DR. BRUCE BLUMBERG has been conducting pioneering research in the field of human biology for more than thirty years. He is professor in the Departments of Developmental and Cell Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of California–Irvine (UCI), which he joined in 1998. At UCI, his laboratory studies the biology of nuclear hormone receptors in development, physiology, and disease with a particular emphasis on how these are affected by hormonally active compounds in the diet and environment. He is credited with coining the term “obesogens” and proposing the obesogen hypothesis, which holds that exposure to environmental chemicals that disrupt the hormonal system may be an important factor predisposing individuals to weight gain and obesity. (Google the word “obesogens” and Dr. Blumberg is close by.) His laboratory demonstrated that the effects of maternal obesogen exposure may be passed on to future generations, as far as four generations out.
As one of the most respected biologists and scientific researchers in the world given his immense contributions to academic literature, Dr. Blumberg and his work have not gone unnoticed. Ever since “obesogens” landed in the mainstream media through articles in the New York Times, US News & World Report, Atlantic, Washington Post, Shape, and even The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Blumberg’s phone has been ringing off the hook. He is known locally, nationally, and internationally as one of the top go-to experts in his specialty, especially with regard to understanding obesogens and how to avoid them. His knowledge is sought by not only journalists and health bloggers, but also other health professionals and obesity researchers. He has long intended to write this book, but waited patiently for the science to speak for itself. And now it has.
A graduate of Rutgers University (’76), Dr. Blumberg earned his PhD in biology from UCLA in 1987 and went on to make numerous discoveries in high-profile laboratories, including the prestigious Gene Expression Laboratory of Dr. Ron Evans at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. To date, Dr. Blumberg has developed six U.S. patents and has published more than 137 peer-reviewed research papers that have been cited more than twenty-four thousand times. Dr. Blumberg was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2012.
When he is not immersed in his work, Dr. Blumberg enjoys being at home with his wife or hanging out at the stables watching his daughter ride horses. He has kept aquariums all his life with a current obsession with reef aquariums. He also loves digital photography and building computers. Dr. Blumberg is excited to share what he has learned from behind the scenes in his laboratory with the world.
KRISTIN LOBERG specializes in taking experts’ knowledge and turning it into reader-friendly works for general audiences. Kristin has a lengthy list of successful collaborations; multiple books on which she’s worked have spent weeks on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today bestseller lists. She earned her degree from Cornell University and lives in Los Angeles where she was born. She is a member of the Author’s Guild and PEN, and she occasionally teaches an intensive proposal-writing workshop at UCLA.