Laura McCabe

Laura  McCabe
  • MSU Foundation Professor
  • Physiology
  • Radiology

Bio

Laura McCabe, professor in the Departments of Physiology and Radiology, has long been engaged in exploring the mechanisms regulating bone cell differentiation and bone formation and developing new strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Her recent innovative endeavors in the manipulation of intestinal health for improved bone health are promising not only for patients with osteoporosis but also for animal health (especially the feed industry). 

McCabe obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1991. Her commitment to MSU spans more than two decades, including as the associate chair in the Department of Physiology from 2011 to 2013 and director of the Molecular Metabolism and Disease Program from 2013 to 2017, and she established and led the Beckman Undergraduate Scholar Program from 2014 to 2018. An exceptional scientist and a gifted educator, she was an effective and articulate advocate as Chair of the Faculty Senate during the university's recent period of turbulent administrative transition.

McCabe's research has generated an outstanding body of work, with critical contributions to more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and numerous book chapters. Numerous scientific symposia have benefited from her organizational leadership, and she has been a frequent advisor on a wide range of grant review boards and committees both here and abroad. She holds several patents and has a number of pending patents related to the treatment of osteoporosis. Her internationally recognized research program has been continuously funded for nearly 20 years through external federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and a number of private foundations.