Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Ph.D, FACSM, FAHA
Associate Executive Director for Population and Public Health Sciences
Marie Edana Corcoran Endowed Chair in Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes
6400 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
T: 225-763-2536 F: 225-763-2927
Dr. Katzmarzyk is an internationally recognized leader in the field of physical activity and obesity, with a special emphasis on pediatrics and ethnic health disparities. He has over two decades of experience in conducting large clinical and population-based studies in children and adults. Dr. Katzmarzyk has a special interest in global health, and has a record of building research capacity in physical activity and obesity research in developing countries. He has published his research in more than 510 scholarly journals and books, and has delivered 200 invited lectures in 16 countries. He is an Associate Editor for Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and an editorial board member for Pediatric Obesity, Pediatric Exercise Science, and Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. In addition to his research, Dr. Katzmarzyk plays a leading role in national and international health advocacy initiatives. He is currently the Vice-President of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, and he chairs the Research Advisory Committee for the U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth for the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance. He also recently served on the 2018 U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Kara D. Denstel, M.P.H.
Project Manager - 6400 Perkins Road - Baton Rouge, LA 70808
T: 225-763-2614 F: 225-763-3009
Kara Denstel is currently a Project Manager in the Physical Activity & Obesity Epidemiology Lab under the direction of Dr. Peter T. Katzmarzyk. Her primary role within the lab is to manage the Promoting Successful Weight Loss in Primary Care in Louisiana (PROPEL) clinical trial. Additionally, Kara coordinates the Research Advisory Committee for the U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth for the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance. Kara earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Louisiana State University. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Kara spent time in Tanzania conducting surveillance on environmental factors and disease morbidity. Then, Kara attended Boston University School of Public Health where she earned a Master of Public Health in both the International Health and Epidemiology programs with a special emphasis in disease control. Kara is currently a doctoral student in the Behavioral and Community Health program at LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health. Her main research interests include global health and the role of chronic psychological stress in the development of early cardiometabolic disease risk in children.
Emily Mire, M.S.
Database Manager - 6400 Perkins Road - Baton Rouge, LA 70808
T: 225-763-2934 F: 225-763-3009
Emily Mire earned her Bachelor of Science from Loyola University New Orleans in 2004, with a major in mathematics and a minor in biology. In 2007, she received her Master of Science in Biostatistics from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. In the fall of 2007, Emily began working as a data manager in Physical Activity & Obesity Epidemiology at Pennington Biomedical Research Center under the direction of Dr. Peter T. Katzmarzyk. Her main role as data manager has been to develop and maintain the dataset for the Pennington Center Longitudinal Study (PCLS), an easily accessible cross-sectional dataset that that combines all of the various lifestyle, body composition and metabolic studies that have been conducted at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Emily also monitors data for the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) by verifying data collection, entry, storage and output, creating datasets and assisting in the development of specialized programs for the management of 24-hour accelerometer data. In addition to her work with the PCLS and ISCOLE, Emily assists in other research projects involving large datasets such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Robert Kenneth Singletary, Jr. , M.H.S., CCRC, CCRA
Research Specialist II - 6400 Perkins Road - Baton Rouge, LA 70808
T: 225-763-2822 F: 225-763-3009
Ken Singletary is currently a Research Specialist in Physical Activity and Obesity Epidemiology at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. As a member of the Promoting Successful Weight Loss in Primary Care in Louisiana (PROPEL) Coordinating Center he assists in the management and coordination of state-wide study activities. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and a Master of Health Science from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has a diverse clinical research background, including experience as a Research Coordinator, Data and Regulatory Monitor, Data Manager and Clinical Research Quality Control Manager. He has 16 years of clinical research experience in numerous therapeutic areas including Oncology, Hematology, Dermatology, Cardiovascular/Vascular Diseases, Musculoskeletal, Nutrition/Weight Loss and Solid Organ Transplant. He served as a voting Institutional Review Board member at the University of Iowa for 7 years and holds certifications from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) as a Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) and Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC).
