Ohio University expands aging and pain research with the addition of new faculty
The OHIO Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute has increased its critical mass of scientists who focus on combating pain and understanding health as we age with the recent, strategic addition of faculty scientists spanning three colleges.
Nathaniel Szewczyk, Ph.D; Cory W. Baumann, Ph.D.; and Shouan Zhu, Ph.D. joined the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Department of Biomedical Sciences. Andrew Weems, Ph.D., joined the Russ College of Engineering and Technology’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Steven J. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., joined the College of Health Sciences and Professions’ School of Applied Health and Wellness.
Their established programs and expertise will grow basic and clinical research at Ohio University in areas addressing common health problems that have received increased grant funding from sources including the National Institutes of Health and industry sponsors.
“These esteemed faculty are part of our targeted research expansion aimed at developing
interventions and diagnostics that remove barriers to independent physical mobility and ultimately to reduce disability,” said Brian Clark, Ph.D., executive director of OMNI. “Drs. Szewczyk, Zhu, Baumann and Weems are bringing with them important research programs in osteoarthritis and the regeneration of cartilage, biomaterials and therapeutic approaches to frailty and – this is exciting – muscle loss and space travel, among many other age- and pain-related research interests.”
“They will help to dramatically expand our basic science portfolio to complement our existing strengths in clinical research. Dr. Pfieffer’s work on predisposing factors for the development of osteoarthritis will further enhance our clinical research programs,” Clark added.
OMNI is one of OHIO’s most well-funded and productive research institutes. Growth of OMNI research has been a focus for the Heritage College since the 2011 award from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, Vision 2020: Leading the Transformation of Primary Care in Ohio. OHF funding provided support for research infrastructure and pilot projects that researchers have leveraged for larger grants and research partnerships. The three new Heritage College faculty were supported by Vision 2020. Active research funding has grown from less than a $500,000 in 2011 to between $10 and $15 million today. Collectively, OMNI principal investigators have published more than 700 peer-reviewed articles over the course of their careers. Clark is the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Harold E. Clybourne, D.O., Endowed Research Chair and professor of physiology.
“OMNI researchers deepen our understanding and offer solutions to issues that account for probably a third of the reasons why people visit doctors for help,” said Kenneth H. Johnson, D.O., executive dean of the Heritage College and chief medical affairs officer for Ohio University. “OMNI research is a critical part of the medical school’s mission to address complex health problems and improve patient wellness. Thanks to the support of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, we have recruited exceptional scientists to join our already strong faculty.”
“These faculty members bring exciting new opportunities for collaboration and growth within Ohio University and alongside our industry partners, as well as with other universities,” said Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis, Ph.D. “They further strengthen our research in healthy aging and pain disorders, and I’m very pleased to welcome them.”
About the new faculty
Szewczyk has been appointed as the OHF Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Research Endowed Professor of Molecular Medicine and professor of molecular medicine in the Heritage College. He will be an OMNI principal investigator. Previously, as a professor at the University of Nottingham School of Medicine, his focus has been on genetic control of muscle decline, most recently in response to space flight. His research also explores the effect of inactivity and diet on muscle health with age, novel treatments for muscular dystrophy and the role of exogenous hydrogen sulphide in extending lifespan and improving health. His work has been funded by grants from NASA, UK Space Agency, European Space Agency, US Army, NIH, and the UK Research Councils: Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council, Science and Technology Facilities Council, and the Medical Research Council. Szewczyk’s research has been widely published in journals including Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Journal of Physiology, Aging, NeuroToxicology, and Astrobiology, among others.
Baumann studies the role of stressors in disease and aging, and how interventions may buffer these stressors and ultimately impact health span. Prior to joining the Heritage College as an assistant professor of aging systems physiology, Baumann was a postdoctoral research fellow and research associate in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Minnesota. During this time, he was awarded and funded through two training grants, the first by the National Institute for Aging and the second by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He was recently accepted for the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health U.S. Bone and Joint Young Investigator’s Initiative. Baumann’s research has been published in Aging, Journals of Gerontology, Journal of Applied Physiology, Skeletal Muscle and the Journal of Clinical Investigation, among others.
Zhu joins the Heritage College as an assistant professor of orthopedic biology. He was recently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Aging and Metabolism Research Program, and he also completed a joint PhD program and a short-term postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Zhu studies the effects of aging, obesity and trauma on osteoarthritis, with a focus on cartilage regeneration and metabolism. He was recently accepted for the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health U.S. Bone and Joint Young Investigator’s Initiative. He has been the principal author of work published in Arthritis and Rheumatology, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, Arthritis Research & Therapy and others.
Weems, assistant professor of biomaterials manufacturing in the Russ College, joins OMNI as a junior investigator. Previously, Weems was a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) where he led on the 4DSTENT grant project, focusing on new ways to make medical devices using 3D printing. He has multiple patents awarded and pending, with work being used by several different startup companies in the medical device and biomaterials manufacturing spaces.
Pfeiffer, assistant professor of musculoskeletal rehabilitation science at CHSP, joins OMNI as a junior investigator. Pfeiffer recently completed his doctoral program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill within the Human Movement Science Curriculum through the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. Pfeiffer’s research examines how integrating 3-dimensional biomechanical analyses and novel imaging modalities, such as MRI and ultrasound, can be useful in developing innovative detection and treatment strategies for knee osteoarthritis, both idiopathic and following a traumatic knee injury. He has been the principal author of work published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Arthritis Care and Research, Clinical Biomechanics, and the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, along with others.
Additionally, Dustin Grooms, Ph.D., a principal investigator and associate director of OMNI, has been appointed the Cynthia C. Norkin Scholar in Physical Therapy in recognition of his impressive track record of scientific contributions. Now an associate professor of clinical neuroscience in the Division of Physical Therapy, as part of this transition he has moved to the School of Rehabilitation and Communication Sciences from the School of Applied Health and Wellness in the College of Health Sciences and Professions. Dr. Grooms researches how the brain changes after musculoskeletal injury and is working to develop new therapies to improve patient function and decrease pain after injury. These include virtual reality and biofeedback tools to retrain the brain to allow the body to move pain free after injury. Dr. Grooms currently holds funding from the Department of Defense and NIH to further develop these novel therapies and better understand the neuroplasticity or brain changes associated with injury. Dr. Grooms has published works in the journals of Clinical Neuroscience, Sports Medicine, Neurotrauma, British and American Journals of Sports Medicine and Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.