The Society is delighted to the recognise the experience, extensive knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the discipline of long-standing members by appointing the 2024 Fellow Members.
- Professor James Betts, University of Bath, UK
- Professor Alberto E. Minetti, University of Milan, Italy
The Fellowship appointments will be celebrated at the President’s Lecture and Award Ceremony, which will be held on Friday 29 November 2024 at The Royal Society of Medicine in London and online.
Professor James Betts
James Betts is Professor of Metabolic Physiology at the University of Bath, where he is Co-Director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism. His research takes an integrative approach to study human metabolic regulation – translating basic molecular mechanisms through to applied whole-body physiology. In particular, James’ work uses randomised controlled trials to test the effects of various interventions on human health and functional outcomes. In recent years his research group has focused on understanding nutrient timing, with experiments involving prolonged fasting, sequential meal tests, nocturnal feeding and biological rhythms. James has published over 130 scholarly articles in top-ranking scholarly journals, was the recipient of the 2015 Cuthbertson Medal for excellence in clinical nutrition research, and since 2019 has been Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism.
Professor Alberto E. Minetti
Alberto E. Minetti is a Distinguished Professor of Physiology at the Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation of the University of Milan (since 2006). His career also includes one year in Leeds as a Research Fellow with Professor McNeill Alexander FRS and seven years as Professor of Biomechanics and Physiology of Exercise at the Manchester Metropolitan University.
His research interests focus on matching/explaining the energetics of movement/locomotion with the body biomechanics, also by using mathematical and computational models. Approximately 25 years ago, Professor Minetti also published on the archaeophysiology of different locomotion forms, particularly those assisted by passive tools as ancient cross country skiing, ice skating, jumping with halteres and bicycling, and on the prediction/adaptation of humans gaits in different gravitational conditions. For this last purpose he designed a low gravity emulation lab in Milan called LOOP (Locomotion on other planets), recently incorporated within the ESA ground-based facilities for Space Research.
Furthermore, a comparative approach to gait optimization led Alberto Minetti to study the biomechanics/energetics of horses, mountain goats, octopods, and the determinants of gait choice between transverse and rotary gallops in quadrupedal mammals.
A graduate of Medicine and specialized in Biomedical Statistics, Alberto Minetti always pursued software coding as a crucial skill to finalize creative and innovative research. Apart from teaching Physiology to Medical students, he designed and delivers a course at PhD level titled ‘Fundamental Maths, Stats and IT (coding) for the Biomedical Research’.