Sarah Lessard, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

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“The focus of my research is to determine the molecular mechanisms behind the powerful clinical benefits of physical exercise in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.”

Identifying mechanisms to optimize the therapeutic benefits of exercise

Why do some people gain fewer health benefits from exercise than others?

Increased aerobic exercise capacity is one of the key health benefits of aerobic training. Some individuals, however, are “exercise resistant” and fail to improve fitness and other key health markers with training. People with metabolic diseases such as Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes have blunted improvements in aerobic capacity with training. The identification of high and low responders to exercise training can be a valuable tool in determining which mechanisms are most important in mediating the health benefits of exercise — information that is critical to identifying therapies to improve the health benefits of exercise.

sarahlessard@vtc.vt.edu
540-526-2161
Room 2219, Riverside 4

Lessard Lab

Center for Exercise Medicine Research

Professional Appointments

Associate Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Associate Professor, Department of Human Foods, Nutrition, and Exercise, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Previous Positions

Harvard Medical School, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston

Education and Training

Ph.D., Medical Sciences and Exercise Physiology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Melbourne, Australia
M.Sc., Human Biology and Nutritional Science, University of Guelph, Canada
B.Sc., Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, University of Guelph, Canada

Selected Publications

MacDonald TL, Pattamaprapanont P, Pathak P, Fernandez N, Freitas EC, Hafida S, Mitri J, Britton SL, Koch LG, Lessard SJ. Hyperglycaemia is associated with impaired muscle signalling and aerobic adaptation to exercise. Nat Metab. 2020 Sep;2(9):902-917. doi: 10.1038/s42255-020-0240-7. Epub 2020 Jul 20. PMID: 32694831; PMCID: PMC8278496.

Lessard SJ, MacDonald TL, Pathak P, Han MS, Coffey VG, Edge J, Rivas DA, Hirshman MF, Davis RJ, Goodyear LJ. JNK regulates muscle remodeling via myostatin/SMAD inhibition. Nat Commun. 2018 Aug 2;9(1):3030. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05439-3. PMID: 30072727; PMCID: PMC6072737.

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