Kate Townsend Creasy, PhD
Dr. Creasy aims to understand how genetic variation affects liver lipid metabolism, and how alterations in liver metabolism lead to chronic diseases. Changes in lipid metabolism are common in numerous diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, and many cancers. Her research goals are to understand the genetic and regulatory mechanisms of liver lipid metabolism that become altered in the progression of cardiometabolic diseases, and to develop methods to detect these alterations to be used for earlier detection and improved treatment options. The Creasy Lab will use human genetics to guide investigations into dysregulated liver lipid metabolism and the effects on cardiometabolic diseases with the goal of developing personalized nutrition approaches to treating patients.
“With the growing obesity epidemic and related cardiometabolic illnesses, it is imperative to develop comprehensive methods to evaluate and treat patients. By combining insights from human genetics with advanced research approaches in molecular metabolism, we can develop better strategies for providing precision nutrition care.”
Education
- PhD, University of Kentucky, 2015
- Post-Baccalaureate Study: Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, 2010
- BS, Greensboro College, 2005
Teaching
Dr. Creasy is developing a course for the Master of Science in Nutrition Science (MSNS) program titled Omics in Nutrition Science, and will accept students for the Capstone Project of the MSNS program. She has opportunities for lab-based research and independent study with students at all education levels.
Research
Dr. Creasy’s research program focuses on understanding the genetics of metabolic diseases, and how molecular investigations can inform precision nutrition recommendations. She uses cutting edge techniques including single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolomics of human patient samples to characterize transcriptional and metabolic changes in people with various stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and related comorbidities.
Opportunities to Learn and Collaborate at Penn Nursing
Dr. Creasy actively collaborates with multiple centers and interdisciplinary teams across Penn and other institutions to conduct translational metabolic disease research.
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