The Department of Physiology Seminar Series continues TODAY, February 6th, with Dr. Erin J. Stephenson, PhD, Assistant Professor from Midwestern University and former UT Postdoc in Physiology and in Pediatrics. Her seminar titled “Defining molecular adaptations that mediate the metabolic effects of Physical Inactivity” will be presented 3:30-5:00 PM in the Cancer Research Building Auditorium (19 S. Manassas St. Room 114). Refreshments will be provided.
Summary:
There is an urgent and unmet need to identify the fundamental mechanisms underpinning metabolic impairments that increase cardiometabolic disease risk. This is especially true for bioenergetic adaptations associated with modifiable risk-factors such as obesity and physical inactivity. Sudden physical inactivity (i.e., bed rest, cessation of an exercise training program, or a marked reduction in daily step count) is known to rapidly induce systemic insulin resistance and does so through effects directly associated with changes in skeletal muscle. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for these effects remain to be defined. This presentation will discuss recent work that identifies a putative mechanism through which reductions in physical activity may drive metabolic inflexibility and disrupt metabolic health.
Brief Bio:
Dr. Erin J. Stephenson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy at Midwestern University, holding appointments in the College of Graduate Studies, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Health Sciences, and College of Dental Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) in 2013, under the mentorship of renowned exercise physiologist Dr. John Hawley. Her thesis work defined how mitochondrial bioenergetics and their ability to adapt to exercise and nutritional interventions influence metabolic health.
Following her doctoral work, Dr. Stephenson completed two postdoctoral fellowships at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Her first postdoc was with Dr. Dave Bridges in the Department of Physiology, where she worked on defining molecular mechanisms that promote energy storage in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Her second postdoc was with Dr. Joan Han in the Department of Pediatrics, where her research focus was on understanding how deficits in energy expenditure contribute to obesity development in patients with and mouse models of monogenic ciliopathies. Since starting her independent lab in 2020, Dr. Stephenson’s research has centered on understanding how bioenergetic adaptations influence tissue structure and function, focusing primarily on mechanisms spanning skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue and the crosstalk that occurs between these organs.