Nobel Laureate and Wildlife Ecophysiologist to Speak at American Physiology Summit

March 28, 2023 (Rockville, Md.)— The American Physiology Summit will feature top scientists and inspiring speakers, including Nobel Laureate David Julius, PhD, and renowned wildlife ecophysiologist Terrie Williams, PhD, who will give keynote presentations.    

The 2023 Summit, the flagship meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS), will be held April 20–23, 2023, in Long Beach, California. Advanced registration is recommended for reporters who would like to attend the meeting, access embargoed press materials online or join the virtual press conference on April 18 at 10:30 a.m. PDT/1:30 p.m. EDT. 

For more on the science behind the biggest issues impacting life and health today, explore the meeting’s schedule at a glance, full program and game-changer sessions.

The biology behind why we feel pain

Julius will kick off the 2023 Summit with the opening keynote presentation “Gut Feelings: Probing Mechanisms of Visceral Pain,” on Thursday, April 20, at 4 p.m. He is professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Morris Herzstein Chair in Molecular Biology and Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Julius was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine—jointly with Ardem Patapoutian, PhD, a professor at Scripps Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator in La Jolla, California—for discovering receptors for temperature and touch. Julius’ work has focused on identifying and understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in our senses of touch and pain. His group discovered a family of temperature-sensitive ion channel receptors that enable sensory nerve fibers to detect hot or cold temperatures. Read more about Julius.

The ever-adaptable mammalian brain

Williams will give the meeting’s closing keynote talk “The Master Switch of Life: A Daring Journey into the Untamed Brain,” on Sunday, April 23, at 11 a.m. Williams is a distinguished professor and director of the Integrative and Comparative Energetics Lab and the Marine Mammal Physiology Project at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Williams, who has studied terrestrial and aquatic mammals for more than four decades, researches the survival physiology of animals including sea otters, narwhals, polar bears, lions and seals. Williams and her students strive to understand the ecological significance of large mammals and their exquisite physiological adaptations necessary for surviving in a world that is constantly changing due to human impacts. Read more about Williams. 

To register for a press pass, please visit our Summit Newsroom and submit a press registration form. 

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Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiology Summit (APS2023) is an innovative event for scientific exchange and networking. Thousands of researchers, educators and students will come together to share the most recent advances and breakthroughs impacting the research community and the world around us. APS 2023 is the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society, whose mission is to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health.