Katherine H. Ingram, PhD

Associate Professor of Exercise Science | Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, Kennesaw State University

Biography

Katherine Ingram serves as director of an active interdisciplinary research program focused on prevention and treatment strategies for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases emphasizing physical activity and dietary factors. In one line of research, Dr. Ingram leads an interdisciplinary team of students and faculty working to identify novel early predictors of diabetes during pregnancy. This work has been funded by several internal and external grants to study the influence of lifestyle factors on metabolic health parameters. Her team received an NIH Research Enhancement award (1R15HD102957-01, PI:Ingram) to test independent and interaction effects among abdominal fat accretion via ultrasound, sedentariness, and cardiorespiratory fitness on insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β-cell responsivity in pregnant women living with overweight and obesity. In another line of research, Dr. Ingram works with a multidisciplinary team to develop and test an AI-powered noninvasive continuous glucose monitor in a smart ring format. This work has a pending full patent and was awarded pilot funding from the Artificial Intelligence in Aging (A2) Collaborative by the NIH/NIA for research and development. Her approach to mentorship of undergraduates in biomedical research was recently recognized by the 2021 Health Science Undergraduate Mentor Award from the National Council on Undergraduate Research and the 2022 NIH/NICHD supplement award for Excellence in DEIA Mentorship.