Established in 2016, the Katarina T. Borer Lectureship in Exercise Endocrinology & Metabolism promotes interest and scholarship in this rapidly growing field by providing a forum for the presentation of cutting-edge research. The lectureship is made possible through the generosity of Dr. Katarina Borer, professor emerita of Movement Science, and her husband Dr. Paul Wenger.

Borer and Wenger wanted to establish the lectureship as both a tribute to Borer's 40+ years of research in the field of exercise endocrinology and as a mechanism to encourage interest in the specialty. Endocrinology is generally not considered as important as research in the field of metabolism, according to Borer. "Most people focus on metabolism – what happens physiologically when you get fed, when you become diabetic. But, most of metabolism is controlled by hormones," she said. "Hopefully, the lectures will stimulate conversation within the research and medical communities to discuss the effects of exercise and diet on hormones."

PAST SPEAKERS

2024: Greg Cartee, PhD
Pursuing the Mechanisms for Improved Insulin Sensitivity after Exercise
Professor, Movement Science
Director, Muscle Biology Laboratory
School of Kinesiology
University of Michigan

2023: Michael Riddell, PhD
Hormonal Dysglycemia During Exercise in Type 1 Diabetes: A Near Impossible Hurdle to Overcome
Professor, Kinesiology and Health Science
York University

2022: Andrea Hevener, PhD
Estrogen Receptor Alpha (ESR1) Keeps Mitochondria in Shape - Strong Enough for a Man, But Made for a Woman
Professor and Roberts Chair, Molecular Endocrinology
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles

2021: Henriette van Praag, PhD
Mechanisms Underlying the Beneficial Effects of Exercise for the Brain
Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida Atlantic University

2020: Bente Klarlund Pedersen, MD, MDSC
Exercise as Medicine and the Role of Myokines: A Translational Perspective
Professor, Integrative Medicine
Director, Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism (CIM)
Director, Centre for Physical Activity Research (CFAS)
Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen

2019: Laurie Goodyear, PhD
Why Moms and Dads Should Exercise: Molecular Discoveries of the Beneficial Effects of Parental Exercise on Offspring Health
Professor, Medicine
Section Head, Joslin Diabetes Center
Harvard Medical School

2018: Mary Jane De Souza, PhD
Is Bone Loss Recovery Possible in Young Exercising Women with Energy Deficiency-Associated Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?
Professor, Kinesiology and Physiology
Director, Women’s Health and Exercise Lab
Penn State University

2017: John P. Kirwan, PhD
Exercise as a Regulator of Endocrine Dysfunction - Type 2 Diabetes
Professor, Molecular Medicine
Director, Metabolic Translational Research Center
Lerner Research Institute
Cleveland Clinic

2016: Wendy M. Kohrt, PhD
Exercise and Bone Health: All That It's Cracked Up to Be?
Professor, Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology
School of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine
University of Colorado