Monica J. Hubal, Ph.D.

Monica

I completed my doctoral work in the Clarkson Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts in the spring of 2006. During my tenure at Umass I taught several courses, including Human Performance and Nutrition and Dietary and Sports Supplements. I also completed several research studies trying to delineate mechanisms underlying exercise-induced muscle damage and adaptation. In addition, I was the site coordinator for a NIH-supported project investigating genetic mutations and their role in muscle size and strength following resistance training. This project was in collaboration with the Research Center for Genetic Medicine at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Following my strong interest in genetic roles in skeletal muscle, I recently started an NIH-supported 3-yr postdoctoral fellowship in the Hoffman Laboratory at Children's in June 2006. My current research investigates the metabolic syndrome (i.e., high body fat, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, etc.): how it is affected by DNA mutations and how skeletal muscle in those with metabolic syndrome is affected by cardiovascular exercise.

I am eternally grateful for the mentorship of Dr. Clarkson. I believe that I was afforded unlimited opportunities to grow as a student, a teacher and a researcher while at UMASS. The mentoring of Dr. Clarkson and other UMASS faculty was invaluable, as was the camaraderie with other students and colleagues.