Dr. Tamara “Tami” Hew-Butler has been named Medical Research Director for the Western States Endurance Run, WSER President Topher Gaylord announced.
Hew-Butler succeeds Dr. Emily Kraus and Dr. Megan Roche, who had served as Co-Medical Research Directors for WSER since 2022.
“Tami brings an impressive array of professional achievement as a clinician and scientist, having been published extensively in some of the world’s most important exercise science journals,” Gaylord said, noting that Hew-Butler was the lead author and organizer of three International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Guidelines and previously was awarded two WSER research grants, as Principal Investigator/PI, which in turn generated 18 scientific publications. “Tami knows our race intimately, having been a leader in several research studies at our run, as well as lending her expertise as part of our medical team in years past.
“Medical research has always been one of our foundational pillars at WSER. We feel that Tami will help elevate the awareness, application and understanding of the medical research that is conducted every year at our run.
“On behalf of our board, I wish to thank Emily and Megan for their tremendous service over the past three years. Both Emily and Megan are unwavering proponents of the value of science-based inquiry for endurance sports. Their work represented a highly productive and memorable chapter in our medical research story.”
“I am beyond grateful and honored to continue WSER’s scientific legacy of cutting-edge medical research aimed at improving the health, safety and performance of ultramarathon runners across the globe,” Hew-Butler said. “I believe that WSER is THE greatest field laboratory in the world, and look forward to working closely with the WSER Board, Medical Team, and running community at-large to expand WSER’s scientific collaborations, funding network, and dissemination of evidenced-based information which best serves the growth and safety of our sport.”
Added WSER Medical Director Andy Pasternak: “What became obvious during our search for a new medical research director was how incredibly well-rounded Tami is. She is an excellent communicator, and has an impressive track record of involvement with WSER medical research projects. She has made it very clear that her goals are to ensure that every WSER medical research project should in some way enhance the experience of runners at WSER as well as the ultrarunning community at large.
“In addition to being a highly organized and strategic thinker, Tami is very much a ‘hands-on,’ type of leader who over the years has contributed in numerous ways to WSER. Our search committee as well as the WSER board were deeply impressed with how Tami was able to communicate that the timeless human qualities that help a person run 100 miles will be at the core of her vision for our medical research effort.”
Hew-Butler, who is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, is a recently retired Associate Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Previously, she was an Associate Professor at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, as well as a Research Assistant Professor at Arizona State University. She received her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from Temple University, and has been a clinician for more than three decades. She received her Ph.D. in exercise science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
For more than 40 years, medical research activity has played an important role at the Western States Endurance Run. WSER’s late Medical Director Dr. Robert Lind welcomed and encouraged researchers from throughout the country and the world to come to WSER and study its runners. One of the earliest studies that established the connection between the body’s release of endorphins and physical activity was conducted at WSER in 1981 by Dr. Walter Bortz of Stanford University. Since 2006, nearly 100 research publications or abstracts in human performance have been produced by researchers from throughout the world based on studies conducted on WSER runners.