Umesh D. Wankhade

Dr. Umesh D. Wankhade serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine and is affiliated with the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center. His research focuses on understanding the developmental origins of childhood and adult obesity, particularly examining how parental behavior and dietary habits influence offspring health outcomes.

Dr. Wankhade's laboratory investigates the developmental origins of different adipose tissue depots, including thermogenic 'beige' adipose tissue, classical white adipose tissue, and brown adipose tissue. His research examines how parental obesity negatively affects offspring health while exploring how behavioral modifications such as exercise may reduce offspring's predisposition to metabolic diseases. He employs both traditional techniques including cell culture and animal models, as well as high-throughput genomic methodologies such as RNA-seq, DNA methylation analysis, and microbial ecology analysis to answer novel questions in metabolic programming.

His work aims to provide a better mechanistic understanding of the physiological basis of fetal programming to identify novel intervention opportunities for metabolic diseases. By identifying mechanisms orchestrating cellular-level developmental programming of adipose tissue, his research provides new insights into adipose tissue function and its role in metabolic regulation. His findings have significant implications for understanding transgenerational transmission of metabolic disease risk and potential preventative strategies.