Buffalo, NY
Kathryn F. Medler is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the State University of New York Buffalo. Medler’s research interests are focused on understanding the function of sensory systems, with her current focus being on the signaling pathways involved in taste transduction. She published the first study demonstrating that diet-induced obesity has a direct effect on the properties of taste receptor cells. These cells are located in the tongue and are the first step in the taste transduction pathway. She found that obesity caused a reduction in the ability of taste cells to respond to different chemicals in food, which will consequently affect our ability to identify what we are eating and will likely influence consumption.
Medler received her BS in biology from Texas A&M University, her MS in physiology from San Diego State University and her PhD in neuroscience from Louisiana State University. She did postdoctoral work at Louisiana State University and Colorado State University before joining the faculty at Buffalo in 2004.