Peterson: Black belt, white coat

For Dr. Jonathan Peterson, teaching and researching is something that comes with great excitement.

“Every day is different,” he said. “I never stop working, but most days it hardly even feels like work.”

Peterson teaches anatomy and physiology at ETSU, as well as actively conducts research on obesity and type 2 diabetes related problems in the human body.

“My long-term research interests center on identifying the functions of secreted factors (particularly adipose-tissue derive adipokines) and understanding how their dysregulation contributes to metabolic diseases,” he said. “Obesity and type 2 diabetes are highly related metabolic diseases that cause a lot of issues in the human body.”

Peterson’s journey to ETSU started with a passion for running, which then snowballed into several degrees like sports medicine and exercise physiology. After completing his doctorate, he continued his studying at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“This is also where my love of teaching started, as I started mentoring and training younger students in the lab, and I also taught anatomy at the local community college,” said Peterson.

 Currently, his lab is researching cirrhosis, which is the twelfth leading cause of death in the U.S.

“My lab is currently working to discover the role of the adipose tissue factors in preventing ALD fatty liver disease, as it seems to be potent in preventing non-alcoholic liver disease,” he said. “Adipose tissue is also a major source of inflammation and is highly sensitive to alcohol.”

Along with all of his hard work researching and teaching, Peterson also recently earned his black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do.