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Sue Bodine

Sue C. Bodine, PhD, FAPS

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Sue C. Bodine, PhD, FAPS, is a professor in the department of internal medicine in the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She is also an APS Councilor and editor in chief of the Journal of Applied Physiology. She’s been an APS member since 1989.

APS members are doing amazing things. We asked Sue C. Bodine, PhD, FAPS—one of our esteemed member-researchers—to tell us about her research and its implications on our understanding of life and health. She also share what she might be doing if not for a career in research.

What do you do?

I am a scientist who studies how skeletal muscles function. The human body has over 600 skeletal muscles that function primarily to produce movement through their ability to produce force. The proper functioning of skeletal muscles is critical for health and for living an independent life.

My research examines the processes that regulate muscle mass. Increases in muscle mass occur throughout childhood and into early adulthood. However, losses of muscle mass occur as a consequence of aging, inactivity, and many diseases such as cancer, stroke, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. The loss of muscle mass can be very debilitating, causing weakness, loss of mobility and frailty. 

Give it context.

Loss of skeletal muscle mass and weakness is a debilitating consequence of many diseases and occurs naturally as a consequence of the aging process. Currently, there are no drugs to prevent or reduce muscle loss. The goal of our research is to understand the mechanisms underlying the loss of muscle mass in order to develop therapeutics that will prevent or reduce muscle atrophy and/or enhance the recovery of muscle mass following an atrophy-inducing event. 

If you could do anything else, what would it be?

It is hard to imagine doing something else. I have always believed in the power of education. I am grateful for the education that I have received and if I wasn’t doing research I would be working towards improving education for everyone.