Judith Regensteiner, PhD is dedicated to growing the field of women’s health research and sex differences research to promote optimal health care for all. She is the Director (and co-founder) of the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research and Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She holds the Judith and Joseph Wagner Chair in Women’s Health Research and is the Director of the Dean’s Women in Science and Medicine office. Dr. Regensteiner’s research expertise is in the cardiovascular effects of diabetes with a specific focus on women with type 2 diabetes since they appear to have more significant sequelae than men with diabetes. Her lab has been funded for over 30 years and her more than 180 publications have influenced the field. 

Dr. Regensteiner is a Principal Investigator for the National Institutes of Health’s Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) grant and the Doris Duke Foundation’s Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists as well having been awarded a NIH RO1 for her research. She serves on the Advisory Committee for the NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health. She is also an alumna of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (ELAM) and is on the steering committee of the national Leaders in Women’s Health group. 

A physician-scientist, Dr. Reusch has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of cellular metabolism and diabetes complications. The focus of her basic science program is to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms (i.e. mitochondrial dysfunction) that contribute to loss of cardiac, vascular and skeletal muscle resilience in diabetes.  Her shared clinical translational research program with Drs Judy Regensteiner and Kristen Nadeau examines and targets the biological variables in people with diabetes, particularly women, that lead to decreased functional exercise capacity and portend shortened lifespan. 

She is dedicated to recruiting and mentoring the translational research workforce, especially in women’s health and diabetes. Her mentoring efforts have been recognized AFMR-Uncommon Leadership in Mentoring Physician-Scientists Award, the American Diabetes Association Albert Renold Award and Woman of Valor Award, the Endocrine Society Laureate Award for Mentorship and the WAP/WSCI Mayo Soley award for mentorship and lifetime scientific achievement

Dr. Schauer’s research interest is in vascular disease in diabetes, sex differences in vascular disease, and the benefits of exercise in diabetes. 

The focus of Dr. Scalzo’s research program is to better understand the diabetes burden in premenopausal women. She investigates the connection between type 2 diabetes and disrupted estrogen signaling by examining 1) the interaction of diabetes and estrogen signaling on skeletal muscle mitochondria and 2) the mechanisms by which endocrine therapies for breast cancer increase type 2 diabetes risk in cancer survivors. She is an exercise physiologist who uses exercise testing and training throughout her translational research to understand and address type 2 diabetes. 

Dr. Thielen is an internal medicine chief resident, about to enter cardiology fellowship. She is interested in the mechanisms by which diabetes contributes to cardiovascular disease as well as treatments to mitigate this risk. 

Dr. Pinto is a 3rd year Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Colorado, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes. Her early research experiences have been primarily focused on women’s health, particularly in the promotion of healthy lifestyle (physical activity and healthy eating) to women living with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and obesity. Her current research emphasizes testing and optimizing physical activity and sedentary behavior interventions to improve glucose metabolism based on individual needs, while also exploring the role of sex in adaptations to these interventions with the goal to improve personalized care.  

Mr. Clark serves as the senior clinical research services professional in the AcTIVE lab. With a background in exercise physiology, he is driven to understand relationships between exercise, sedentary behavior, and cardiovascular health among diverse populations and finding novel interventions to improve outcomes.     

Mr. Juckett has a special interest in improving the health and wellness of communities through exercise research and implementation. He is excited to keep working with the AcTIVE lab and exploring the field of exercise research.