Andrew Koutnik is a researcher, has type 1 diabetes, and is a patient advocate at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine studying the influence of nutrition and metabolism on health, disease, and performance. He originally began his research path at Florida State University in the Exercise Science studying the influence of nutrition, exercise, supplementation, and environmental extremes on health-based outcomes in normal and clinical populations resulting in a number of original research publications. From Florida State University, he was awarded the Presidential Fellowship to undergo Biomedical Research with the Metabolic Medicine Lab at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine with a focus on studying metabolism and metabolic therapies for health, disease, and performance outcomes resulting in numerous research publications and additional in review. While at his time at USF, Andrew also developed and implemented multiple research projects on NASA NEEMO 22 as a part of USF and IHMC research team. In 2018, Andrew was selected to participate in TEDxUSF event where he presented on Nutrition and type 1 diabetes. Personally, Andrew Koutnik has used exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle factors to manage type 1 diabetes for over 12 years. Type 1 diabetes has and continues to give an incredible in-depth personal journey into the world of our metabolism, how it works, how day-to-day life (sometimes moment-by-moment choices) influences it, and how these changes on metabolism can have far reaching effects over other aspects of our physiology. This combination of researching nutrition and exercise, but also dealing with its benefits and consequences daily with type 1 diabetes, created a strong appreciation for the metabolic role nutrition and lifestyle can play into disease prevention and management.
