Deborah Clegg – Discoveries in pursuit of ‘sexxy’ fat – TEDxSMU 2014
In life, one has to follow their passions – though how and where those passions come from can be the result of an amazing journey! I will describe my unusual path to becoming world renowned for my novel scientific discoveries on how male and female fat cells are not all the same! Sex matters – even in fat!
Dr. Clegg is an Associate Professor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills California. Her passion and career has focused on understanding the impact of sex hormones on energy homeostasis, metabolic function, and fat (adipose) tissue distribution. Specifically, she has published and researched how sex hormones are involved in the modulation of the major bioenergetic and/or biosynthetic pathways that normally support energy homeostasis and adipose tissue function. Disease prevalence changes over the course of the lifespan due to fluctuations in sex hormone levels. Dr. Clegg’s expertise in sex steroids and metabolic disease resulted from her early training and subsequent research carried out over the past 10 years. She has authored over 150 manuscripts, book chapters, and reviews on sex hormones and metabolism. Her ultimate goal is to direct research on the role of sex hormones in the control of metabolic function and adipose tissue distribution, which will ultimately enhance our understanding of the role these hormones have in protecting against diseases associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome.