Karel Pacak, MD, PhD, DSc
Outstanding Clinical Investigator Award
Karel Pacak, MD, Phd, DSc, is chief of the Section on Medical Neuroendocrinology and head of the Developmental Endocrinology, Metabolism, Genetics and Endocrine Oncology Affinity Group of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the Intramural NIH Research Program in Bethesda, Md. His translational research has provided novel understanding of and treatments for patients with neuroendocrine tumors, especially pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.
Pacak established the International Symposia on Pheochromocytoma, the most internationally recognized meeting in this field. He was part of the Endocrine Society’s 2014 Pheochromocytoma Task Force and currently serves as a member of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism’s Editorial Board.
As a Laureate Award recipient, do you have any advice for those just beginning their careers?
It does not matter the work you are destined to as long as you are driven by imagination and passion for what you do. Imagination is the beginning of creating unique and limitless possibilities, however, it is passion that can move you to its realization. We cannot truly make an impact on this world without imagination and passion, and without them, a person will fall into mediocrity.