Joel Elmquist

Joel Elmquist is a Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and serves as Director of the Center for Hypothalamic Research. He also holds the Carl H. Westcott Distinguished Chair in Medical Research and the Maclin Family Professor in Medical Science (honoring Dr. Roy A. Brinkley), while acting as Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Internal Medicine.

• Education: Ph.D. in Veterinary Anatomy from Iowa State University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
• Current Position: Joined UT Southwestern in 2006 after previous faculty roles at Harvard Medical School.

Research Focus: Dr. Elmquist’s work centers on understanding how the hypothalamus regulates energy balance, glucose homeostasis, and metabolic processes through mouse genetics. The Elmquist Lab develops neuron-specific mouse models to study metabolic circuits, with tools distributed globally to hundreds of labs. Current projects include investigating hypothalamic neurons in exercise benefits, melanocortin system roles in inflammation, vagus nerve regulation of hepatic metabolism, and neuronal pathways in Drosophila and C. elegans models.

Leadership & Grants: As Vice Chair of Research, he supports high-impact research initiatives and infrastructure development. His work has been funded by 17 NIH grants over three decades as PI or co-PI.

• Lab Members: Includes postdoctoral researchers, assistant instructors, and technicians.
• Former Lab Members: Many have advanced to prominent roles, such as Associate Professors at Baylor College of Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and international institutions.

Scientific Contributions: The lab has pioneered research on leptin’s anti-obesity mechanisms, central melanocortin systems, and autonomic neuroscience, including adrenergic receptor roles in metabolic tissues.