Assistant Professor
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN, United States
Dr. Katie Coate is an Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine at Vanderbilt University, and a Research Health Scientist at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in Nashville. She received her PhD in Molecular Physiology & Biophysics from Vanderbilt University and completed postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern Medical Center before returning to Vanderbilt as faculty. Drawing on a background in nutrition, metabolism, and endocrinology, her lab investigates how human pancreatic islet alpha and beta cells maintain their molecular identity and hormone secretion in the context of diabetes, with a focus on transcriptional regulation and sphingolipid metabolism. To this end, her team combines genetically engineered human pseudoislets with dynamic hormone secretion assays, transcriptomics, lipidomics, and advanced imaging to translate basic discoveries into strategies that protect islet cell function. Her research is supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the NIH, and Breakthrough T1D. Dr. Coate is an Associate Member of the Human Islet Research Network (within the Consortium on Beta Cell Death & Survival), serves on the editorial board of Diabetes, and is an Advisor to the American Diabetes Association’s Islet Biology, Development, and Function Interest Group.
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SY47-01 - Sphingolipid Subtype Control of Human Islet Function
Monday, June 15, 2026
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM CT