Victoria J. Vieira-Potter, PhD

Associate Professor of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology

University of Missouri – Columbia (MU)

With expertise in both nutrition and exercise physiology, and a passion for improving health via behavior change, I conduct mostly basic science studies to investigate mechanisms to prevent and treat obesity-related disease. A major focus has been on mechanisms by which exercise and estrogen affect adipose tissue metabolism, including how loss of estrogen affects adipose tissue via reducing physical activity behavior. In this regard, I am working to bridge collaborations with clinicians and scientists in the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry to further interrogate these questions in aging women. My work utilizes multiple models to address these basic science questions. I collaborate with clinical investigators to translate our work to humans, and recently have begun leading our first clinical trial, which will test an intervention to improve mood and metabolism among postmenopausal women: the Health Enhancement via Restoration of Dopamine following Estrogen Loss: HERDEL trial.