New American Physiological Society Leaders Take Office

Rockville, Md. (April 7, 2024)—The American Physiological Society (APS) is pleased to announce its new member leaders for 2024–2025: President Timothy Musch, PhD, FAPS, FACSM; President-elect Robert L. Hester, PhD, FAPS; and Councilors Patricia A. Halpin, PhD, FAPS; My Helms, PhD; and Beth A. McCormick, PhD. The new officers were elected by APS membership and took office April 7, 2024, at the American Physiology Summit, APS’ flagship annual meeting, in Long Beach, California.

Timothy Musch, PhD, FAPS, FACSM, is a University Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Anatomy & Physiology at Kansas State University. Musch’s service to the Society includes prior roles as Councilor, chair of the Animal Care & Experimentation Committee and the Committee on Committees, and as a member of the Public Affairs, Education, Fellows, Membership, Nominating, Section Advisory and Strategic Planning committees. He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Physiology and the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. Musch was the Guyton Educator of the Year in 2013 and received Fellow of the American Physiological Society (FAPS) status in 2016.

Robert L. Hester, PhD, FAPS, is the Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor and a professor of physiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Hester has served APS as past chair of Joint Programming Committee and the Cardiovascular Section. He has been a member of the Section Advisory, Education and Science Policy committees, the American Physiology Summit 2023 Task Force, and was chair of the Experimental Biology Board. Hester is an associate editor of the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory and a section editor of Comprehensive Physiology. His current research is focused on computer simulation of integrative physiology. Hester received FAPS status in 2015.

Patricia A. Halpin, PhD, FAPS, is a professor of biology and biotechnology at the University of New Hampshire. She was trained as a renal physiologist and is now an education researcher. Halpin has been a member of APS since 1995. She serves on the Center for Physiology Education advisory board. Halpin is also a member and past chair of the Teaching of Physiology Section. An early adopter of online learning, she uses face-to-face, online and blended modalities to teach a variety of courses. Halpin received FAPS status in 2024.

My Helms, PhD, is an associate professor with tenure at the University of Utah pursuing mechanistic studies in epithelial transport biology. She is chair of the Cell and Molecular Physiology Section Postdoctoral Review Committee. Helms is also a member of Cell Section’s Research Host Contact List, Social Media Admins and Summit-CAMPS committees. She is the past chair of the Cell & Molecular Physiology Section Steering Committee. Helms mentors the next generation of scientists to become independent investigators. She addresses the scientific challenges and opportunities of our time through university and APS service.

Beth A. McCormick, PhD, is a professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems at UMass Chan Medical School. McCormick is an internationally renowned gastrointestinal physiologist and has been an active participant in APS activities for nearly 20 years. She has served as secretary-treasurer of the APS Gastrointestinal & Liver Section (2018–2021),an editorial board member for the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology and an organizer of plenary sessions. She was the 2023 Gastrointestinal & Liver Physiology Section Distinguished Lecturer. McCormick has served as a session chair at Experimental Biology as well.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.

Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.