Herbert Gaisano, M.D., receives Distinguished Alumni Award
Professor of medicine and physiology
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada
Fellowship: Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, Minnesota
Residencies: Internal medicine, gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
Internship: Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
Medical school: University of the Philippines College of Medicine
Undergraduate: Pre-medicine, University of the Philippines
Hometown: Province of Cebu, Philippines
TOP INVESTIGATOR OF PANCREATIC AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
In 2013, a group of scientists was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the important discovery of membrane fusion mediated by soluble NSF attachment receptor (SNARE) proteins.
Herbert Gaisano, M.D. (GI ’84, I ’86, GI ’90), quickly realized that the fundamental basis of membrane fusion had important implications for cells outside the nervous system. He was among the first to show that SNARE proteins mediate secretion in the pancreas. This began a series of major contributions to secretory cell biology — discoveries that illuminated the pathogenesis of common diseases such as diabetes and pancreatitis.
Dr. Gaisano is a professor of medicine and physiology at the University of Toronto, a staff physician in the Division of Gastroenterology in the University Health Network and a senior scientist at Toronto General Research Institute. He is recognized worldwide as one of the top investigators in the pancreatic exocrine and islet function fields, and he leads a premier pancreatic cell biology research laboratory.
Dr. Gaisano’s outstanding body of work includes 240 original manuscripts with more than 12,500 citations. His research elucidated the role of SNARE proteins on pancreatic acinar cell and islet beta cell exocytosis and showed that atypical behavior of these proteins is a critical component in pancreatic diseases, including alcoholic pancreatitis and insulin secretory deficiency in diabetes. His work has major translational impact on potential treatments for diabetes and other pancreatic diseases.
Dr. Gaisano was the lead primary investigator and director of two major Canada Foundation for Innovation awards, which funded the creation of the Center for Diet, Digestive Tract and Disease and the Center for Islet Research and Therapeutics; the latter spearheaded the successful launch of a clinical islet transplantation program at Toronto General Hospital.
In addition to his status as a renowned clinician-scientist in the fields of endocrinology and gastroenterology, he is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of researchers. As one example, he started an exchange program to bring M.D.-Ph.D. students from the University of the Philippines medical school, his alma mater, to his laboratory in Toronto.
Dr. Gaisano has received numerous recognitions and awards for his contributions to gastroenterology and diabetes, including the Order of Ontario, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, equivalent to the National Academy of Medicine.
The Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1981 by the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees to acknowledge and show appreciation for the exceptional contributions of Mayo alumni to the field of medicine, including medical practice, research, education, and administration. Individuals receiving this award are recognized nationally — and often internationally — in their fields. Read about the other 2025 recipients here.