Rate My Professor Todd Hagobian

Todd Hagobian, Ph.D., is Professor and Department Chair of the Kinesiology and Public Health Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He earned a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2008, an M.A. in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University in 2002, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California in 1991. Since joining Cal Poly in 2009, he has built a research program focused on diabetes and obesity prevention, metabolism and physiology, community-engaged research, and lifestyle interventions for underrepresented populations. His expertise encompasses diabetes and obesity biomarkers, environmental and endocrine disrupting chemical interventions such as bisphenol A exposure reduction, quantitative methods, and nutrition and physical activity interventions in both pregnant and non-pregnant populations. Hagobian serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Center for Health Research at Cal Poly, where he contributes to projects examining the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity, including the effects of bisphenol A on insulin sensitivity and weight loss strategies to minimize chemical exposures.

Hagobian's publications include highly cited papers such as 'Effects of exercise on energy-regulating hormones and appetite in men and women' (American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2009, 259 citations), 'Combining short-term metformin treatment and one bout of exercise does not increase insulin action in insulin-resistant individuals' (American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2010, 186 citations), 'Aerobic exercise reduces neuronal responses in food reward brain regions' (Journal of Applied Physiology, 2012, 166 citations), 'Physical activity and hormonal regulation of appetite: sex differences and weight control' (Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 2010, 142 citations), and 'Effect of an internet-based program on weight loss for low-income postpartum women: a randomized clinical trial' (JAMA, 2017, 150 citations). Other key works feature 'Ripple effect of lifestyle interventions during pregnancy on untreated partners’ weight' (Obesity, 2019) and 'Randomized Intervention Trial to Decrease Bisphenol A Urine Concentrations in Women: Pilot Study' (Journal of Women's Health, 2017). He has secured grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association. In 2014, Hagobian was named a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, one of the organization's highest honors bestowed on only a select fraction of its members.