Keynote Speaker—George Brooks, PhD, FAPS

Meet Our Closing Keynote Speaker 

George Brooks, PhD, FAPS
Professor, Department of Integrative Biology
University of California, Berkley

Keynote Presentation: Lactate Shuttles and Carbohydrate Carbon Flow
Location: Baltimore Convention Center
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 10:30 a.m. EDT

George Brooks, PhD, FAPS, is a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at University of California, Berkley, renowned for his discovery and delineation of the central role of lactate in metabolism and bioenergetics in both health and disease. Brooks is the 2025 Physiology in Perspective Walter B. Cannon Award recipient, one of the Society’s highest honors recognizing a lifetime dedication to advancing the discipline. As a longtime APS member who has produced decades of exercise physiology research, Brooks previously presented the prestigious Adolph Distinguished Lecture for the Society’s Environmental & Exercise Physiology Section.

Brooks’ extensive body of research focuses on metabolic adjustments to exercise. His work has advanced the understanding of the pathways and controls of how lactate is produced and cleared before, during and after exercise, as well as after carbohydrate consumption. Lactate is a preferred fuel source, the major gluconeogenic precursor and a signaling molecule. This foundational research is valuable for improving health outcomes for patients suffering from injuries and infections, including traumatic brain injury, heart failure, inflammatory conditions. Additionally, Brooks has explored how the body selects combinations of fatty acids, carbohydrates and amino acids for use during prolonged exercise and other conditions. This knowledge is crucial for preventing and managing metabolic inflexibility, a factor that contributes to obesity and type 2 diabetes. 

Brooks will speak at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at the closing session of the 2025 American Physiology Summit.