(5):1134-41. Epub 2010 Mar 18.
  13. The metabolic syndrome.
    Eckel RH, Alberti KG, Grundy SM, Zimmet PZ.
    Lancet. 2010 Jan 16;375(9710):181-3. No abstract available.
  14. Lack of suppression of circulating free fatty acids and hypercholesterolemia during weight loss on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.
    Hernandez TL, Sutherland JP, Wolfe P, Allian-Sauer M, Capell WH, Talley ND, Wyatt HR, Foster GD, Hill JO, Eckel RH.
    Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar;91(3):578-85. Epub 2010 Jan 27.
  15. Inflexibility in intramuscular triglyceride fractional synthesis distinguishes prediabetes from obesity in humans.
    Perreault L, Bergman BC, Hunerdosse DM, Playdon MC, Eckel RH.
    Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Aug;18(8):1524-31. Epub 2009 Dec 24.

​​
  • Lipid Disorders
  • Morbid Obesity (> 100 lbs. Over Normal)
  • Diabetes​

Medical Schools
MD, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (1973)

Internships
University of Wisconsin (Madison) Program (1974)

Residency Program
University of Wisconsin (Madison) Program, Internal Medicine (1976)

Fellowships
University of Washington Program, Internal Medicine - Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (1979)

​​

​Picture

 ​

​Name

​Title

​ ​ Elizabeth Donald​ ​Professional Research Assistant
​ ​ ​Andrew Libby ​Professional Research Assistant
​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ Hong Wang, Ph.D.​ ​Assistant Professor
​ ​ ​Yongping Wang ​Professional Research Assistant
​ ​ ​Tian Yu, PhD ​Postdoctoral Fellow