Bruce R. Carr, M.D.

It is my privilege to present the readers of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine with a special issue that focuses on research that is of great interest to our Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. The title of the issue is Adrenal Androgens in Human Physiology and it will include both basic and clinical aspects of adrenal function. The Guest Editors, Dr. William Rainey and myself (Dr. Bruce Carr) have recruited several outstanding authors with expertise in this field.

First, I would like to introduce the readers to my colleague of 15 years, Dr. William Rainey. Bill completed an undergraduate degree and Masters degree at the University of North Texas in Denton and then received a Ph.D. in Cell Biology at UT Southwestern. Currently, Bill is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Cell Biology in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Cell Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. His research interests include the regulation of steroid metabolism in the human adrenal and ovary, the role of the fetal adrenal in timing of parturition, the regulation of adrenarche, and the genetic causes of hyperaldosteronism. Dr. Rainey is the author of more than 250 scientific publications and abstracts and is the American editor of the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. He is a member of numerous scientific societies, past member of the National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular and Renal study section, and a member of numerous editorial boards.

I received my undergraduate and Medical degrees from the University of Michigan Undergraduate School and Medical School. My wife and I arrived in Dallas in 1971 and, except for 3 years in the U.S. Army in Germany, have resided in Dallas since that time. I completed a residency and fellowship at UT Southwestern and was promoted to professor in 1988. I am Holder of the Paul C. MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor and Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. My research interests include the regulation of steroid metabolism in the human ovary, GnRH analogs, hirsutism, leiomyoma, infertility, and menopause. In addition, I work closely with Bill on projects related to the mechanisms controlling fetal and adult adrenal androgen production. I am the author of more than 500 scientific publications and abstracts and the editor of the Textbook of Reproductive Medicine and Essential Reproductive Medicine. I am a member of numerous scientific societies, past chairman of the National Institutes of Health study section for Reproductive Endocrinology, board examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a member of numerous editorial boards.

We hope the readers will consider this current issue of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine a CLASSIC review of the issues surrounding adrenal androgen physiology.