Shalender Bhasin, MD
Dr. Bhasin is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Research Program in Men's Health, Aging and Metabolism, and Director of the Boston Claude D. Pepper Aging Research Center at Brigham and Women's hospital.
Dr. Bhasin is a translational investigator, whose investigations have been notable for their bold study design, innovation, and their enduring impact in bringing resolution to some of the most controversial issues in reproductive endocrinology and in spawning a whole new biotechnology industry around the clinical applications of androgens and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). Dr. Bhasin’s discoveries include characterization of testosterone’s biologic effects, its dose-response relationships in men and women, and its potential benefits and adverse effects. His research provided the first demonstration that testosterone increases muscle mass and strength, elucidated the mechanisms by which testosterone increases muscle mass and stimulates erythropoiesis, and clarified the role of steroid 5α-reductase type 2 in men.
He chaired the Endocrine Society's panel that developed the guidelines for testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men. Dr. Bhasin has led important randomized trials of testosterone in hypogonadal men, in older men with age related decline in testosterone, and in men and women with sarcopenia and functional limitations. These RCTs have clarified the benefits and risks of testosterone and formed the basis of the testosterone guideline, which he has led since 2005 through its 3 updates. He has led the efforts to generate harmonized, population-based references ranges for testosterone in men, characterized testosterone’s binding to SHBG and described a new model for estimation of free testosterone. He has served as an Associate Editor of the JCEM and the Journal of Andrology, the Chair of the Clinical Guidelines and of the Expert Panel that developed guidelines for Testosterone Therapy, and Chair of ABIM Endocrinology and Metabolism Subspecialty Board.