Dr. Sean Newsom is an integrative metabolic physiologist confronting rising health issues caused by weight gain and physical inactivity. He partners with physicians and other scientists to develop new and effective treatments for metabolic diseases, focusing primarily on insulin resistance and risk for type 2 diabetes. His laboratory (linked) is actively focused on identifying the impact and mechanisms of SGLT2 inhibitors on regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. These medications are currently taken by millions of US adults for treatment of type 2 diabetes and related chronic conditions. New evidence from his research team indicates these medications, which are designed to target the kidneys, have direct actions in muscle that may contribute to their therapeutic potential.  Ongoing collaborative studies involve human clinical trials and mechanistic experiments in model systems to understand how these medications may be used to improve human health. This work involves interrogation of mitochondrial metabolism, lipids as negative regulators of insulin action, and energetic stress as a mechanism for altered cellular metabolism.