V. Daniel Castracane and Michael C. Henson

The topic of leptin and its role in the regulation of obesity led eventually to the observation of significant effects on reproduction. It is with great pleasure that I was able to recruit Drs. Daniel Castracane and Michael Henson to serve as guest editors on this issue of leptin's role in reproduction. Both scientists have had major interests on this topic for a number of years.

Dr. Dan Castracane received a B.A. degree from Temple University; a master's in biology, experimental embryology from Villanova University; and a doctoral degree from Rutgers University. He then spent time as a research scientist at the Southwest Foundation for Research and Education in San Antonio, and since 1985 he has been on the faculty of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Amarillo, Texas. Dr. Castracane is a recognized expert in a number of areas of reproductive medicine and has published 100 peer-reviewed articles. He is a member of a number of scientific organizations and serves on three editorial boards at present. But most importantly, he is the principal researcher on the Amarillo campus.

Dr. Mike Henson received B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Tennessee and a Ph.D. in Animal Physiology from the University of Arkansas in 1985. He was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow in Perinatal Endocrinology and later Research Assistant Professor in the Center for Studies in Reproduction and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. In 1992 he joined the faculty of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Tulane University School of Medicine, in New Orleans, where he is currently Associate Professor, Chief of the Section of Perinatal Research, and Director of Ob-Gyn Research. He is an Affiliate Scientist at the Tulane National Primate Research Center, a component of the Tulane University Health Science Center. His research interests center on mechanisms regulating the endocrinology of the primate maternal-fetoplacental unit, and he has published extensively on the roles and regulation of leptin in pregnancy.