Mary P. Miles, Ph.D.

Mary, Shelly, and Laura (click image to enlarge)

While a doctoral student working in Dr. Clarkson's laboratory at UMass, I learned several laboratory techniques to study the influence of muscle damage on the immune system. That experience positioned me to take a post-doctoral fellowship shared in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Kinesiology at Penn State University . During those three years I worked with Drs. Bill Kraemer and Andrea Mastro on several research projects relating to molecular biology and immune function. I returned to UMass to teach for three semesters before taking my current position. I currently am an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Development at Montana State University in Bozeman . I teach courses in the areas of exercise science and metabolism, advise undergraduate and graduate students, and have a very active research program. I have received seed grants from NSF, NASA, and NIH and have been able to build a laboratory capable of doing a number of muscle assessments, lipid and immunological assays, and identification of gene polymorphisms. The projects in my lab are focused in two areas, skeletal muscle physiology, and immunology related to atherosclerosis. During my time at UMass, I remember lots of long hours in the laboratory, taking a number of demanding classes, presenting my research in many venues (some more stressful than others), and being pushed to give all that I could. However, most of all, I remember some really good times and a lot of laughs along the way. Dr. Clarkson, the entire Exercise Science faculty, and the community of UMass alumni are all like family to me.