Bassem M. Shoucri, MD, PhD

Dr. Shoucri is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a pediatric endocrinologist at UCLA. He has a particular interest in pediatric obesity and its long-term effects, including type 2 diabetes. He sees patients in the endocrine clinic as well as the FIT for Health clinic, which offers comprehensive care for children with obesity. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Shoucri studies fat tissue and the complex role it plays in health and disease. In the lab, he investigates the genetic, environmental, and developmental factors that determine how and where the body stores energy as fat. The long-term goal of his research is to develop therapies that help the body store energy safely, preventing the complications of obesity before they start.

An L.A. native, Dr. Shoucri earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at UC San Diego before spending a research year at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, MD. He returned to California to earn his MD and PhD degrees as part of the UC Irvine Medical Scientist Training Program. Dr. Shoucri then came to UCLA, where he completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship in endocrinology. As a fellow, Dr. Shoucri conducted postdoctoral research in metabolism and fat tissue biology.

When he is not in the lab or clinic, Dr. Shoucri can often be found at the beach with his wife and daughters.