Dr. Matt Morris of KU Medical Center investigates the role of liver energy metabolism in the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. His work centers around how the function or dysfunction of the primary energy producing cellular bodies, mitochondria, can impact liver function and ultimately systemic health. The current focus is how liver mitochondrial function can, through neural pathways to the brain, influence high fat diet-induced weight gain via changes in food intake and storage of dietary fat. Ultimately, the goal of his research is to describe mechanisms and therapeutic options to reduce or prevent metabolic disease in adult and adolescent populations.