Associate Professor
University of Washington, Dept. of Medicine
Seattle, Washington, United States
Dr. Thaler studied Biochemistry at Harvard followed by obtaining an MD and PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego and the Salk Institute. After moving to the University of Washington, he completed an Internal Medicine residency and endocrinology fellowship, during which he trained with Dr. Michael Schwartz, a world leader in the study of energy homeostasis and glucose regulation. He joined the faculty of the UW in 2010 and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute.
Dr. Thaler’s focus is the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis and the alterations to this system during obesity pathogenesis. He specifically investigates the process of hypothalamic inflammation and its relationship to high fat diet-induced weight gain. He identified an important role for glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) in modulating the neuronal regulation of energy homeostasis. In particular, he discovered that glial cells promote diet-induced damage to critical hypothalamic neurons thereby increasing susceptibility to obesity and diabetes. His current work aims to identify glial factors that can be developed as novel targets for metabolic therapeutics.
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The Role of the Brain in Energy Balance and Obesity
Thursday, June 11, 2026
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM PT