Katya Rubinow, MD
Email: rubinow@uw.edu
- Associate Director, Clinical Research Unit, UW Medicine Diabetes Institute
- Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition
- Home Department Website: https://endocrinology.uw.edu/
Dr. Rubinow did her undergraduate work at Harvard University and subsequently received her MD from the Yale School of Medicine. She completed the Internal Medicine Residency program at the University of Pennsylvania and thereafter moved to Seattle for fellowship training in endocrinology at the University of Washington. Dr. Rubinow pursued her research training under the mentorship of Drs. Stephanie Page, MD, PhD, and Karin Bornfeldt, PhD. She completed her fellowship in 2012 and now serves as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition. Her inpatient and outpatient clinical efforts are centered at Harborview Medical Center, and she performs translational research in metabolism at the UW and UW-South Lake Union campuses.
Research Interests
Dr. Rubinow’s work centers on the role of nuclear receptors in metabolism, with special focus on sex steroids and retinoic acid. Dr. Rubinow has performed clinical studies in men examining the effects of sex steroid manipulation on body composition, insulin sensitivity, and adipose tissue biology. She also has examined the effects of sex steroid deprivation and replacement on metrics of HDL composition and function. These studies to date have demonstrated that estradiol is important for suppressing fat mass in men. Her work also has shown that estradiol in particular may be a key determinant of HDL function and particle size in both men and women. Through a new collaboration with Dr. Nina Isoherranen, PhD, Dr. Rubinow will be examining the role of retinoic acid – a vitamin A metabolite – in obesity and its complications.
Dr. Rubinow has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the University of Washington Diabetes Research Center.
How can this research help people with diabetes?
Changes in sex steroid exposure are common in both women and men as a result of many factors including age and medical therapies. Understanding the effects of sex steroids on body weight regulation and insulin sensitivity are critical for optimizing metabolic health and reducing risk of obesity and diabetes, particularly with advancing age.