Walk with Wente: Kristen Beavers, PhD

President Wente walks and talks with Beavers about her work in preventative health, her passion for being a mentor and other topics.

More about Kristen Beavers:

Associate Professor, Health and Exercise Science

With our current healthcare system facing an overwhelming number of older adults living with disability, Kristen Beavers aims to keep people living independently as long as possible. She is interested in understanding how nutrition and exercise relate to the prevention and causes of disease and disability in older adults. Since 2010, the National Institutes on Aging has funded her research focused on understanding the effects of intentional weight loss on changes in several indicators of health, including body composition, fitness and functional decline. 

 If there’s a lifestyle-based strategy that can help older adults lose fat, while keeping muscle and bone, Beavers wants to find it.

View Kristen Beavers’ Faculty Profile

Research Highlights

Hands-on research makes a real-world difference

Read more about Beavers’ work with senior Ainsley Pierson during a URECA summer research fellowship.

Can bone-strengthening exercises and/or drugs reduce fracture risk when older adults lose weight?

Read more about Beavers’ role in a $7 million study.

Can weighted vests help maintain bone health when older adults slim down?

Read about Beavers’ study of an alternative to resistance training.

Lose fat, preserve muscle: Weight training beats cardio for older adults

Read the results of Beavers’ study published in the journal Obesity.

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