Matthew Hulver was recently named assistant dean of health sciences in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

In his new role, Hulver will provide leadership and coordinate efforts that span research, extension, and teaching to further the college’s reach in the health sciences. The college is currently in engaged in a host of health science issues, ranging from obesity and opioid addiction to cancer and heart disease. This complements the college’s current work in the agricultural and life sciences and furthers the connection between the university’s facilities in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia.

Hulver’s specific duties will include the development and implementation of a health sciences strategic plan for the college; assist with developing marketing and student recruitment plans; identify health sciences-related grant opportunities for CALS faculty; develop strategies to enhance partnerships with relevant health sciences industries; and assist Virginia Cooperative Extension project teams that include health sciences programming and community outreach efforts

He will remain the head of the Department of the Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise. Hulver is also one of the leaders of the Center for Transformative Research on Health Behaviors located at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and a Fralin Life Science Institute-affiliated faculty member.

His research focuses on the threat of lifestyle diseases – which are conditions that are caused or aggravated by a person’s own behavior. Since he has been at Virginia Tech, Hulver has led and collaborated on initiatives that explored metabolic changes to variety of factors including dietary change, environmental influences, and chronic disease conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Prior to becoming a faculty member at Virginia Tech, Hulver served an appointment at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as an assistant professor of research. There he led a lab focused on understanding the role of abnormal skeletal muscle metabolism in the pathology of chronic metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Hulver maintains membership in myriad nutrition and exercise societies, including the American Diabetes Association and The Obesity Society. He is also a member of the American Diabetes Association and recently received the organization’s Clinical and Epidemiological Research Award. Hulver has spoken around the country about his nutrition and exercise research and has served on numerous grant review panels and study sections for the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and the National Institutes of Health.

Hulver holds a bachelor’s degree in fitness management from Marietta College, a master’s degree from McDaniel College in exercise science, and a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Kansas.

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