Dr Nancy Williams on energy availability

The Women in Sport & Exercise Academic Network Podcast

Dr Nancy Williams is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Kinesiology at Penn State University. She earned her doctorate in anatomy and physiology from Boston University in 1992 and then completed postdoctoral work in Reproductive Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and of the National Academy of Kinesiology. She is currently the President of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA). With over 200 departmental members, the AKA promotes the academic discipline of Kinesiology through advocacy, leadership development, and outreach.

The focus of Dr Williams’ research is to improve our understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the modulation of reproductive function via alterations in energy balance resulting from changes in diet and/or physical activity. The clinical applications of this work relate to fertility and menstrual function, musculoskeletal health, exercise performance, the Female Athlete Triad, and other women’s health issues. Dr. Williams has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in these areas with a particular focus on prospective studies in exercising women.

Dr Williams co-directs the Women’s Health and Exercise Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology. She has served as the President of the Female Athlete Triad Coalition, an international 501c3 organization of physicians, researchers and practitioners who work to promote education and research on the Female Athlete Triad.