Personal Statement
Dr. Steven K. Malin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology within the Curry School of Education and in the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism within the School of Medicine. He has expertise in exercise metabolism and human nutrition. The primary focus of his clinical translational research is to personalize prevention/treatment strategies for obesity and type 2 diabetes by studying the interaction of exercise, diet, and pharmacology on insulin resistance. Dr. Malin is also interested in utilizing exercise to optimize the effectiveness of bariatric surgery on appetite regulation, cardiovascular disease risk reduction, and improved glucose metabolism. Dr. Malin is the Co-Director of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory and Graduate Program, and he currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Exercise Physiology and Energy Metabolism. Dr. Malin is also an active member of the American College of Sports Medicine, American Diabetes Association, Obesity Society, and the American Physiological Society.
Research Interests
A primary mission of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory is "Metabolic Performance". To that extent, the chief metabolic focus of our laboratory is to minimize insulin resistance and enhance beta-cell function for the prevention and treatment of type-2 diabetes across the lifespan. While exercise and low-fat diets combat obesity and reduce risk for chronic diseases, the optimal prescription remains unclear. Further complicating this matter is the fact that not all children and adults respond the same way to exercise, pharmacology, or bariatric surgery. Therefore, determining how to personalize exercise and diet modification for maximal metabolic fitness benefit in individuals at risk for chronic disease, and understanding the mechanisms behind such changes provides an ideal approach to promoting long-term metabolic health.
We are currently working on:
1. Tailoring exercise prescription to prevent the progression from prediabetes to type 2
diabetes in children and adults.
2. Examining how to incorporate physical activity and dietary modification to enhance the efficacy and durability of bariatric surgery on appetite and glucose regulation.
3. Determining how lifestyle modification and bariatric surgery interacts with pharmacology to regulate body weight and cardiometabolic health.
4. Gain mechanistic understanding into energy metabolism and endocrine-related inflammation by which lifestyle modification and bariatric surgery improves metabolic fitness.