INDIANAPOLIS—A nationally-recognized scientific and academic leader in bone research has been named as the next director of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Melissa A. Kacena, PhD, will assume the role of center director effective November 1, 2024. She currently is a professor with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, for which she also serves as vice chair for research. Earlier this year, she was named an IU Indianapolis Chancellor’s Professor – the most distinguished faculty appointment awarded by the university. Kacena is also a research career scientist with the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health was established in 2017 to address the serious need to prevent and treat musculoskeletal disease. The center’s mission is to discover and develop new treatments, cures, preventative strategies, diagnostic tools and technologies to address the increasing burden of bone, muscle and cartilage disorders.
Since its earliest days, Kacena has been an active member of the faculty within the center – serving as one of the original authors of the white paper that led to its formation. Coupled with an extensive research career and an impressive record of securing more than $21 million in grant funding, Kacena is uniquely positioned to take the reins of the successful research center.
“The Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health is founded on the idea that collaboration can lead to impactful breakthroughs and accelerate discovery. Dr. Kacena has shown a commitment to that approach throughout her distinguished career, and I can think of no one better to carry on the successful legacy of the center,” said Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, dean of the IU School of Medicine and Vice President for University and Clinical Affairs.
Joining IU School of Medicine in 2007, Kacena’s research has focused on megakaryocyte-mediate regulation of bone mass, hematopoiesis, and fracture healing in normal, aging and diseased states. Her background spans the fields of engineering, cell biology, and clinical and translational sciences.
She and her team are responsible for several breakthrough discoveries regarding thrombopoietin and thrombopoietic agents. She has worked on two spaceflight missions with NASA and the U.S. Army to examine bone healing in microgravity, and is currently engaged in studies to develop novel fracture-targeting drugs to improve bone healing while reducing pain. Kacena has been a member of the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center since shortly after her arrival at IU, due to her interest in the bone marrow microenvironment. More recently, Kacena has also expanded her bone healing studies into Alzheimer’s disease – researching the important connection between the disease and fractures.
“As a member of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, I have seen first-hand the impact team science can have on not only research, but also educating the next generation of scientists,” said Kacena. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help our center continue its progress toward becoming a world-renowned musculoskeletal research institute.”
Dr. Kacena graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also earned her master’s in aerospace engineering in 1995. In 2000, received her PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and NASA Ames Research Center. In 2002, she completed her postdoctoral training in orthopaedics at Yale University School of Medicine, where she was promoted to assistant professor before being recruited to IU School of Medicine in 2007.
Kacena succeeds Lynda Bonewald, PhD, the founding director of the center, who will be remaining at the school as a researcher.
About the IU School of Medicine
The IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the IU School of Medicine ranks No. 13 in 2023 National Institutes of Health funding among all public medical schools in the country.
Writer: Katie Duffey, kaduffey@iu.edu
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