Rudy Valentine is an Assistant Professor within the department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University. His lab is focused on improving our understanding of bio-behavioral factors linking excess body fat and sedentary lifestyle with risk for cardiometabolic diseases. As both a basic and applied exercise physiologist, his work probes him into mechanistic pathways and addresses public health issues associated with obesity, diabetes, and aging. To tackle these challenges, they use a variety of methods, including cell culture, rodent models, and clinical human studies.

Toward the ultimate goal of improving human health and quality of life, his research agenda is focused on three intersecting themes:

(1) identifying the mechanism(s) through which behavioral (e.g., exercise and diet) and pharmacologic therapies mitigate cardiometabolic disease pathogenesis, with a focus on inflammation;

(2) examining the relationships between physical activity/fitness, diet, and risk factors for physical disability (e.g., muscle strength, muscle quality, and physical function); and

(3) investigating the interactions of fitness, obesity, sleep, inflammation and behavior.