Forkhead Transcription Factors: Vital Elements in Biology and Medicine provides a unique platform for the presentation of novel work and new insights into the vital role that forkhead transcription factors play in multiple systems throughout the body. Leading international authorities provide their knowledge and insights to offer a novel perspective for translational medicine that highlights the role of forkhead genes and proteins that may have the greatest impact for the development of new strategies for a broad array of disorders. Equally important, Forkhead Transcription Factors: Vital Elements in Biology and Medicine clearly sets a precedent for the necessity to understand the diverse and complex nature of forkhead proteins since this family of transcription factors can limit as well as foster disease progression depending upon the cellular environment. The presentation and discussion of innovative studies and especially those that examine previously unexplored pathways that may influence clinical survival and longevity offer an exciting approach to address the potential of forkhead transcription factors for new therapeutic avenues in multiple disciplines.

KENNETH MAIESE is a physicianscientist whose interests focus on the basic and clinical mechanisms that control neuronal and vascular longevity and immune system function. He presently is the Chief of the Division of Cellular and Molecular Cerebral Ischemia and is a Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Anatomy and Cell Biology, the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Dr. Maiese graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Suma cum Laude with Distinction and received his medical degree as a Teagle and Grupe Foundation Scholar from Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He obtained his internship and residency at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and subsequently completed his clinical and basic science postdoctoral training at Cornell and the National Institute of Aging.

Dr. Maiese has been fortunate to receive recognition with outstanding teaching awards and election to America's Top Physicians and The Best of U.S. Physicians. His investigations are designed to translate basic science into successful therapeutic treatments for conditions such as cancer, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. His work has received the distinction of 'High Impact Research and Potential Public Health Benefit' by the National Institutes of Health with continuous funding from sources that include the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the Bugher Foundation, a Johnson and Johnson Focused Giving Award, and the National Institutes of Health. He chairs national grant committees and is a chartered panel member or consultant for several national and international foundations as well as multiple study sections and special emphasis panels for the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Maiese serves as the Editor-in-Chief for two international journals as well an Associate Editor or a member of the editorial board for several journals, executive committees, technology transfer panels, and scientific advisory councils. Given the broad applications of his work, Dr. Maiese is frequently honored as the chairperson and/or the plenary speaker for a number of international symposiums in a range of disciplines that include cell biology, neuroscience, vascular biology, cardiac disease, molecular oncology, and renal physiology.