Dr. Little

BIOGRAPHY

My interest in metabolism began as a competitive distance runner as I became fascinated with trying to understand how the body produced energy to fuel exercise. I was first introduced to research as an undergraduate summer student working in the laboratory of Dr. Martin Gibala at McMaster University and was quickly hooked. After pursuing an MSc degree at the University of Saskatchewan focusing on sport nutrition I returned to McMaster to complete my PhD focusing on muscle mitochondrial adaptations to exercise in healthy humans and individuals with type 2 diabetes. These experiences gave me a strong background in human exercise physiology and metabolism. In my postdoctoral fellowship at UBC I explored how metabolic disruptions associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes (e.g., high glucose, hyperlipidemia) impacted inflammatory activation of isolated cells. In my current lab we combine all of these approaches to understand how the metabolic disruptions that characterize type 2 diabetes affect cellular inflammation and explore how different exercise and nutritional strategies can be used to reduce inflammation and improve overall cardiometabolic health.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

  • Hons B. Kin – McMaster University – 2005
  • M.Sc. – University of Saskatchewan – 2007
  • Ph.D. – McMaster University – 2010
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship – University of British Columbia – 2010-2012

Affiliations & Networks

UBCO Eminence Cluster Airborne Disease Transmission
BC Diabetes Research Network
UBCO Southern Medical Program, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention & Management 
Associate Editor for Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism & National Consulting Editor for Canadian Journal of Diabetes.

SELECTED GRANTS & AWARDS

2021 Researcher of the Year at UBC Okanagan

Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship, 2021-2023
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Young Investigator Award, October 2020
UBC Killam Research Fellowship, March 2018
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar, 2018-2023
American College of Sports Medicine New Investigator Award, May 2016
Canadian Institute of Health Research New Investigator Salary Award, 2015-2020

 

 

 

Email: jonathan.little@ubc.ca

Phone: 250-807-9876

Twitter: @DrJonLittle

Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=0K8zss8AAAAJ&hl=en

Full list in Pubmed:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1v511Uk7jsGA6/bibliography/public/