I · A life in science & art
Endocrinologist · Obesity & diabetes researcher · Pastel artist
Most-cited author in obesity research, 1991–2000
ISI Essential Science Indicators, December 2001Citations of the 1996 NEJM leptin paper
OpenAlex · November 1, 2026Papers, book chapters and books
Author’s CV · 2021 summaryBorn in Granada, Spain; his family later emigrated to Argentina.
Medical studies in Madrid and Montevideo, followed by an MD in 1973.
Internal medicine at Jefferson; Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Rochester.
Established the endocrinology division and University Diabetes Center.
Magee Professor and Chairman of Medicine.
Vice President at Lilly Research Laboratories and Professor of Medicine at Indiana University.
Helped initiate BRIDGES and Peers for Progress with Lilly Foundation support.
Turned to painting at age 60.
In 1995–1996, the Jefferson group and Lilly collaborators studied leptin in human obesity. Caro was the senior / last author of the 1996 NEJM paper reporting higher circulating leptin in people with obesity; the findings helped shape research into leptin resistance.
At East Carolina, his group studied liver, muscle and fat tissue obtained during bariatric surgery. Their 1986–1987 studies described reduced insulin-receptor kinase activity in liver and muscle from people with type 2 diabetes.
With surgeon Walter Pories at East Carolina, Caro investigated metabolic changes after gastric bypass. Their studies examined diabetes control and the progression from impaired glucose tolerance to diabetes in people with severe obesity.
N Engl J Med 334(5):292–295 · 1996 · DOI · PMID 8532024
Cited by 6,326 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)J Clin Invest 95(5):2409–2415 · 1995 · DOI · PMID 7738205
Cited by 3,539 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)Lancet 348(9021):159–161 · 1996 · DOI · PMID 8684156
Cited by 1,175 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)Diabetes 45(11):1455–1462 · 1996 · DOI · PMID 8866547
Cited by 982 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)J Clin Invest 95(6):2986–2988 · 1995 · DOI · PMID 7769141
Cited by 353 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)J Clin Invest 79(5):1330–1337 · 1987 · DOI · PMID 3033021
Cited by 341 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)J Clin Invest 78(1):249–258 · 1986 · DOI · PMID 3522628
Cited by 215 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)Ann Surg 206(3):316–323 · 1987 · DOI · PMID 3632094
Cited by 185 (OpenAlex, November 1, 2026)After leading the Department of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College, Caro served as Vice President of Endocrine Research and Clinical Investigation and of Global Diabetes Care at Lilly Research Laboratories (1996–2008).
He helped initiate BRIDGES at the International Diabetes Federation and Peers for Progress with Lilly Foundation support. BRIDGES supported translational diabetes research; Peers for Progress developed peer support. He is co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Emeritus of Peers for Progress.
Caro recalls a painting by his great-granduncle, the Spanish artist Rafael Eiroa. It traveled with the family to Argentina, rolled in a trunk. Years later, as a teenager, he repaired the damaged canvas—and wanted to study art.
“study son, you will always have time to paint”His father’s words, recalled in Art Milestones
He became a physician. He left medicine and science at 60 to make time for painting, beginning a new career in art in 2008. He studied at the Indianapolis Art Center (2008–2010) and Carteret Community College (2010–2012).
Eight pastels · select a work to enlarge
Images: José F. Caro, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY / CC BY-SA. Individual source and license links accompany each work. Images resized and compressed; compositions preserved.
“my very first painting… before 2001 I didn’t know I could paint”
Marice E. Caro, caption to Fish, on the original site.
