Dr. Bergman is a Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Bergman’s research investigates the relationship between muscle lipids and insulin sensitivity, and he has been continuously funded by the NIH since 2005. His laboratory focuses on two main research themes. One theme seeks to understand the relationship between skeletal muscle subcellular lipid localization and insulin resistance in humans. Specifically, his lab is investigating how the intracellular location, molecular species, and isomers of diacylglycerol and sphingolipids promote insulin resistance in humans. The current study is investigating these changes after insulin sensitizing lifestyle interventions and is funded by R01DK111559. The second research emphasis aims to elucidate how intermuscular adipose tissue impacts skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, muscle strength, and size in humans. This study combines muscle biopsy visits with elective surgeries to obtain intermuscular, subcutaneous, and visceral adipose tissue biopsies and is funded by R01DK118149. Dr. Bergman’s laboratory also pursues mechanistic relationships between inter- and intra-muscular lipids and insulin sensitivity using primary muscle cell culture. This model is unique as the phenotype of donor is maintained in culture. They are using this model to determine mechanisms underlying the relationship between localized muscle lipids and insulin sensitivity, and how the secretome of intermuscular adipose tissue promotes insulin resistance. The overall goal of Dr. Bergman’s research is to uncover novel therapeutic targets to increase muscle insulin sensitivity, a need not bet by currently therapies, to help prevent and treat pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Kartik Shankar recently joined the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition. Prior to his appointment at CU Anschutz, Kartik was a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Associate Director at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. Research in his laboratory is aimed at understanding how maternal obesity, diet and life-style in the peri-conceptional period influence long-term health of the offspring. Specifically, his current studies are focused on understanding the epigenomic and non-genetic transmissible factors (such as the microbiome) contributing to intergenerational transmission of obesity risk in a translational fashion. These studies leverage basic animal models in conjunction with longitudinal prospective clinical studies in mothers and infants

Dr. Zemski Berry a senior instructor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the director of the Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) lipidomics core facility.  She has more than 15 years of experience in the identification of lipid molecular species and in the development LC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS/MS methods to quantify a variety of lipid products.  She received her PhD in Physical Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University in 2001 and did postdoctoral work in Robert Murphy’s laboratory at National Jewish Health where she was interested in the in vivo metabolism of a potent lipid mediator, leukotriene B₄, in humans.  Her involvement in lipid mass spectrometry continued after her postdoctoral fellow as a Senior Research Associate in Robert Murphy’s lab and as an instructor in the lipidomics core facility at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where her research interests included the development of novel mass spectrometric based methodologies (ion mobility and MALDI imaging) to elucidate lipid-based mechanisms of asthma, COPD, cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.  Her current research interest involves utilizing mass spectrometry as a tool to elucidate the role of phospholipids, lysophospholipids, and oxidized phospholipids in insulin resistance.