IHMC lecture series resumes

Andrew P. Koutnik, Ph.D.

Andrew P. Koutnik, Ph.D., is an award-winning research scientist whose work sits at the crossroads of nutrition, metabolism and human performance. Convinced that optimizing physiology can simultaneously reverse chronic disease and elevate daily vitality, he translates rigorous science into actionable strategies for health and performance.

Koutnik will be the first speaker in the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition Ocala Evening Lecture Series, which kicks off on Sept. 9. The lecture topic is “Carbohydrates and Exercise Performance.”

The “Gazette” asked Koutnik to give us the gist of what he will discuss.

“For over 100 years we have been told that carbohydrates are essential for performance, but now we are questioning whether we need higher amounts of carbohydrate to perform and whether the diets athletes and weekend warriors are utilizing are actually putting them at risk for health decline. We are exploring the history and impact of carbohydrates on performance, but also health. I will be sharing cutting-edge science on what 100 years of sport nutrition has got right but, more importantly, what they got wrong,” he said.

Koutnik, a native of Tallahassee, who overcame childhood obesity and has managed Type 1 diabetes for 17 years, enjoys pursuits that include Brazilian jiu jitsu and resistance and aerobic exercise. He and his wife Kelly have two sons.

He shared that, as a child, he had “extremely” high energy.

“While I would love to claim I explored all continents and had no fear, that wasn’t the case. I was very curious, but also hesitant at times when uncertain. My sons are both the same way, although the youngest has no fear whatsoever. When I asked my mother if I was the same, her guttural laugh and confirmation showed me she felt like the scoreboard has finally equalized as my wife and I navigate our son’s curiosity and energy,” he offered.

Koutnik said some of his early influencers were his uncle John Lemmon and aunt Linda Lemmon.

“They were inspirational. They had run dozens of marathons, climbed mountains, rode multiple 100-mile bike races and were very successful people. They used to bring me to Atlanta as a kid and show me things I had never experienced. They constantly told me what I could do and what I could accomplish in life. This belief was one of the most important sets to starting the journey to who I am today,” he explained.

Along that journey, Koutnik said his focus changed from time to time.

“As a young kid everyone wants to be a police officer, firefighter or professional athlete of some sort. I was gifted at math, it always clicked and always made sense to me so, in late adolescence, I wanted to be an engineer. However, the moment I realized I wanted to be a biomedical and exercise scientist was not until I was an undergraduate at Florida State University,” he said.

“It wasn’t pure talent, but a passion I developed through my personal journey with obesity and a life-long diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, along with meeting some inspirational researchers who made me realize how incredible science could be. What you could learn. What you could discover. You had incredible power to uncover things we never knew about the world. When I realized that, it was about exploring a path that made me wake up every single day and want to jump out of bed to do more—and that was discovering how the body worked,” he added.

Koutnik has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and/or international presentations and co-authored the first international clinical guidelines on therapeutic carbohydrate reduction for juvenile diabetes. His scholarship has earned three USF Research Awards, a Presidential Fellowship, induction into the USF Academy of Inventors, and honors from the Physiologic Society, Health Equity Action Network and Endocrine Society.

Among his professional mentors were Marcos Sanchez-Gonzales, MD, Ph.D., who Koutnik described as “the first man to show me science, a laboratory, and make me realize how amazing science could be. One of a kind human.”

Another was Dominic D’Agostino, Ph.D.

“He was an inspiration as a human and scientist. Dom defied logic. He was one of the most incredible physically gifted people. He could deadlift a house. He led a research program at the USF College of Medicine that went completely against the grain, defied the odds and innovated the way the world sees nutrition. However, while he was changing the world, Dom also was one of, and is still one of, the most humble and giving human beings I have ever met. He taught me about science, but more importantly he taught me how to be a good human,” Koutnik shared.

Other early mentors included his parents Frank and Kim.

“They taught me how to be a kind and giving human. They set the example through actions, not words. They showed me the most important things (family, happiness) are often not thing most people strive for and that it takes incredible courage to ensure these remain the priority in today’s world,” he said.

In translating science to action through his work, Koutnik partners with elite athletes, clinicians and researchers, and co-hosts “In-Range,” a podcast with NHL star and fellow Type 1 diabetic Max Domi. He said he enjoys coaching athletes and people with Type 1 diabetes to “thrive, not just survive, and seeing them finally break through to the other side of both health and performance.”

He relishes Friday date nights with Kelly, seeing his sons “find joy in the simplest things” and hanging out with the family’s Australian shepherd and pet cat.

Each of the IHMC evening lectures begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. The talk will begin at 6 p.m. The Ocala campus is located at 15 SE Osceola Ave. IHMC is headquartered in Pensacola. The Ocala event is free to attend but guests should RSVP at ihmc-20250909.eventbrite.com.

To learn more, go to ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures/