Goodyear to present the 2023 UCEM Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) will host its 2023 Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture on April 14, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. CT at the UAB Kaul Finley Conference Center. Registration is required to attend.
Laurie J. Goodyear, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Joslin Diabetes Center will deliver the lecture entitled “Novel Mechanisms for the Benefits of Exercise on Health.” Goodyear’s research is focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms through which exercise improves health with a major focus on metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
“I am a scientist dedicated to research that will lead to improved human health,” Goodyear said. “This research is bench to bedside, with animal and cell-based basic research leading to discoveries of novel molecules mediating the benefits of exercise on health, human studies to understand if these novel factors may translate to various types of patients, and research designed to determine the optimal types of exercise needed to gain the most beneficial effects on human health.”
The Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture is designed to honor the work of two pioneers of exercise research at UAB - Gary Hunter, PhD, Professor Emeritus Department of Nutrition Sciences and Marcas Bamman, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology and Founding Director of UCEM.
In 2013, UCEM supported the initial Hunter Award Lecture. The award was named in honor of Dr. Hunter who has been an international leader in exercise adaptation, energy metabolism and body composition research with more than 250 peer-reviewed articles in the area. The Hunter Award Lecture was held as part of the UCEM Distinguished Lecture Series from 2013 to 2020.
In 2021, UCEM renamed the lecture to the Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture to continue honoring Dr. Hunter while also recognizing the accomplishments of Dr. Bamman. Dr. Bamman was instrumental in increasing support and awareness for exercise medicine research both at UAB and across the nation. His research on exercise spans from biological underpinnings to clinical outcomes. He has been fostering and directing research for more than 30 years with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Veterans Affairs, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Defense. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and served on the ACSM Board of Trustees and ACSM Science Integration and Leadership Committee. He also served as Chair of the 2021 ACSM World Congress on the Basic Science of Exercise in Regenerative Medicine.
On the UAB campus, Dr. Bamman was responsible for helping establish the > 6000 sq. ft Exercise Clinical Trials facility, and he was also a key driver in garnering NIH support for the current Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC), a Common Fund supported program designed to elucidate the molecular adaptations responsible for the wide variety of benefits of exercise on health.
"Precision-the genes and beyond" Interdisciplinary Research Symposium Recap
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM), the UAB Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the UAB Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (CEDHARS) jointly hosted the "Precision-the genes and beyond" Interdisciplinary Research Symposium on September 15 and 16, 2022 at the Hill Student Center Ballrooms, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. Partnering with CEDHARS, the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) sponsored lunch and photography for the event.
The Symposium had a turnout of 156 participants that comprised scientists, clinicians, students and trainees from various fields. It featured three keynote speakers from external universities, 14 UAB speakers, a trainee poster presentation competition, a flash talk competition and a networking reception. The networking event brought together professionals in exercise medicine, nutrition and obesity, and disability and rehabilitation sciences.
Sessions focused on nutrition, sleep and circadian rhythms, exercise-based therapies to improve disabilities and rehabilitation, therapy identification, adherence and behavior and multi-phase optimization strategy.
Keynote Speakers:
The Symposium’s keynote speakers were Lauren Ptomey, PhD, RD, LD, Associate Professor, Center for Physical Activity & Weight Management, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center; Daniel Beavers, PhD, Associate Professor of Statistical Sciences, Wake Forest University; and Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, PhD, RD, LD, CSCS, Associate Director, Healthy Living at the Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture & Professor of Nutrition, Chief Scientific Officer, Healthy Texas, Texas A&M University.
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Dr. Ptomey
Talk Title - “Weight Management Intervention for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities” -
Dr. Beavers
Talk Title - "Weight Loss and Physical Function in Aging: Study Design and Statistical Considerations" -
Dr. Seguin-Fowler
Talk Title - “Multilevel, Multicomponent Interventions to Advance Health Equity through Community-Engaged Nutrition and Obesity Prevention Research”
UAB Speakers
14 Speakers from various schools within UAB delivered 20-minute talks at the symposium. Scroll through the pictures for their talk titles.
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Dorothy Pekmezi, PhD
Professor, Health Behavior, School of Public Health
“Wearables & mHealth Technologies to Support Rural Populations in Physical Activity” -
Holly Wyatt, MD, PhD
Professor, Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions
“Strategies to increase dietary adherence in research and clinical programs” -
Brooks Wingo, PhD
Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions
“Using technology to monitor and increase dietary adherence among people with physical disabilities” -
Merry-Lynn McDonald, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Heersink School of Medicine
"Genomics of Musculoskeletal Diseases" -
Constanza Cortes, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, Heersink School of Medicine
“The Muscle-to-Brain Axis: Neuroprotection on the Treadmill” -
Anna Thalacker-Mercer, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, Heersink School of Medicine
“Determinants of skeletal muscle health in aging and disease” -
Daniel Smith Jr., PhD
Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions
“Assessing response variability in nutrition interventions” -
Karen Gamble, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine
“To Eat or Not to Eat: When is the Question” -
Courtney M. Peterson, PhD
Associate Professor, Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions
“Meal Timing, Circadian Rhythms, and Precision Nutrition” -
Girish Melkani, PhD
Associate Professor, Pathology, Heersink School of Medicine
“You are when you eat: Time-restricted feeding and circadian clock mediated regulation of cardiometabolic disorders” -
Martin Young, PhD
Professor, Cardiovascular Disease, Heersink School of Medicine
“The interplay between cardiac clock genes and nutrition: Insights gained from murine models” -
Tapan Mehta, PhD
Professor, Family & Community Medicine, Heersink School of Medicine
“Developing sustainable cardiometabolic intervention packages in primary care settings: Leveraging optimization trial designs, machine learning and artificial intelligence” -
Drew Sayer, PhD
Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions
“SMART” Lifestyle Interventions for Improving Health and Wellbeing in People with Obesity” -
Jereme Wilroy, PhD
Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Heersink School of Medicine
“Protocol and design considerations for a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) to increase adherence to home exercise in people with spinal cord injury”
Competitions
Abstract Submission:
All attendees were invited to submit abstracts on basic, clinical, translational, and population science that are broadly related to one or more of the following: exercise medicine, nutrition and obesity, disability and rehabilitation sciences.
Flash talk Competition:
The Symposium featured a flash talk competition, wherein, eight abstracts were selected prior to the symposium for an opportunity to present a 5-minute flash talk to the symposium audience. Abstracts submitted by the participants – with their research’s purpose, methods, results, conclusions, future directions, and acknowledgments – were reviewed by faculty judges prior to the symposium.
Poster Presentation Competition:
The symposium featured a poster presentation competition, highlighting the research of undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral trainees, and junior faculty. From the 38 participants, faculty judges selected 6 winners, and presented $750 travel award each to the flash talk winners, and $400 travel award each to the poster winners. The winners were:
Flash Talk Winners:
Keri Kemp, PhD (Postdoctoral fellow, UAB Nephrology)
Associations between dietary habits and gut microbiota composition in diverse adolescents
Natalie Davis (Graduate trainee, UAB Roberson lab)
Alzheimer’s disease risk factor BIN1 in parvalbumin interneurons
Samia O’Bryan, PhD (Postdoctoral trainee, UAB CDIB)
Attenuated Thigh Lean Mass Gains in Older Adults in Response to High-Intensity
Poster Winners:
Angad Yadav, PhD (Postdoctoral fellow, UAB CDIB)
Metabolically-derived, post-translational protein modifications as determinants of muscle progenitor cell state and function
Huacong (Wendy) Wen, PhD (Postdoctoral fellow, UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
Experiences with COVID-19 pandemic in the spinal cord injury community in Alabama
Kristen Coutinho (Graduate trainee, UAB Cortes Lab)
Skeletal Muscle Overexpression of Transcription Factor E-B (TFEB) Supports Proteomic Changes Involved in Mitochondrial Metabolism During Aging
Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to all attendees!
Thalacker-Mercer appointed as the Associate Director of UCEM
Anna Thalacker-Mercer, PhD, assistant professor in the UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology has been appointed as the Associate Director of UCEM.
Dr. Thalacker-Mercer has been very active with UAB since her postdoctoral fellowship at UAB in 2007 under the mentorship of Marcas Bamman, PhD, Founding Director of UCEM.
“I’m very excited to have Dr. Thalacker-Mercer take this new leadership role within UCEM,” said Thomas Buford, Director of UCEM. “She is an outstanding scientist with a strong history at UAB and a heart for connecting people in related disciplines. I’m excited to see all the exciting ideas and initiatives she will bring to the center.”
Dr. Thalacker-Mercer received her doctorate degree through the Interdepartmental Nutrition Program in the Department of Nutrition Science (formerly Foods and Nutrition) at Purdue University where she developed a strong background in geriatric nutrition and the mechanisms underlying aging skeletal muscle. She continued her research training as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, the Center for Aging Translational Research Program, and UCEM. During her postdoctoral training, she focused on the mechanisms underlying (i) impaired skeletal muscle regeneration with age and (ii) the heterogeneity in exercise-induced myofiber hypertrophy. From UAB, Dr. Thalacker-Mercer transitioned to the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University where she established her research program in identifying and understanding variations in nutrient and metabolic determinants of skeletal muscle regeneration and deterioration that occur with advancing age and disease.
Her research program at UAB looks at identifying and understanding nutrient and metabolic determinants of skeletal muscle (SkM) regeneration and atrophy. This objective is achieved by 1) examining nutrient requirements and the metabolic signature of SkM stem/ progenitor cell expansion; 2) characterizing novel metabolic and molecular regulators of cell expansion, differentiation, and myotube formation; and 3) developing optimal nutrition and anti-inflammatory therapies to improve SkM health. To address these, her program utilizes human and mouse, primary skeletal muscle cell cultures and muscle tissue coupled with state-of-the-art imaging and –omics techniques and technologies.
UCEM Fall 2021 Research Retreat
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine hosted its Fall 2021 Research Retreat on November 4 and 5, 2021 at the Lakeshore Foundation. The two half-day event featured 10-minute presentations of 30 investigators at UAB conducting exercise medicine research.
The retreat was designed to facilitate awareness and new collaborations among investigators across UAB who conduct research broadly related to exercise. More than 80 attendees comprising students, pre-and post-doctoral trainees, faculty and staff joined the sessions virtually. The event showcased seven sessions with interdisciplinary topics that steer exercise medicine research at UAB – Exercise Biology, Behavior Change, Early Career I, Rehabilitation, Pre-Clinical Research, Early Career II and Clinical Research.
Thanks to the speakers, moderators and attendees for an interactive event!
UCEM is particularly thankful to Anna Thalacker-Mercer, PhD for initiating this event, and James Rimmer, PhD & team for the arrangements at the Lakeshore Foundation.
“I really appreciate the willingness of all the presenters to provide quick context for their research programs,” said Thomas Buford, PhD, Director of UCEM.
“The goal really was to start connecting the large number of outstanding scientists doing exercise research on campus. Hopefully this was a first step to continuing to build new relationships and bigger initiatives around Exercise Medicine at UAB.”
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine honors Gary Hunter, PhD and Marcas Bamman, PhD – two pioneers of exercise research at UAB
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) will host its inaugural Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture on November 8, 2021 from noon to 1.15 p.m. CT virtually. This lecture will be co-sponsored by the UAB Nathan Shock Center.
Sue C. Bodine, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center Chair, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine will deliver the lecture on “Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Mass and Function: the critical role of recruitment and loading throughout the lifespan.” Registration is required to attend.
The Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture is designed to honor the work of two pioneers of exercise research at UAB - Gary Hunter, PhD, Professor Emeritus Department of Nutrition Sciences and Marcas Bamman, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology and Founding Director of UCEM.
In 2013, UCEM supported the initial Hunter Award Lecture. The award was named in honor of Dr. Hunter who has been an international leader in exercise adaptation, energy metabolism and body composition research with more than 250 peer-reviewed articles in the area. The Hunter Award Lecture was held as part of the UCEM Distinguished Lecture Series from 2013 to 2020.
In 2021, UCEM is renaming the lecture to the Hunter-Bamman Award Lecture to continue honoring Dr. Hunter while also recognizing the accomplishments of Dr. Bamman. Dr. Bamman was instrumental in increasing support and awareness for exercise medicine research both at UAB and across the nation. His research on exercise spans from biological underpinnings to clinical outcomes. He has been fostering and directing research for more than 25 years with funding from National Institute of Health (NIH), Veteran Affairs, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Defense. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and serves on the ACSM Board of Trustees and ACSM Science Integration and Leadership Committee. He has also served as Chair of the 2021 ACSM World Congress on the Basic Science of Exercise in Regenerative Medicine.
On the UAB campus, Dr. Bamman was responsible for helping establish the > 6000 sq. ft Exercise Clinical Trials facility, and he was also a key driver in garnering NIH support for the current Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC), a Common Fund supported program designed to elucidate the molecular adaptations responsible for the wide variety of benefits of exercise on health.
“With Dr. Bamman’s retirement, I wanted to find a way to honor his accomplishments and contributions to Exercise Medicine research at UAB,” said Thomas Buford, PhD, Director of UCEM.
“I thought this was a great way to do it while continuing to recognize the amazing accomplishments of Dr. Hunter. I know that Drs. Hunter and Bamman have a special relationship and I hope that this will serve as a way to honor them both. We will continue to seek nationally and internationally recognized speakers to deliver the Hunter-Bamman lecture each year.”
Dr. Bodine’s research is focused on the study of the neuromuscular system and its response and adaptation to various stressors, including exercise, microgravity, disuse, denervation and aging. She received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles and has held positions in both academia and the biotechnology industry. The current focus of her lab is understanding the mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle size and function under growth and atrophy conditions.
Buford invited to serve on NIH’s ASG Study Section
Thomas Buford, PhD, Director of the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine and Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care has been invited to serve as a member of the NIH’s Aging Systems and Geriatrics (ASG) Study Section, Center for Scientific Review. He will serve for a period of four years beginning July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2025.
The ASG study section reviews grant applications that are typically clinical-translational efforts and primarily involve human subjects. Proposed studies may investigate geriatric syndromes and conditions, complex late-life disorders that involve multiple organ systems such as frailty, incontinence, balance, loss of functional capacity, delirium, fatigue, and multimorbidity.
Buford was selected to this role on the basis of his demonstrated competence and achievement in his scientific discipline. This includes the quality of his research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.
In this role, Buford will review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on the applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of science. This is a critical role in ensuring that the NIH funds the highest-quality science.
Congratulations, Dr. Buford!
UCEM Hosted Internationally-Renowned Physiologist for its Distinguished Lecture Series
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) was honored to host Juleen Zierath, PhD, Professor, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden and University of Copenhagen, Denmark on March 8, 2021 for the virtual UCEM Distinguished Lecture Series. Her presentation entitled “Circadian Control of Systemic Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes and Impact of Exercise Training” was co-sponsored by the UAB Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC).
Dr. Zierath is an internationally-renowned physiologist who serves as the section head for Integrative Physiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. She is also a Member of the Nobel Assembly as well as Member and former Chairman of the Nobel Committee. Dr. Zierath presented to nearly 100 attendees from UAB as well as other institutions across the globe on the importance of exercise and physical activity to the preservation of insulin sensitivity and the prevention/treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. She also discussed cutting edge science regarding the importance of circadian biology on the interaction of these factors.
“Dr. Zierath is an internationally-recognized expert in exercise and skeletal muscle physiology, and we were honored to have her speak with us,” said Thomas Buford, PhD, Director of UCEM. “There was as much excitement and anticipation for this talk as any I’ve seen during my time in academia. Despite all the challenges of the pandemic, the ability to now learn in real-time from an expert across the globe is an exciting benefit.”
During her talk, she spoke initially about the importance of even light levels of physical activity, e.g. taking breaks from sitting, on regulation of metabolic factors such as blood glucose. She then extensively detailed the impact of exercise training on transcriptomic changes in skeletal muscle and opportunities to advance the science in this area before finishing with recent work indicating the role of exercise timing on changes in a variety metabolic factors with relevance to obesity and diabetes. The latter suggesting that the time of day that one exercises may have an impact on metabolic responses to the exercise.
“Circadian influences on exercise responsiveness is an area ripe for an investigation and could have real impact for the prescription of exercise for metabolic health” Buford said.
After the lecture, Dr. Zierath also spent an hour with interested trainees and junior faculty discussing science and career development.
“We are very grateful to Dr. Zierath for donating her time to us, particularly in spending dedicated time after the lecture giving career advice to trainees and junior faculty,” Buford said. “I also want to thank the UAB NORC for helping to sponsor and publicize the event. This was an outstanding, collaborative opportunity for the UAB community.”
2021 Joint Pilot Grant Request for Applications
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM), UAB Hypertension Research Center (HRC) and the McKnight Brain Institute (MBI) are pleased to announce a joint RFA to fund pilot research that focuses on the intersection of exercise, hypertension and cognition. We anticipate funding projects that expand the scope of the applicant to include research relevant to all three of these specific areas. Only proposals with a clear translational relevance will be considered. Funds should be used to generate key preliminary data to develop publications and contribute to an application for extramural funding. Funding that continues ongoing projects will not be considered. Interdisciplinary, multi-PI projects that link basic, clinical or population investigators and have advanced beyond the initial stages of planning are strongly encouraged to apply. Projects that are responsive to an upcoming or issued NIH RFA or Program Announcement will be considered high priority. Applications from PIs from multiple schools and/or that establish new collaborations are encouraged.
Request for ApplicationsIf funded, the proposed start date of the Joint Pilot Grant will be September 1, 2021. Up to 2 pilot projects with budgets not exceeding a total of $50,000 each will be awarded based on merit of the applications. Awards are not renewable. Awardees will be required to present at one of the annual meetings of either the UCEM, HRC or MBI as well as provide an interim and final report of accomplishments.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Letter of Intent must be submitted electronically in a single PDF to Faith Lang (faithlang@uabmc.edu) by Friday, May 21, 2021 at 5:00pm CT and full proposals are due July 15, 2021. All applications should use the NIH PHS 398 forms for cover page, key personnel, budget, budget justification and NIH Biosketch, along with other support for all key personnel. Applications must use Arial 11-point font with 0.5-inch margins. Faculty salary, travel or publication costs are not to be included. NO indirect costs are awarded. Budgets should not be used to offset faculty salary. Applications that are not formatted as described will not be considered for review.
KEY DATES
May 21, 2021: Deadline to submit Letter of Intent (see RFA below for details)
June 1, 2021: Applicants notified for full proposal submission
July 15, 2021: Full proposal submission deadline
September 1, 2021: Proposed funding start date
Post-doctoral trainee Abbi Hernandez receives a travel award at the UAB Microbiome Center Symposium
Abbi Hernandez, PhD, UAB Center for Exercise Medicine T32 program's postdoctoral trainee received a travel award for her poster presentation at the 2021 Virtual UAB Microbiome Center Symposium. Hernandez’s work titled “Alzheimer’s disease-inflicted microbiome alterations may be ameliorated by a ketogenic, time restricted diet in rats” investigated the effects of different dietary paradigms on the gut microbiome in young and aged rats.
“We found that time restricted feeding, regardless of macronutrient composition, resulted in significant changes in the gut microbiome of both age groups,” Hernandez said. “Notably, we saw a restoration of specific microbiota that are negatively affected by Alzheimer’s disease and by obesity or other metabolic impairment.”
She added that these data give her more evidence that the gut can be utilized as a target for Alzheimer’s disease and other metabolic disorders that occur with aging. She plans to continue to investigate in this area.
Congratulations, Abbi!
Liliana Baptista receives the Hardest Working Post-doc Award
Liliana Baptista, PhD, Post- Doctoral Fellow in the UAB Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care received the Hardest Working Postdoc Award from the UAB Office of Postdoctoral Education.
A native of Portugal, Baptista joined UCEM Director Dr. Thomas Buford's lab as a postdoctoral trainee in 2018. She received her doctorate in Sport Sciences, with a concentration in Physical Activity and Health from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. She then did her fellowship at the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal. During this period, she received the Earlier Career Researcher award from the International Society of Exercise Immunology. Since then, she has authored 14 manuscripts on international peer-reviewed journals.
Currently, she is working on the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme- inhibitors Combined with Exercise for hypertensive Seniors (ACES) trial - a multi-site three-arm clinical trial conducted at the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine.
Broadly, her research focuses on understanding how exercise and/or medications can improve physical function associated with aging and/or disease. Currently, she is developing projects related to understanding how exercise influences the gut microbiome and associated metabolites (i.e. metabolomics). She hopes to contribute her efforts toward effective interventions that promote functional independence and health-related quality of life in older adults.
Congratulations Liliana!
ACES Study on WBRC FOX6
Beth Kitchin, PhD, RDN, Assistant Professor in the UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences spoke about the ACES Study on WBRC FOX6 News' Good Day Alabama on September 29, 2020. Headed by UCEM's director Dr. Thomas Buford, the ACES (ACE Inhibitors Combined With Exercise for Seniors With Hypertension) trial is a randomized, controlled trial to determine if choice of antihypertensive medication influences changes in functional status and other cardiovascular risk factors among older persons with hypertension. Check out the segment below.
You Might Qualify for the ACES Study If You:
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Are a man or woman age 60 years or older
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Have high blood pressure
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Are on a blood pressure medicine
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Can come to study visits at UAB
8th Annual Gary R. Hunter Award Lecture
Bret Goodpaster, PhD Scientific Director from Advent Health's Translational Research Institute, Orlando, Florida presented at UCEM's 8th Annual Gary R. Hunter Award Lecture on September 17, 2020. This distinguished lecture titled "Exercise improves health through energy metabolism" focused on how exercise is used as a tool to unravel the mechanisms around the pathophysiology of insulin resistance in Type 2 Diabetes.
Key points of the talk:
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Mechanisms of insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes revealed by exercise
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Exercise improves aspects of energy metabolism that are intractable by weight loss
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Intramyocellular lipids and insulin resistance
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Metabolic flexibility
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Exercise and mitochondrial capacity
Bamman interviewed by WBRC FOX6 News for the MoTrPAC Study
Marcas Bamman, PhD, FACSM, Director of the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine was interviewed by WBRC FOX 6 News’ Good Day Alabama anchor Mike Dubberly on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Dr. Bamman highlighted the importance of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) study and explained what the researchers are trying to understand from the results of the study.
Mike Dubberly: We know exercise can transform your body but researchers at UAB are studying what happens on a molecular level when you work out. Dr. Marcas Bamman is the Director of the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine. He joins us now by Facetime. Doctor, it’s good to have you with us this morning.
Dr. Bamman: Thank you very much!
Mike Dubberly: Definitely! In layman’s terms, explain to our viewers what you are looking at in this study.
Dr. Bamman: So, we have known for a long time that exercise has numerous health benefits, right? It is important in disease prevention. It is also important in disease treatment and this ranges from brain diseases to cancers to heart disease and the list goes on. What we have never really understood is how at the cellular level and even at the molecular level what is being turned on and being turned off when we exercise that would result in this health benefit that we are trying to capitalize on. So, this is a really important effort. It’s actually the largest investment our government has ever made to understand how exercise is leading to all these wonderful health benefits that we have come to learn and know.
Mike Dubberly: And this looks like a rather comprehensive study here of using a very large sample size. Explain a little further though why this is so crucial long term.
Dr. Bamman: I think it is crucial long term because the more we understand about how exercise leads to a given health benefit - whether that’s reducing diabetes risk, treating high blood pressure, etc. We can then begin to more precisely prescribe exercise to best treat that individual who is either benefitting in a certain molecular way or perhaps benefitting in a different molecular way. So, we want to understand at the individual level what is being activated that will help that person in their course of either treatment or prevention.
Mike Dubberly: Well, that’s huge. This can help people make better decisions of what form of exercise is best for them. That’s a game changer. We do know that different bodies react differently to certain types of exercise. Is some of that due to genetics that we already have the answer to?
Dr. Bamman: Some of it actually is genetic Mike, but I will say it’s beyond that. It’s how we actually express our genes. So, even though you and I have some subtle differences in our genetic makeup, most of our genes are very much in common. And so, the difference is between the way you and I look, think, talk, behave or how we express our genes. In this project, we are studying those processes in a large group of people to be able to understand the impact. I call it sort of – what “genes” are you wearing? What brand of “genes” are you wearing? We want to understand if your brand of genes is different from mine, how that impacts these outcomes.
Mike Dubberly: We got to quickly wrap up. I just have one quick question. I know this is on hold just for now because of COVID. Are you looking for volunteers and what should they expect?
Dr. Bamman: Yes, we are. We are actually looking for two groups of people. The largest group are people who are not regularly exercising. We want to actually recruit those people and train them for 12 weeks. The other group are people who are already trained because we want to compare their effects to those who are not yet exercise trained. So, we are actively recruiting. The study will kick off again probably in early August and as we are dealing with our re-start programs in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Mike Dubberly: Dr. Marcas Bamman, again the director of the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine. So, if you are interested in taking part in volunteering, that is the department to contact. Doctor, thank you!
Dr. Bamman: Thank you, Sir. Take care.
NIH T32 Pre-doctoral Openings – Call for Applications
The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine is looking for pre-doctoral students at UAB to join its dynamic NIH T32 Interdisciplinary Training program in Pathobiology and Rehabilitation Medicine.
The overarching goal of the training program is to develop burgeoning scientists into future leaders in translational rehabilitation research – scientists who are equipped to test and disseminate novel strategies that will alleviate impairment and compromised life quality in the face of chronic disease management.
EXPECTATIONS of trainees include participation in a relevant research project related to medical rehabilitation under the guidance of one of the expert faculty mentors from areas of concentrated strength, including Musculoskeletal Disorders, Neurologic Diseases, Cardiometabolic Diseases, and Cancer. Trainees are also expected to participate in important career development activities including research roundtables, distinguished lectures, journal clubs, and the annual symposium.
BENEFITS to trainees include scientific support through a three-member translational mentoring team comprised of the trainee’s primary mentor and two additional members designed to complement the trainee in his or her scientific goals. Financially, this competitive award will support the trainee with a stipend, health insurance, tuition, and travel and supply funds.
ELIGIBILITY requirements include:
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UAB predoctoral student in good standing in a relevant graduate program. This training program is designed primarily for predoctoral students preparing to enter the second year of training.
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Interest in translational research ranging from mechanisms of disease pathobiology to rehabilitation strategies (e.g., exercise medicine, experimental therapeutics, device development).
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U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Interested students can apply here. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m., July 20, 2020.
For questions, please contact Purnima Kasthuri Janarthanan at kjpurni@uab.edu.
Introducing Muscle Connections Journal Club
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine inaugurated its “Muscle Connections” journal club session on Friday, April 24, 2020. Muscle Connections journal club participants get a chance to interact with scientists and clinicians from several disciplines while discussing the latest and most impactful skeletal muscle-based research in both human and animal model systems. These unique sessions aim to build and update an understanding of how skeletal muscle connects to various dimensions of human health.
Skeletal muscle is a highly active tissue with roles in movement, metabolism, and overall health. Targeting skeletal muscle through exercise induces a complex array of coordinated cellular and molecular processes that improves symptoms and co-morbidities associated with numerous chronic conditions, including musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, metabolic, immunologic, and neurologic disorders. While muscle may play a central role in molecular communication underlying adaptations to exercise, understanding the full range of these mechanisms and their clinical utility in disease treatment and prevention is a truly interdisciplinary effort.
Anyone with an interest in skeletal muscle research is welcome to attend. Please find the upcoming sessions here.
UCEM Trainees presented at the Discoveries in the Making event
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine trainees presented at the Discoveries in the Making event at the Lumbar on Tuesday, February 11 on the topic Exercise is a Powerful Medicine: How should we use it?
Trainees presented on how the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine is working to understand the full range of benefits that come with exercise and how we can take advantage of individual responses to training to maximize health outcomes.
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Post-doctoral trainee Jeremy McAdam, PhD presented his research on Exercise and Epigenetics.
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Pre-doctoral trainee Margaret Bell, MS presented her research on Exercise and Heterogeneity in Muscle Gains.
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Post-doctoral trainee Samia O’Bryan, PhD presented her research on Exercise and Body Composition Misconceptions.
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Pre-doctoral trainee Devin Drummer, MS presented his research on Exercise and its Role in Human Disease.
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Post-doctoral trainee Kaleen Lavin, PhD presented her research on Exercise and the Brain.
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Visiting Scientist Gustavo Schaun, MS presented his research on Exercise and Function.
28th Annual Mary and Butch Slaughter lecture
“Leveraging Individual Differences in Exercise Responsiveness to Advance Precision Medicine”
Thursday, October 24, 2019 | 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. | Bavaro Hall, Holloway Hall, Room 116
Speaker:
Marcas M. Bamman, PhD, FACSM
Professor and Center Director
UAHSF Endowed Professor in Regenerative and Translational Medicine
Departments of Cell, Developmental, & Integrative Biology; Medicine; and Neurology
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine NIH National Rehabilitation Research Resource to Enhance Clinical Trials (REACT)
NIH Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Network (MR3 Network)
Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC)
UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Our director Dr. Marcas Bamman will deliver the 28th Annual Mary and Butch Slaughter lecture at the Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia on October 24, 2019. The lecture will focus on effective exercise intervention as a medical strategy. Following the lecture, there will be a discussion focussing on how a targeted approach should be employed when prescribing exercise, which can be more effective than prescription medication and comes with fewer side effects.
All are welcome!
Congratulations to our exercise medicine trainees who won at the 16th Annual UAB Postdoctoral Research Day!
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine’s trainees including NIH National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research funded T32 trainees won awards at the 16th Annual UAB Postdoctoral Research Day.
Liliana Baptista, PhD – Mentee of Thomas Buford, PhD, Associate Director of UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) – was awarded first place in the Applied Research Data Blitz for her research titled “Multimodal intervention to improve functional status in hypertensive older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.”
"This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed to provide the preliminary data necessary to conduct a full-scale trial to compare the efficacy of differing first-line antihypertensive medications in improving functional status in older adults, when combined with exercise," Baptista said.
Jessica Baird, PhD – Mentee of Rob Motl, PhD, Associate Director for Rehabilitation Research at UCEM – was awarded second place in the Applied Research Data Blitz for her research titled "Physical Activity and Walking Performance across the Lifespan in Multiple Sclerosis."
“There is evidence of an association between physical activity (PA) and walking performance in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS),” Baird said. “We are unaware of research that has examined this association in older adults, who represent a fast growing age-group with MS.”
Baird and her team examined this relationship and found that physical activity was significantly associated with walking speed and walking endurance in older adults with MS. From this association, Baird suggests that interventions that aim to increase physical activity may concurrently be approaches for managing walking impairment, particularly in older adults with MS.
Yi Sun, PhD – Mentee of Thomas Buford, PhD and Christy Carter, PhD, Associate Professor in the UAB Department of Medicine – was awarded second place in a Basic Research Data Blitz for her research titled “Ang(1-7) as a novel therapeutic to preserve physical function in late life.”
“Declining physical function and associated diseases in older individuals have enormous emotional, clinical and public health consequences;” Sun said, “therefore, therapeutics for preserving function and keeping older adults living independently are imperative,” she added.
Her study provided proof of concept that delivery of a genetically modified probiotic secreting angiotensin(1-7) to aged rats may promote physical health.
“Our study is highly translatable to humans because using probiotics to deliver health-promoting compounds is low-cost, easy to take and there is a lower burden for regulatory approval,” Sun said.
Kaleen Lavin, PhD – Mentee of Marcas Bamman, PhD, Director of UCEM – was awarded third place in an oral presentation for her research titled “Transcriptional Networks Underlying Motor Unit Remodeling in Parkinson’s Disease Skeletal Muscle.”
Her project was a collaboration with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine to profile transcriptome-wide gene expression in skeletal muscle from individuals with Parkinson’s disease and healthy adults.
“Using Next-Generation Sequencing and a network-based statistical analysis (WGCNA), we identified clusters of genes that characterize type I myofiber grouping, a muscle pathology often seen in Parkinson’s disease,” Lavin said.
Lavin’s ongoing research is aimed at using similar discovery approaches to examine the impact of exercise rehabilitation on gene expression in this population.
UCEM’s T32 Pre-and Post-Doctoral training program provides interdisciplinary training in pathobiology and rehabilitation medicine. Exercise medicine being a major focus of this training program, its overarching goal is to develop burgeoning scientists into future leaders in translational rehabilitation research—scientists who are equipped to test and disseminate novel rehabilitative strategies that alleviate impairment and compromised life quality in the face of chronic disease management.
"State of the Field Address" by Dr. Alison Cernich, Director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)
March 20, 2019 | 12 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. | UAB Wallace Tumor Institute - Room 101 and Lobby
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine will host Alison Cernich, Ph.D. – Director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health – on March 20, 2019.
Program highlights:
- Dr. Cernich will deliver a lecture on “Rehabilitation Research at NIH: Programs and Opportunities” from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the UAB Wallace Tumor Institute - Room 101. Lunch will be provided.
- There will also be a poster viewing session from 1 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. that highlights – informative posters of UAB research programs relevant to medical rehabilitation, and research of NCMRR T32-funded trainees.
- Following the poster session, there will be a Q&A session from 2.45 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. – where medical rehabilitation researchers and prospective NCMRR applicants get a chance to interact with Dr. Cernich.
Dr. Cernich is a board-certified neuropsychologist who is known for her work in TBI and computerized neuropsychological assessment. She provides oversight for the portfolio of NCMRR and works within NIH to coordinate rehabilitation research. She serves on multiple interagency strategic planning committees and government oversight committees for major research initiatives in the federal government relevant to disability and rehabilitation research.
This is a great opportunity to get insight into medical rehabilitation research and exchange your ideas with a national leader. So, please plan to attend. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided for those who have registered.
Registration is now closed. Please contact Purnima Kasthuri Janarthanan for details.
UCEM hosted its 6th Annual Symposium
On September 21, 2018, the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) hosted its 6th Annual Symposium in Birmingham, Alabama at the Hill Student Center Ballroom, University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Symposium had a turnout of 183 participants that comprised scientists, clinicians and trainees from various fields of medicine. It featured four speakers, a trainee poster presentation competition, and an abstract competition. It also featured two workshops – Science Communication and REACT Clinical Trials – as pre-symposium events on Sept. 20, 2018. Attendees came from a wide range of universities and institutions across the United States, including Auburn University, Samford University, University of Montevallo, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Washington University, University of Florida, Indiana State University, University of Memphis and various schools within UAB.
Speakers
The Symposium’s keynote speakers were Fabrisia Ambrosio, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Director, Rehabilitation for UPMC International, University of Pittsburgh, and Alex Hutchinson, Ph.D., Physicist, Author & Journalist from Toronto. As an abstract competition winner, Matthew A. Romero, Ph.D. Student, Molecular and Applied Sciences Laboratory, Auburn University, also had an opportunity to present his research to the Symposium audience. Post lunch, the symposium featured Thomas Buford, Ph.D., Associate Director of UCEM, and Abbie Smith-Ryan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology; Director of Applied Physiology Laboratory; Co-Director of Human Performance from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Talk titles
- Dr. Ambrosio - "Regenerative Rehabilitation: Applied Mechanobiology Meets Stem Cell Therapeutics"
- Dr. Hutchinson - "It’s All in Your Head": Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance"
- Matthew A. Romero - “Transposable Elements in Skeletal Muscle: The Effects of Exercise on LINE-1 Regulation”
- Dr. Buford - “Exercise and Aging: The Lion in the Path"
- Dr. Smith-Ryan - "Interval Training: An Evidenced Based Therapeutic Approach to Exercise"
Competitions
Abstract Competition - The Symposium featured an Abstract Competition, along with a maiden Oral Presentation Competition – wherein the Abstract Competition winner had the opportunity to present his or her research to the symposium audience. Abstracts submitted by the participants – with their research’s purpose, methods, results, conclusions, future directions, and acknowledgments – were reviewed by the UCEM Education Committee. The Abstract Competition winner was conferred a $600 travel award.
Abstract Competition winner:
Matthew A. Romero, Molecular and Applied Sciences Laboratory, School of Kinesiology, Auburn University.
Transposable Elements in Skeletal Muscle: The Effects of Exercise on LINE-1 Regulation.
Poster Presentation Competition - UCEM sponsored a trainee poster presentation competition, highlighting the research of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees, including clinical fellows and residents. Trainees were invited to submit abstracts on basic, clinical, translational, and population science that are broadly related to exercise medicine.
From the 42 participants, faculty judges selected 6 winners, and presented a $600 travel award to each of them. The winners are:
Devin Drummer, Department of Biomedical Science, UAB
The Effect of Montmorency Cherry Juice on Acute Post-Exercise Inflammation Following Whole-Body Resistance Training
Rebecca Hennessy, Departments of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, UAB
Instrumentation Validation in the Development of a Rehabilitative Virtual Reality Walking Environment
Rylie Hightower, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, UAB
MiR-486 is an Epigenetic Regulator of the Pathological Progression of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Kaleen M. Lavin, Ph.D., Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, UAB
Mechanisms of Motor Unit Remodeling in Parkinson’s Disease Human Skeletal Muscle
Jodi R. Paul, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, UAB
Development Of A Time-Restricted Exercise Intervention To Restore Physiological Rhythms In Midbrain Dopamine Neurons Of PD Mice
Ray A. Spradlin, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida
Muscle IGF-I Production is Critical for Functional Recovery of Skeletal Muscle Following Disuse Atrophy
Congratulations to all the winners!
"ENDURE" Book Signing
Dr. Hutchinson’s book “ENDURE,” a New York Times bestseller, was featured at the Symposium. UCEM staff and guests had the opportunity to interact with Dr. Hutchinson and buy his book.
Pre-symposium Events
As pre-symposium events, a Science Communication Workshop and REACT Clinical Trials Workshop were conducted on Sept. 20, 2018 featuring various experts as discussion leaders.
Science Communication Workshop
UCEM’s Science Communication workshop was open to anyone seeking improvement in disseminating science to the public. The session featured Dr. Hutchinson and UAB experts in the fields of science and communication as discussion leaders.
Moderator:
- Marcas Bamman, Ph.D., Professor, Departments of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology; Medicine; and Neurology; Director, UAB Center for Exercise Medicine; Director, REACT Center
Discussion Leaders:
- Alex Hutchinson, Ph.D., Physicist, Author & Journalist, Toronto, Canada
- Lori McMahon, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology; Dean, UAB Graduate School and Director, UAB Comprehensive Neuroscience Center
- Jefferson Walker, Ph.D., Director, Research Communication Graduate Certificate Program and Instructor, Graduate School Professional Development Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham
REACT Clinical Trials Workshop
This workshop addressed challenges and opportunities for impactful clinical trials in medical rehabilitation, such as:
- Trial design
- Issues in recruitment and retention
- Mobile technology integration
- Multi-modal interventions
- Control groups
- Response heterogeneity
- Rigor & reproducibility
- Data and safety monitoring
Discussion Leaders:
- Marcas Bamman, Ph.D., Professor, Departments of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology; Medicine; and Neurology; Director, UAB Center for Exercise Medicine; Director, REACT Center
- Gary Cutter, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biostatistics, UAB; Associate Director, REACT Center; Director, NARCOMS
- Rob Motl, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UAB; Associate Director, UAB Center for Exercise Medicine; Director, REACT Mobile Technology Laboratory