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Amrita Kamat (nee Bhakta), Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Deputy Associate Chief of Staff /Research GRECC

Dr. Amrita Kamat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and the Deputy Associate Chief of Staff (DACOS) for Research and Development at the Audie Murphy VA Hospital, South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS). She is also a faculty member of the Barshop Institute for Aging and Longevity/UTHSCSA and a Research Health Scientist with the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center/STVHCS. Dr. Kamat serves on various committees at UTHSCSA and the VA, and is a recipient of several professional honors and research grant awards. The primary focus of Dr. Kamat‘s research is to understand the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism during aging and in age-associated diseases, with particular emphasis on increased beta2-adrenergic receptor signaling in the liver. Novel findings from her laboratory suggest that increased hepatic beta2-adrenergic receptor signaling augments lipid accumulation and induces insulin resistance in the liver. More recently, Dr. Kamat‘s laboratory has been studying the role of beta2-adrenergic receptor signaling in the development of Parkinson‘s disease (PD). She is investigating whether beta2-adrenergic receptor agonists, commonly used as bronchodilators, may reduce/inhibit the pathogenesis of PD, a novel area of research in this field. Dr. Kamat has been involved in mentoring many students, especially in the Medical student Training in Aging Research Program, residents, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members. As DACOS at the VA, her responsibilities also include regular interactions and meetings with leadership at both UTHSCSA and STVHCS to increase research opportunities for UTHSCSA/VA investigators and increase collaborations between the two institutions.