Sarah Gray 
Assistant Professor
Education:
BSc, UVic - Biology
PhD, UVic - Biology
Post-Doctoral Fellows:
University of Cambridge, UK - Clinical Biochemistry
University of British Columbia - Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Research Focus:
Obesity
is a common health problem in western societies wih both environmental
and genetic factors contributing to development of the disease. The
consumption of energy rich diets and sedentary lifestyle promote a
chronic state of overnutrition, while genetic factors that favour
energy conservation predispose some individuals to an obese phenotype.
Worldwide, 300 million people are obese (body mass index (BMI) >30)
and over 1 billion people overweight (BMI>25). Dr Gray's interests
lie
in how changes in adipose tissue mass, as sseen in obesity, contribute
to the development of type 2 diabetes. Obesity, diabetes and associated
complications cause long term suffering for patients and are a massive
economic burden to countries around the world. Understanding the
mechanisms by which type 2 diabetes develops may lead to treatments to
control or reverse the metabolic complications associated with obesity
and importantly provide clear mechanistic data to suppor the promotion
of a healthy lifestyle for the  prevention of obesity and type 2
diabetes.
The central theme of research would be the
molecular mechanisms of type 2 diabetes, with sepcific focus on the
following interrelated areas of research:
-Adipose tissue expandability in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis
-Endocrine regulation of glucose homeostasis
-Molecular mechanisms that control energy expenditure
-Type 2 diabetes in First Nations popluations of British Columbia
Contact Information:
University of Northern BC
Office: 9-367
Dr Donald Rix Northern Health Sciences Centre
Phone: (250)960-5442
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