Education

  • BS, Exercise Physiology, University of Miami, 2012
  • MS, Clinical Exercise Physiology, University of Miami, 2014
  • PhD, Exercise Physiology, University of Miami, 2019

Research Interests

Dr. Flanagan conducts a translational line of research on infant physiology, nutrition, and growth. In particular, she investigates the dynamics of infant energy imbalance – energy intake and expenditure – and how uterine and early postnatal factors influence growth patterns and risk for obesity and metabolic disease. She is the director of the Developmental Physiology Laboratory, which is dedicated to investigating the physiological mechanisms that underpin the intergenerational transmission and developmental origins of health and disease. Dr. Flanagan's work seeks to identify early infant phenotypes that are predictive of childhood obesity and metabolic impairments, with the ultimate goal of informing effective prevention strategies for both clinicians and parents. In her research, Dr. Flanagan has adapted gold-standard methodologies for use with infants, including an infant metabolic chamber, doubly labeled water, and magnetic resonance imaging. 

Lab: Developmental Physiology

Selected Publications

  1. Flanagan EW, Redman LM. Early Life Energy Balance: The Development of Infant Energy Expenditure and Intake in the Context of Obesity. Curr Obes Rep. 2024 Dec;13(4):743-754. doi: 10.1007/s13679-024-00591-y. Epub 2024 Oct 23. PMID: 39443348.
  2. Flanagan, E. W., Falkenhain, K., Beyl, R., Altazan, A. D., Richard, S. A., Cabre, H. E., Kracht, C. L., Sparks, J. R., Kebbe, M., Gilmore, L. A., Hsia, D. S., Apolzan, J. W., & Redman, L. M. (2025). Gestational Weight Gain Management in Underserved Mothers - A State-Wide Randomized Controlled Trial in Louisiana WIC. doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.29.25321347
  3. Flanagan EW, Most J, Broskey NT, Altazan AD, Beyl RA, Keadle SK, Drews KL, Singh P, Redman LM. Identification of changes in sleep across pregnancy and the impact on cardiometabolic health and energy intake in women with obesity. Sleep Med. 2021 Jan;77:120-127. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.11.031. Epub 2020 Dec 5. PMID: 33352456; PMCID: PMC7887073.
  4. Flanagan EW, Kebbe M, Sparks JR, Redman LM. Assessment of Eating Behaviors and Perceptions of Time-Restricted Eating During Pregnancy. J Nutr. 2022 Feb 8;152(2):475-483. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab397. PMID: 35051269; PMCID: PMC8826837.
  5. Gilmore LA, Altazan AD, Flanagan EW, Beyer AG, Olson KN, O'Connell AA, Nguyen TH, Beyl RA, Redman LM. Modifications to Infant Formula Instructions Improve the Accuracy of Formula Dispensing. Nutrients. 2020 Apr 20;12(4):1150. doi: 10.3390/nu12041150. PMID: 32325958; PMCID: PMC7230650.
  6. Flanagan EW, Altazan AD, Carmichael OT, Hu HH, Redman LM. Practical application of in vivo MRI-based brown adipose tissue measurements in infants. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2021 Oct;29(10):1676-1683. doi: 10.1002/oby.23237. PMID: 34553508; PMCID: PMC9115839.
  7. Flanagan EW, Most J, Altazan AD, Boyle KE, Redman LM. A role for the early pregnancy maternal milieu in the intergenerational transmission of obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2021 Nov;29(11):1780-1786. doi: 10.1002/oby.23283. PMID: 34734494; PMCID: PMC9208317.
  8. McDougal DH, Sanchez-Delgado G, Flanagan EW, Marlatt KL, Sparks JR, Yang S, Redman LM, Ravussin E. Validation of a novel approach to assess metabolic flexibility to a high-fat meal in a whole-body room calorimeter. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Apr;33(4):743-753. doi: 10.1002/oby.24245. Epub 2025 Mar 6. PMID: 40051190.
  9. Flanagan EW, Most J, Mey JT, Redman LM. Calorie Restriction and Aging in Humans. Annu Rev Nutr. 2020 Sep 23;40:105-133. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-122319-034601. Epub 2020 Jun 19. PMID: 32559388; PMCID: PMC9042193.

NIH Bibliography