The Palumbo Charitable Trust awarded Erica Forzani $50,000 to pursue “A novel contactless system to monitor energy balance and physical fitness under free-living conditions.” The grant will aid Forzani’s research of obesity and underweight problems that cause health struggles for so many individuals.
Forzani, an associate professor in Biodesign’s Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, and her team will focus on analyzing the effect of exercise and physical fitness on resting and total energy expenditure, energy balance, and sleep quality.
To do this, they will use their novel sensor system that accurately measures both automatic and passive assessments of body total energy expenditure in everyday settings. The lab aims to produce critical longitudinal studies with the additional funding.