Kafi Ealey
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Nutrition
Office: DCC-618, Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex
Phone: 416-979-5000 x556942
Email: kealy@torontomu.ca
Education: PhD
Discipline: Nutritional Sciences & Molecular Biology
Areas of Expertise:
Fat Tissue Biology
Immunology & Metabolism
Nutritional Biochemistry
Nutrition Interventions
Obesity & Type 2 Diabetes
Research Interests
Adipose Tissue Cell Biology, Immunology and Metabolism; Impact of Nutritional Interventions on Metabolism; Characterizing Biological Differences that Underlie Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.
Dr. Kafi Ealey is an assistant professor in the School of Nutrition at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Ealey obtained her MSc and PhD from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. She completed postdoctoral training at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in Yokohama, Japan, and at the Department of Translational Medicine at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children Research Centre.
Dr. Ealey’s research is focused on understanding the biological and cellular processes that govern the diverse functions of metabolic tissues to promote overall health. By analyzing the cellular composition and functionality of various tissues, particularly adipose tissue, she explores the mechanisms driving fat expansion during the development of obesity. Her work, which employs a range of experimental models, is dedicated to uncovering how nutritional interventions can influence adipose tissue expansion, immune system function, metabolism, and chronic metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Dr. Ealey is particularly passionate about examining the biological variations in metabolic systems that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
Scholarly Calling
My research in the field of nutritional sciences uses tools from cell and molecular biology and genetics to understand how body fat develops, is stored, and the biological pathways that regulate its metabolism in health and disease.
I study ancestry-associated differences in fat biology to understand how the pathways that regulate metabolism and contribute to cardiometabolic disease differ across populations, particularly in people of Black/African ancestry, where there is a significant gap in research. At TMU, I was involved in the recent launch of the TMU Black in STEM initiative, which creates a space for building community and networking while advancing scientific knowledge.
I am passionate about promoting, supporting, and connecting Black scholars in STEM at all levels, from undergraduate students to faculty members.
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