Zhen Yan named associate editor of new Nature Portfolio journal focused on exercise medicine
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute professor hopes to advance research into exercise as a tool to prevent and treat chronic conditions related to lifestyle and behavior.
Zhen Yan, professor and director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s Center for Exercise Medicine Research, was named to the editorial board of a new Nature Portfolio journal, Exercise Medicine and Health. Photo by Clayton Metz for Virginia Tech.
Zhen Yan, professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and director of its Center for Exercise Medicine Research, has been named an associate editor of a new Nature Portfolio Journal focused on interdisciplinary research into the health benefits of exercise and its role in disease prevention and treatment.
Physical inactivity is linked to a wide range of health conditions and escalating health care costs. A growing body of research examining the mechanisms of exercise has connected its benefits to prevention and treatment of chronic conditions, including heart disease, obesity and diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer — often outperforming pharmacologic interventions in determining health outcomes.
Exercise Medicine and Health joins the Nature Portfolio. The editorial board will be led by physical activity, exercise science, and health experts and feature topics such as clinical exercise medicine, exercise biology and physiology, exercise biomechanics, injury prevention, nutrition, and technology and engineering, such as wearables and sensors.
Yan is a leading researcher in the field of exercise and metabolism. His background in medicine and surgical training informed his focus on exercise as a preventive intervention.
“The theme of this new journal is in complete alignment with the mission of the Center for Exercise Medicine Research here" at the institute, Yan said. “We are tackling the question regarding the superb benefits of physical activity — regular exercise — in eliminating the increasing proportion of noncommunicable diseases. From a global health standpoint, these chronic diseases are pandemic in scale.”
Approximately 1 in 10 people worldwide has diabetes. Higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower risk of several types of cancer and protection against diseases associated with aging, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. More importantly, exercise capacity is strongly associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality.
“Serving as associate editor of this journal allows me to amplify the mission we’ve embraced — advancing research that places exercise at the forefront of disease prevention and treatment,” said Yan, whose research aims to find ways to improve mitochondrial quality and quantity. “This journal will be a platform for ideas that align with the very foundation of our work here.”
Yan earned his bachelor's in medicine from the Medical Worker’s College of Jiangsu Province in China, his master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his doctorate in physiology and cell biology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He did his postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He also holds an appointment as a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
In 2022, the Novo Nordisk Foundation selected Yan for its Jacobæus Prize, which recognizes an international scientist who has made groundbreaking achievements with their research. He is also vice chairman of the International Research Group on the Biochemistry of Exercise.
Yan was instrumental in winning a bid for Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to host the 20th International Biochemistry of Exercise Conference in Roanoke from June 1-5, 2026. The theme of the conference is “Exercise and Healthspan.”
