CHOC physician and researcher Dr. Jose Abdenur, an expert in genetics and metabolism and a leading authority on rare childhood diseases, was honored by the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce at its 2024 Excellence in Healthcare gala.
Dr. Abdenur was selected as an honoree in the practitioner category for going above and beyond best practices to deliver extraordinary care.
“It’s an honor to recognize Dr. Abdenur as the Excellence in Healthcare Practitioner of the Year for his leadership at CHOC and for his contributions to his field, the community, and patients,” said Bryan Starr, president and chief executive of the Greater Irvine Chamber, whose annual black-tie event was held Jan. 11.
Dr. Abdenur is chief of the division of metabolic disorders at CHOC and director of CHOC’s metabolic laboratory, one of only a few such laboratories in the United States. He said it was an honor to receive the award and that the chamber’s recognition of the importance of health care for the community is highly encouraging.
“I’m thankful to CHOC for trusting me 21 years ago to build the metabolic program – it has been a great journey,” Dr. Abdenur said. “We have an amazing team that takes care of patients with the most difficult and rare diseases. They are all committed to helping our families everyday through their difficult journey.”
Dr. Abdenur added: “I’m also very proud of our diagnostic laboratory and our clinical and translational research teams. They work very hard, knowing that there is always a patient in need behind their efforts.
“Finally, I’m blessed with a family that always stood by me. They understood the crazy number of hours, day and night, weekdays and weekends, that I devoted to this dream.”
Praise from colleagues
Several colleagues of Dr. Abdenur were on hand to watch him win the award.
“Understanding genetics and metabolism is critical to the treatment of many severe childhood diseases, and Dr. Abdenur stands at the forefront of this area,” said Dr. Terence Sanger, vice president and chief scientific officer at CHOC. “We’re so pleased that he is being honored for his contributions to the health of our children, and we look forward to supporting and expanding his work in the future.”
Also in attendance was Dr. Raymond Wang, whom Dr. Abdenur hired to the metabolic team at CHOC in 2007 straight out of Dr. Wang’s fellowship.
“I came to CHOC expressing my desire to focus entirely upon clinical care of metabolic patients, but when I began to have an inclination toward research, he was – and continues to be – tremendously supportive of my career goals,” Dr. Wang said.
“He enabled me to pursue my aspirations to be an extramurally physician-scientist and I am so thankful for his mentorship and guidance over the years,” Dr. Wang added. “He truly desires to see his mentees succeed in their goals, and Orange County is very blessed to have such a dedicated physician and researcher caring for its children.”
‘Outstanding physician scientist’
Through its Excellence in Healthcare dinner and awards program, the Greater Irvine Chamber recognizes outstanding healthcare organizations, executives, practitioners, and other innovative industry leaders who continue to serve and make advancements in the region’s vibrant healthcare sector.
Anyone is able to submit a nomination. Honorees are selected based on merit, not number of nominations.
Dr. Abdenur is board certified in clinical biochemical genetics. He is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, and program director for the Clinical Biochemical Genetics in the UCLA Intercampus Medical Genetics Training Program.
He also is director of the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD) CHOC-UCI Center of Excellence for Rare Diseases and one of the principal investigators for the CHOC-UCI Diagnostic Center of Excellence for the Undiagnosed Disease Network (NIH).
Dr. Abdenur’s passions are centered on rare diseases, improving the means and process of diagnosis for families, management of rare conditions, and promoting research for new treatments. He has a special interest in mitochondrial diseases.
As an internationally trained physician, Dr. Abdenur maintains close ties to multiple centers dedicated to rare diseases and research and is the past president of the Latin American Society for Inborn Errors of Metabolism and Newborn Screening. He received his medical training at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina and completed his pediatric residency training at Hospital General de Ninos Dr. Pedro de Elizalde in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. Abdenur completed fellowship training in pediatric endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at North Shore University Hospital, Cornell University Medical College. He then completed his fellowship training in biochemical genetics, at the Denver Children’s Hospital and the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Lastly, he completed his fellowship in clinical genetics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Among his many previous other awards, Dr. Abdenur was named an “Agent of Change” by theChildren and Families Commission of Orange County.
“He’s an outstanding physician scientist,” said Dr. Colleen Cunningham, senior vice president and pediatrician-in-chief at CHOC and chair of the UCI Department of Pediatrics. “He provides exceptional patient care and, as part of that care, he seeks a better understanding of the underlying problem and develops solutions to his patients’ clinical issues.
“The result is that he addresses his patients care needs and generates information that results in improved care for children worldwide. It’s really a pleasure to see him work.”
