Dr. Rader is the Seymour Gray Professor of Molecular Medicine and Chair of the Department of Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Daniel’s research focuses on the human genetics and functional genomics of lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis, as well as the translational implications for novel therapeutic approaches. He ‘rescued’ an abandoned molecule that reduces cholesterol and led the successful development of this compound as a novel therapeutic for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. He is known for his work in HDL metabolism and HDL function, as well as for his pioneering studies of novel biological pathways in lipid metabolism and cardiometabolic disease revealed through human genetics studies. He has been a champion of ‘genomic medicine’ and its potential benefits in guiding preventive therapies.

Daniel trained in internal medicine at Yale and in lipidology, human genetics, and translational research at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. At Penn, he also serves as Chief of the Divisions of Human Genetics in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics and Associate Director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, and he founded and directs the Penn Medicine BioBank, an integrated resource to support human genetics and translational research. He is a recipient of several national and international awards and has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.