Meet Steve Austad PHD. He is one of the many expert speakers at the upcoming Metabesity 2021 conference, October 11 – 14, 2021.
Metabesity 2021: Exploration of the biology of aging
Dr. Austad is currently the distinguished Professor and Chair of Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. He is also the Senior Scientific Director of the American Federation for Aging Research. He has previously held faculty positions at Harvard University, the University of Idaho, and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
His research explores the evolution of life histories with a particular focus on the comparative biology of aging. Dr. Austad’s research ranges from comparative demography to molecular mechanisms of aging. He has a long-time interest in variation in both cognitive and physical aging rates among primates and other animals.
Slow the aging process
Steve Austad MD
The long-term goal of his research is to develop treatments to slow the aging process, thus keeping people fit and healthy longer.
Dr. Austad’s laboratory works with different animal species, especially those which are more successful at aging than humans, such as clams and hydra, in order to discover such treatments.
Dr. Austad earned an undergraduate degree in English literature from UCLA. After doing so, he left academia for a number of years during which among other things, he drove a taxicab in New York City, worked as a newspaper reporter, and trained large cats for television and movies. His interest in science was awakened by his time animal training.
Harvard University
He returned to academics to study animal behavior more formally. He received his PhD in biology from Purdue University. After postdoctoral research at the University of New Mexico, Dr. Austad accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolution Biology at Harvard University in 1986.
He left Harvard as an associate professor in 1993 and moved to University of Idaho where he became full professor. From 2004 to 2013, he was a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Austad served as interim director of the Barshop Institute before moving to his current position in 2014.
Targeting Metabesity 2021
Metabesity 2021 gathers together a stellar list of speakers from multiple disciplines, including science and medicine, behavioral science, government regulation, policy, reimbursement, industry and capital markets, patient advocacy, boomer and senior lifestyle and digital health.
The conference which takes place virtually and in Washington DC, USA, takes on some of the most critical issues in healthcare today:
- Focusing on chronic (not just acute) diseases
- Shifting the spotlight beyond treatment to prevention
- Going beyond disease-by-disease treatments to prevention of multiple diseases by addressing common root causes
- Shifting from addressing diseases to extending healthy lifespan—healthspan
