Center for Exercise Medicine Research
Center for Exercise Medicine Research
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Zhen Yan, Ph.D. , homeProfessor and Director, Center for Exercise Medicine Research
About the Center for Exercise Medicine Research
The Center for Exercise Medicine Research explores the role of exercise in preventing cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, which account for more than 75% of health care costs in the United States. The center aims to be a nexus of collaboration among biological scientists from across the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus, and Carilion Clinic to address the benefits of exercise on health and the prevention of disease. The center is led by Zhen Yan, Ph.D., a global leader in exercise medicine research.
Center Contacts
- Director: Zhen Yan, Ph.D
- Administrative Coordinator: Tiffany Draper, Ph.D.
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Lessard Lab , homeThe Lessard Lab studies the molecular mechanisms behind the powerful clinical benefits of exercise in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.
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Mishra Lab , homeThe Mishra Lab studies the molecular signaling perturbations associated with metabolic syndrome.
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Yan Lab , homeThe Yan Lab employs the state-of-the-art molecular genetics and imaging technologies to elucidate the underlying molecular and signaling mechanisms of exercise training-induced adaptations and the impacts on health and disease.
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Understanding how cells adapt after exercise , article Date: Mar 25, 2026 -
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Article ItemResearchers refine understanding of the body's response to energy demands from exercise , article
The study, led by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute exercise medicine scientist Zhen Yan, identified an important cell signaling mechanism that could be a target for treating diabetes.
Date: Feb 25, 2026 - -
Article ItemKeto diet could unlock the effects of exercise for people with high blood sugar , article
A new study by exercise medicine scientist Sarah Lessard found that feeding mice with hyperglycemia a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet lowered their blood sugar and improved their bodies’ response to exercise.
Date: Feb 25, 2026 - -
Article ItemWeightlifting beats running for blood sugar control, researchers find , article
Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute show that resistance training outperforms endurance exercise in improving insulin sensitivity in obesity and Type 2 diabetes models.
Date: Nov 05, 2025 - -
Article ItemExercise lowers disease risk. This researcher wants to understand how , article
Ryan Montalvo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, will use a grant from the American College of Sports Medicine to explore how cellular adaptations during exercise help combat disease.
Date: Sep 24, 2025 - -
Article ItemZhen Yan named associate editor of new Nature Portfolio journal focused on exercise medicine , article
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute professor hopes to advance research into exercise as a tool to prevent and treat chronic conditions related to lifestyle and behavior.
Date: Aug 12, 2025 - -
Article ItemFormer Army airborne medic jumped to biomedical research , article
Donato Rivas, a research associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, joined the Army right out of high school, a decision that would put him on a path toward ultimately helping soldiers heal faster.
Date: Nov 08, 2024 - -
Article ItemWhy don’t people with diabetes respond as well to exercise? , article
New Fralin Biomedical Research Institute researcher Sarah Lessard hopes her research will help people with metabolic disease and chronic illnesses lead healthier lives.
Date: Sep 10, 2024 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researcher helps discover underlying mechanisms behind regular exercise benefits , article
The new findings have important health implications, including impacts on diseases, organs, and tissues.
Date: Jun 11, 2024 - -
Article ItemSelf-described ‘mitochondria nerd’ explores exercise as medicine with new research award , article
Ryan Montalvo is an inaugural recipient of a Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Postdoctoral Excellence Award. He works in the lab of Zhen Yan, a leader in the field of exercise medicine research.
Date: Feb 19, 2024 - -
Article ItemNew Fralin Biomedical Research Institute researcher pursues heart failure therapies , article
Assistant Professor Sumita Mishra explores specific molecular pathways underlying a common form of heart disease that afflicts millions of Americans, predominantly women.
Date: Dec 04, 2023 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC: Growth of an innovator , article
Since its founding in 2010, the research institute has become a focal point for biomedical research across Virginia Tech. It now has more than 450 faculty, staff, and students in Roanoke and Washington, D.C., supporting research fueled by $173.7 million in external grants.
Date: Aug 29, 2023 - -
Article ItemLecture series features experts in addiction research, cardiovascular science, child development, metabolic disease , article
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute launches the 12th season of the Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series on Sept. 8.
Date: Aug 24, 2023 - -
Article ItemInternational trainees selected for inaugural postdoctoral scholar program , article
Karthi Sreedevi and Xuansong Mao, postdoctoral associates at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, recently joined the new program created to help young professionals successfully launch their careers. They will receive additional training and support through the Research and Innovation Postdoctoral Scholars program.
Date: Apr 26, 2023 - -
Article ItemEveryone invited to learn about our ‘electric’ brains at 10th annual Brain School , article
Neuroscientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and the School of Neuroscience will celebrate the amazing brain with their 10th annual Brain School program, “The Electric Brain,” starting at 5 p.m. March 13 at 4 Riverside Circle in Roanoke.
Date: Mar 03, 2023 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech scientist to accept international prize for medical research , article
Zhen Yan, a top scientist in the field of exercise and metabolism, will accept a leading international honor for extraordinary achievements in medical research in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Date: Oct 12, 2022 - -
Article ItemGlobal leader in cellular exercise research joins Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC , article
A top scientist who studies the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms through which exercise provides unmatched health benefits is joining Virginia Tech to lead research to preserve good health and prevent disease. Zhen Yan, an international molecular exercise and physiology researcher, will become the inaugural director of the new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Center for Exercise Medicine Research.
Date: Aug 24, 2022 -
Recent Media Coverage
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Redirect ItemRadioIQ: Global exercise science conference lands in Roanoke , redirect Date: Jun 04, 2026 -
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Redirect ItemNews Medical: Identifying the core catalyst for muscle energy production , redirect Date: Feb 26, 2026 -
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Redirect ItemKnowridge: Why heart risk increases after menopause , redirect Date: Apr 29, 2026 -
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Redirect ItemMedscape: Keto Diet Boosts Aerobic Fitness in Hyperglycemic Mice , redirect Date: Mar 19, 2026 -
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Redirect ItemNews Medical: Identifying the core catalyst for muscle energy production , redirect Date: Feb 26, 2026 -
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Redirect ItemNewsmax: Lifting Weights Beats Running at Preventing Diabetes , redirect Date: Nov 12, 2025 -
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Redirect ItemFuturity: Weights may beat running for preventing diabetes , redirect Date: Nov 06, 2025 -
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Redirect ItemMSN: Exploring exercise's physiological response to fight diabetes , redirect Date: Oct 02, 2025 -
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Redirect ItemROmedic (Romania): The mechanisms behind the benefits of regular sport , redirect Date: Jun 13, 2024 -
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Redirect ItemScience Daily: Underlying mechanisms behind regular exercise benefits , redirect Date: Jun 11, 2024 -
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Redirect ItemVirginia Business: Virginia Tech research institute receives $50M gift , redirect Date: Sep 12, 2023 -
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Redirect ItemFox 5 DC TV: Research backs benefits of making exercise a priority , redirect Date: Jan 05, 2023 -
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Brown Adipose Tissue as a Mediator of Cardiovascular Health , homeSept. 18, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Kristin Stanford, Ph.D., FAHA, Professor, Department of Surgery; William D. and Jacquelyn L. Wells Chair, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Exercise Medicine Research
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AMPK, Ancient Energy Sensing Kinase That Restores Metabolic Homeostasis During Bad Times , homeApril 23, 2027, 11:00 a.m. | Reuben Shaw, Ph.D., William R. Brody Chair, Professor, Salk Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Director of the NCI-designated Salk Cancer Center | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Exercise Medicine Research
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Lysine Acetylation as a Critical Regulator of Glut4-Mediated Glucose Uptake in Skeletal Muscle , homeJune 4, 2027, 11:00 a.m. | Simon Schenk, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Exercise Medicine Research