Timothy B. Curry, M.D., Ph.D.

Timothy B. Curry, M.D., Ph.D., studies the role of the autonomic nervous system in obesity and other components of the metabolic syndrome, including cardiovascular control, insulin sensitivity, lipolysis and energy expenditure.

Focus areas

Dr. Curry and his team use sophisticated techniques — such as complete beta-blockade, glucose clamps, radioactive tracer methods of macronutrient turnover, and microneurography of sympathetic nerves — to study the physiology of human volunteer subjects.

As one of the leading laboratories studying muscle sympathetic nerve activity with microneurography, Dr. Curry's group collaborates with researchers around the world.

Research studies are performed in the Integrative Physiology Laboratory and the Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at Saint Marys Hospital, and they're done in collaboration with investigators from the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, & Nutrition.

Dr. Curry's other research interests include perioperative clinical outcomes, particularly in patients who undergo thoracic and orthopedic procedures. Finally, he maintains an interest in environmental physiology and collaborates with the Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic to understand the role of oxygen in the control of cardiovascular and metabolic function.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Curry's research is focused on understanding the role that the sympathetic nervous system plays in energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity in weight gain and how it is affected by weight loss through various means.

By understanding the role of the sympathetic nervous system in obesity and diabetes, Dr. Curry and his colleagues hope to develop strategies for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.