Betsy Keller

Source: ithaca.edu

Betsy A. Keller, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Exercise & Sport Sciences at Ithaca College in New York. She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), past member of the Board of Trustees of ACSM, and past president and former department chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of ACSM.

Since 2005, she has provided 2-day cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for persons with ME/CFS for purposes of research and/or to provide an objective assessment of functional capacity and ability to perform and recover following physical work for disability reports. She studies the effects of physical activity in ME/CFS on parameters of physiological and immune function.

In 2015 Keller said "Given what we have learned in the past eight years about this illness, it is intellectually embarrassing to suggest that ME is a psychological illness."

In 2017, Dr. Keller became an exercise physiology researcher at the Center for Enervating NeuroImmune Disease, Cornell University, New York, an ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center partially funded by the NIH.

Boards and committees

Institute of Medicine committee

Keller was one of the experts on the "Committee on the Diagnostic Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" that was convened for the 2015 Institute of Medicine report.

ME/CFS Common Data Element (CDE) Project

Member of the Post-Exertional Malaise Working Group and Quality of Life/Functional Status (CPET)/Activity Working Group of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Common Data Element (CDE) Project sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Notable studies

• 2014, Inability of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome patients to reproduce VO₂peak indicates functional impairment (Full Text)
• 2016, A Pair of Identical Twins Discordant for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Differ in Physiological Parameters and Gut Microbiome Composition
• 2018, Eukaryotes in the gut microbiota in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (Full Text)
• 2018, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Methodology for Assessing Exertion Intolerance in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2022, Plasma metabolomics reveals disrupted response and recovery following maximal exercise in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - (Full text)

Talks and interviews

• 2013, ‘A Foreign and Illogical Result': Dr. Betsy Keller on Exercise Testing in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
• 2016, 12th International IACFS/ME Biennial Clinical and Research Conference, Emerging Science and Clinical Care, How Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Informs Pathology and Treatment(Workshop given with Christopher Snell, Ph.D. and Mark VanNess, Ph.D.)
• 3-5 May 2018, ME/CFS Canadian Collaborative Team Conference - Speech titles: What Do We Learn About ME/CFS From a Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test? and Is Heart Rate a Valid Exertional Index in ME/CFS?

Online presence

• PubMed - Betsy Keller

See also

• Center for Enervating NeuroImmune Disease
• Exercise based on 2-day CPET
• Institute of Medicine
• Post-exertional malaise

Learn more

• Ithaca College - Betsy Keller
• 2012, Exercise Testing and Using a Heart Rate Monitor
• 2014, NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR ME/CFS
• 2018, Tireless Work on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) - A diagnostic test which involves testing an ME/CFS patient exercising on an exercise machine, while monitoring their respiration, especially oxygen consumption. This test is repeated the following day in order to confirm the patient's inability to replicate the first-day performance. This test is thought to be the most objective way to detect post-exertional malaise.

See two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test.

objective outcome An outcome of a clinical trial that is independent of the judgement of opinion of the assessor/clinician, e.g. distance walked in 6 minutes. Patient-reported outcomes like questionnaires are not objectives.

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

Concerning living organisms, such as cells or the human body.  Physio logical (as in physio) is not to be confused with psych ological (emotional stress).

physiological Concerning living organisms, such as cells or the human body.  Physio logical (as in physio) is not to be confused with psych ological (emotional stress).

physiological Concerning living organisms, such as cells or the human body.  Physio logical (as in physio) is not to be confused with psych ological (emotional stress).

National Academy of Medicine (NAM) - An American non-profit, non-governmental organization which provides expert advice to governmental agencies on issues relating to biomedical science, medicine and health. Formerly known as the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

physiological Concerning living organisms, such as cells or the human body.  Physio logical (as in physio) is not to be confused with psych ological (emotional stress).

microbiome The full collection of microscopic organisms (especially bacteria and fungi) which are present in a particular environment, particularly inside the human body.

eukaryote any cell or organism that possesses a clearly defined nucleus, unlike bacteria. Eukaryotes include yeast, fungus, plants, and animals.

two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) - A diagnostic test which involves testing an ME/CFS patient exercising on an exercise machine, while monitoring their respiration, especially oxygen consumption. This test is repeated the following day in order to confirm the patient's inability to replicate the first-day performance. This test is thought to be the most objective way to detect post-exertional malaise.

plasma The liquid part of blood, lymph, or milk after removing any suspended material. Most of the time, "plasma" simply refers to blood, after all the blood cells have been removed. If you also remove the clotting factors, then the plasma is referred to as "serum".

heart rate (HR) - the number of times the heart beats within a certain time period, usually a minute

See National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) - A set of biomedical research institutes operated by the U.S. government, under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services.

microbiome The full collection of microscopic organisms (especially bacteria and fungi) which are present in a particular environment, particularly inside the human body.