Muscle Matters: New Insights on the Interplay Between Nutrition, Inflammation & Metabolism

Joel Cramer, PhD, FNSCA, FACSM, FISSN, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D

Senior Associate Dean, Academic and Faculty Affairs 
College of Health Professions and Sciences
University of Central Florida 
Orlando, FL, USA

Joel T. Cramer, PhD is the Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs in the College of Health Professions and Sciences at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida. Dr Cramer is also a Professor in the Division of Kinesiology at UCF. He completed his PhD in exercise physiology and nutrition at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His research program in exercise physiology and nutrition studies the form and function of human skeletal muscle. Specifically, his laboratory uses in vivo human subject research models to study the applied physiology, metabolic, and neuromuscular mechanisms that explain changes in muscle strength, size, and function during periods of growth and development, aging and sarcopenia, resistance training, stretching, fatigue, recovery, and dietary supplementation. He uses evidence-based information on skeletal muscle to address contemporary problems, discover innovative methodologies, and translate findings to practitioners and consumers. 

Dr Cramer has published prolifically, having produced 231 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters. In 2020, he received a Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Teaching Council. He is a previous recipient of the William J. Kraemer Outstanding Sport Scientist of the Year Award and a Nutritional Research Award from the NSCA National Conference.

Philip Atherton, PhD, BSc, AFHEA

Chair of Molecular Medicine
Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (CoMAP)
Academic Unit of the IRIS School of Medicine
University of Nottingham
Royal Derby College
Derby, England, UK

Dr Philip J. Atherton is a Professor and Chair of Clinical, Metabolic, and Molecular Physiology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. He received a 1^st Class BSc degree and a higher PhD degree (in 2005) from the University of Central Lancashire, focusing on protein metabolism, myogenic signaling, and gene expression regulation in skeletal muscle. His current research involves an expansive combination of detailed pre- and clinical molecular physiology with the application of stable isotope methodologies and the integration of OMIC techniques to discover predictors of the mechanistic basis for, and how to mitigate, musculoskeletal declines in aging and various related diseases.

Prof. Atherton, with a H-index of 57 and ~15,000 citations, has published around 150 peer-reviewed articles and 6 invited book chapters. He is a senior editor for Experimental Physiology, Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism, and Nutrients, journals.

Ricardo Rueda, MD, PhD

Global Mobility & Metabolism Platform Leader 
Head, Scientific Affairs EURISA & MENAP 
Abbott Nutrition 
Granada, Spain

Dr Rueda currently leads the Strategic Research Group for Abbott Nutrition in Granada, working on early-stage research in collaboration with key investigators in Europe, mainly focused on the areas of Metabolism, Cognition, Immunity, Bone/Muscle Health, and Early Programming. Ricardo is an elected member of the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and the Spanish Society of Research in Paediatric Nutrition and Feeding (SEINAP) and a Visiting Professor at the University of Granada.