Dr. Steven B. Heymsfield stands as a preeminent authority in metabolic research and body composition analysis with a distinguished career spanning more than five decades. He currently serves as Professor and Director of the Body Composition-Metabolism Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, an esteemed institution within the Louisiana State University System. After earning his BA in Chemistry from Hunter College in 1966 and his MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1971, he completed comprehensive medical training at Emory University including internships, residencies, and fellowship work in pharmacology. Dr. Heymsfield previously held significant leadership positions including Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center from 2008 until 2013, when he transitioned to focus exclusively on advancing his pioneering research program.
Dr. Heymsfield's groundbreaking contributions have fundamentally transformed the clinical understanding and management of obesity through innovative methodologies in body composition assessment and metabolic modeling. His transformative work spans the development of flexible feeding tubes that revolutionized enteral nutrition, creation of advanced imaging techniques using CT, DXA, and 3D optical scanning, and construction of physiologically grounded energy metabolism models that have reshaped obesity science globally. He has played a pivotal role in establishing evaluation protocols and treatment methods for protein-calorie malnutrition, sarcopenia, obesity, and other disorders associated with adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. With an impressive publication record exceeding 600 peer-reviewed papers, his research has established internationally recognized standards in clinical practice, particularly through the application of technologies such as MRI, PET, and 3D optical imaging to metabolic studies.
Beyond his individual research achievements, Dr. Heymsfield actively collaborates with an international consortium of colleagues from Harvard, Cornell, and Cambridge universities to elucidate the complex mechanisms of cancer cachexia across genetic, molecular, and whole-body levels. His recent recognition as an LSU Boyd Professor in 2025, representing the university system's highest faculty honor, underscores his enduring impact on biomedical science and education. Dr. Heymsfield continues to pioneer innovative imaging technologies including 3D laser body scanning for phenotyping body shape, incorporating sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to enhance precision in body composition analysis. His ongoing research promises to further refine our understanding of metabolic health and disease, with significant implications across obesity therapeutics, cancer care, and aging research worldwide.
