Dr. Gary Désir

Biography

Gary V. Désir, MD, is the Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine and Vice Provost for Faculty Development at Yale University. He served as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine from 2013 to 2025 and is the chief of Internal Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital. A physician-scientist, his work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, American Heart Association, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. His significant contributions to science include the discovery of the specific voltage-gated potassium channel that regulates body weight and insulin sensitivity, as well as the identification of a new growth factor called renalase. He has elucidated cellular signaling pathways affected by renalase and discovered the function of a protein that facilitates cancer development. Currently, his lab focuses on developing drugs to treat cancer by blocking renalase's action in cancer cells. Dr. Désir has been an inventor on patents related to renalase’s therapeutic uses and has founded two biotechnology companies. He is also passionate about diversity and social justice, co-founding the Minority Organization Retention and Expansion (MORE) group to enhance faculty diversity and mentoring, as well as promoting resilient social networks. Born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, he immigrated to the United States to pursue his education at New York University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and later earned his medical degree with honors at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Désir is married to Dr. Deborah Dyett Désir, a rheumatologist at Yale, and they have four children and four grandchildren.

Research Interests

Experience