Keynote Speaker

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2023 Conference Keynote Address

"Never Stop Learning: How the desire to learn has shaped a career in pregnancy clinical research"

Dr. Rachel Tinius

Saturday, April 1, 2023  /  10:15 - 11:15 AM CST

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Presentation Description

Dr. Tinius will talk about her career path in research which began as an undergraduate student herself at WKU. She will talk about her experiences as a student (undergraduate & graduate) and how these experiences not only informed her research projects and interests but also her career trajectory. She will share data from her projects along the way as well as insights she learned from each step. She will also share how students  have now become an integral part of all of her work as a faculty member. While sharing her exciting work about physical activity interventions for pregnant and postpartum women, and how this work has most recently led her down the path of innovation and becoming an entrepreneur, she will also share broad tips and information related to mentorship, networking, and taking goals and turning them into reality.

 

Biography

Dr. Tinius is an Associate Professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She originally came to WKU as an undergraduate student in 2006 to play soccer and receive her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science. She continued her collegiate athletic and academic careers at WKU playing soccer as well as running track and cross country while completing her Master’s degree in Kinesiology. She then moved back to her home town of St. Louis, MO and obtained a Master’s Degree in Science and Clinical Investigation and a PhD in Movement Science at Washington University School of Medicine. While at Wash U, she began her work investigating the role of obesity, physical activity, and maternal metabolic health on maternal and infant outcomes. Upon completion of her PhD, she returned to WKU as an Assistant Professor in Exercise Science. Since arriving at WKU, she has secured continuous external funding through the KY INBRE network and the NIH to study physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum. She has become most interested in developing physical activity interventions as a means of improving outcomes, particularly in rural areas. Her personal life and research interests have intersected for much of the past 5 years as she has a 6 year old (Lainey), 4 year old (Riley), and 2 year old (Tess).