Kristin Stanford, PhD

About

Biography

I am a professor in the Department of Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and serve as Associate Director of the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center (DMRC).

My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms through which exercise improves metabolic health. I study how exercise influences key metabolic tissues, including white and brown adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and the cardiovascular system, and how these adaptations reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A major focus of my work is to define how exercise induces beneficial adaptations in adipose tissue. I investigate how white and brown adipose tissue respond to exercise through changes in mitochondrial activity, glucose uptake, lipid metabolism and endocrine signaling, and how these changes contribute to improved whole-body metabolic function.

My research program also explores the role of brown adipose tissue as a therapeutic target for metabolic and cardiovascular disease. I study how brown fat regulates glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and cardiac function, and how harnessing these pathways may lead to new treatment strategies for obesity, diabetes and age-related cardiovascular conditions.

In addition, I investigate how exercise impacts metabolic health across the lifespan, including the effects of parental exercise on the metabolic and cardiovascular health of offspring and the mechanisms underlying the hypermetabolic response to injury.

Through these complementary research efforts, my goal is to define the molecular basis of exercise-induced metabolic improvements and translate these discoveries into novel therapeutic approaches that improve metabolic and cardiovascular health.

I have contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications focused on adipose tissue biology, exercise physiology, metabolism and chronic disease, with work spanning basic, translational and clinical research.

Credentials

Research

News and media

My news coverage

• Ohio State study shows potential treatment for age-related heart diseases
• Mouse study shows exercise during pregnancy improves heart health of future generations
• $4.3 million grant will study heart health impacts of chronic stress
• Study: Maternal, paternal exercise affects metabolic health in offspring