In the Lab.

Hi, I’m Kristen Boyle.

I research how health begins long before we’re born, in the tiny cellular decisions that unfold during fetal development. I am an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine where I lead the Molecular Health Lab.

Our work focuses on mesenchymal stem cells that we culture from umbilical cord tissue of newborn infants. My lab uniquely applied this model to understand why some children are predisposed to develop obesity or insulin resistance. Our work is helping illuminate pathways for prevention and early intervention.

My Approach to Science

My scientific approach blends molecular detail with big‑picture relevance. I believe that understanding the earliest cellular decisions, the molecular origins of health, gives us a better chance of preventing disease before it begins.

For more than two decades, our work has been continuously supported by the NIH, as well as the American Diabetes Association and The Obesity Society. Our research and has contributed to fields spanning metabolism, developmental biology, pregnancy, pediatrics, and adult obesity and diabetes. I am committed to advancing our scientific understanding of early‑life health, and to using that knowledge to support families and clinicians.

I’m also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists: I co-lead an NIH‑funded postdoctoral training program and mentor graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in my lab. I also serve as a certified CIMER mentor-training facilitator, where I help faculty build stronger mentoring skills.

Outside the Lab

I’m raising two incredible kids who remind me daily why early‑life health matters. I’m also a maker at heart: I sew clothes, bake (my latest obsession is perfecting macarons), and find real joy in creating things that are both useful and beautiful. I’ve always been a tinkerer: I love figuring out how things work, whether it’s a metabolic pathway or the inside of a misbehaving appliance.

Movement keeps me grounded. I love long bike rides and rowing sessions, though these days most of my miles happen indoors. These pieces of my life shape how I show up as a scientist and a writer. Reminders that small beginnings grow into something meaningful.