Meet The Speakers
Winnie Chee Siew Swee | Muscle Health and Sarcopenic Obesity in Type 2 Diabetes: Malaysian SeDia Cohort Findings
Professor Winnie Chee is Professor of Nutrition & Dietetics and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the International Medical University (IMU). Dr. Chee’s research is on dietary/lifestyle intervention in diabetes, obesity and bone health nutrition. She has secured research grants and published in high impact journals about calcium, vitamin D, functional food and bone health in children and adults. Prof Chee serves on national committees including clinical practice guidelines for Type 2 diabetes (2020) and Osteoporosis (2021). She was also a member of the writing group for the Recommended Nutrient Intakes Malaysia for calcium and magnesium (2017), Malaysian Dietary Guidelines (2020) and chaired the development of the Healthy Plate Model for Malaysia (2019). Prof Chee was awarded the Wimpfheimer-Guggenheim International Lecture Award from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, USA (2015). She was the President of the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association (MDA) from 2014-2023 and a prominent speaker in local and international conferences. Prof Winnie is also a practicing dietitian in IMU Healthcare.
Professor Robin Daly | Next-Gen Digital Healthcare Solutions for Osteoporosis, Falls
and Fractures: Are They Effective?
Professor Robin Daly holds the position of Chair in Exercise and Ageing and is Head of the Musculoskeletal Health and Mobility group within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University. He has over 25 years of experience in conducting clinical, translational and implementation trials to understand how exercise and nutritional approaches can prevent and manage diseases including sarcopenia, osteoporosis, falls and fractures, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and cognitive related disorders. His recent research has focused on the role of digital technologies as a model of healthcare service delivery to manage chronic conditions in older adults. His work has led to the implementation of evidence‐based, community exercise programs and commercial nutritional products for musculoskeletal health and type 2 diabetes. He is a Past President of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research, a member of the medical and scientific advisory committee of Healthy Bones Australia, a council member of the International Federation of Musculoskeletal Research Societies (IFMRS) and a Fellow of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Professor Mary Jane DeSouza | Female Athlete Triad: Basic
Dr. De Souza is a Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and Physiology, Director of the Women’s Health and Exercise Laboratory at Penn State University, and Executive Director of the Female and Male Athlete Triad Coalition. Dr. De Souza received her Bachelor's and Master of Science from Springfield College, a PhD from the University of Connecticut, and completed postdoctoral work in reproductive physiology and endocrinology at the University of Connecticut Medical School, where she later became the Associate Director of the Menopause Treatment and Research Program. Dr. De Souza spent almost a decade at the University of Toronto in Canada, where she was the Director of the Centre for Girls and Women’s Health and Physical Activity. In 2007, Dr. De Souza moved to Penn State University where she continued a fertile research career. Dr. De Souza’s research for 30+ years has focused on the complex interplay between metabolic, reproductive, and skeletal physiology, and is considered a preeminent expert in Athlete Triad physiology. Dr De Souza has also focused on menopausal research conducting both hormonal and non-hormonal interventions. As such, she has studied both pre and post-menopausal women, has done sex steroid drug intervention trials of hormone therapy, exercise and diet interventions, and trials of whole food interventions for postmenopausal women with low bone mass. Dr De Souza has published over 200 papers and has had funding from the Department of Defense, NIH, and the Canadian Institute for Health Research. Dr. De Souza has won teaching awards from Penn State University, a Citation Award for Career Research from the American College of Sports Medicine, Honor Awards from the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, Springfield College, and the Pennsylvania State University Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award.
Professor Richard Eastell | Bone obesity and bone health
Professor Richard Eastell is currently Director of the Mellanby Centre based at the University of Sheffield. I became an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2009. Some of my recent contributions have been authorship on key papers describing new treatments for osteoporosis, such as tibolone, zoledronic acid, denosumab and lasofoxifene as well as addressing issues about safety of medications and provide guidelines to diagnose primary hyperparathyroidism, a common disorder resulting in high levels of blood calcium. I joined the School of Medicine & Population Health at the University of Sheffield in 1989 as a Senior Research Fellow. I set up a metabolic bone service at the Northern General Hospital and am an Honorary NHS Consultant. I became Professor of Bone Metabolism in 1995 and received funding from the Arthritis Research Campaign to use biochemical tests of bone turnover to better understand the way in which older men and women develop osteoporosis and propensity to fracture. Dr. Eastell received a clinical fellowship from the Medical Research Council to study osteoporosis at the University of Edinburgh in 1978. I furthered my clinical research training by working at the Mayo Clinic under the supervision of Dr B L Riggs where I worked for five years. I developed a number of new approaches for studying osteoporosis while at the Mayo Clinic including the use of stable (non-radioactive) isotopes to measure the absorption of calcium from food, the use of an infusion technique to measure the production of the active form of vitamin D, the measurement of bone density at the site in the wrist where fractures commonly occur (the ultradistal radius) and a height ratio approach to identifying vertebral fractures on radiographs of the spine. I began my training in endocrinology and diabetes at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh in 1980 and continued it at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow in 1982 and at the Mayo Clinic in 1987. My studies on the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis have been conducted with the support of many colleagues; I have supervised the study for 37 doctoral degrees over the past 30 years. I have published over 550 research papers.
Professor Pouneh Fazeli | Underweight and Bone
Pouneh Fazeli, MD, specializes in endocrinology and is certified in internal medicine and endocrinology diabetes and metabolism by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She practices at University of Pittsburgh Physicians, Department of Endocrinology and is affiliated with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and UPMC Presbyterian. She completed her medical degree at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, residency at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard Medical School.
Senate Distinguished Professor Shirin Hooshmand | Menopause
Shirin received her doctoral degree from the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at Florida State University followed by her post-doctoral training at the same institution. Her primary research interests include investigating nutritional factors that impact the aging process and developing interventions to improve physiological changes associated with aging. Currently holding the position of Professor of Nutrition at San Diego State University, she also serves as a Registered Dietitian. She has published 65 original articles in peer reviewed journals and presented more than 100 abstracts at national and international symposia. She served for 10 years as a Medical and Scientific Advisory Board member of the American Bone Health (ABH) before the recent merger of ABH with the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF). She has significantly contributed to the academic community, by having served as a reviewer for different organizations (e.g. USDA, VA musculoskeletal/ orthopedic rehabilitation program, and AHA). Shirin is recognized for her academic achievements and she has been honored with the Graduate Women in Science fellowship, Florida State University Alumni award, San Diego State University Outstanding Faculty Award, Graduate Professor of the Year Award and Senate Distinguished Teaching Award.
Professor Sandra Iuliano | Elder Care and Bone and Muscle
Dr. Sandra Iuliano is a nutritionist and internationally renowned researcher from the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research focuses on nutrition and exercise across the lifespan; specifically, to improve musculoskeletal health including studying the effects of exercise and calcium in bone growth in children, vitamin D supplementation to prevent bone loss in adults and food-based approaches to prevent falls, fractures and malnutrition in older adults in aged-care. She led a 2-year food-based study that involved over 7000 older adults in 60 aged care homes that demonstrated correcting low intakes of calcium and protein in older adults resulted in a 33% reduction in fractures, a 46% reduction in hip fractures and an 11% reduction in falls with the intervention being cost-saving for fracture reduction alone. This work has been pivotal in prompting policy changes in aged care to improve food provision. She is a member of the National Aged Care Advisory Council of the Australian Government and is a strong advocate for better nutritional care for older adults.
Professor Timothy CY Kwok | Dietary Inflammatory Index and Frailty
Dr Pamela von Hurst (PhD) is Professor of Human Nutrition in the College of Health, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. She is the immediate past-president of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand, and New Zealand representative for the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). Pamela is the Director of the Vitamin D Research Centre at Massey University, and much of her research career has involved the study of vitamin D in health and disease, with considerable emphasis on the nutritional requirements of bone and joint health. Pamela has an ongoing interest in dietary trends that involve the exclusion of foods and food groups, examining the potential consequences to health and wellbeing. A recent interest in the vegan diet has resulted in a program of research exploring the motivations and nutritional status of people following a vegan diet, and the relationships between their diet and health, including musculoskeletal health.
Professor Mattias Lorentzon | Novel Approaches to Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia:
Harnessing Gut Microbiota and Probiotics for Clinical
Benefit
Mattias Lorentzon is a professor of geriatric medicine at the Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, and serves as Chief Physician at the Osteoporosis Clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Mölndal. He is the founder and leader of the Fracture Liaison Service at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. Currently, he heads the Clinical Osteoporosis Research Group at the Sahlgrenska Osteoporosis Centre, University of Gothenburg. Lorentzon acts as an expert reviewer for various international organizations and holds positions on the Scientific Advisory Council of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for the International Osteoporosis Foundation. He has received multiple international research accolades, including the 2024 European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) Steven Boonen Clinical Research Award. During his tenure as President of the Swedish Osteoporosis Society (2011-2015) and as an expert reviewer shaping diagnosis and treatment guidelines for the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), he significantly influenced the advancement of osteoporosis evaluation and treatment standards in Sweden. Lorentzon is a frequently sought-after reviewer for various scientific journals, such as NEJM, JBMR, JCEM, Osteoporosis International, and Annals of Internal Medicine. Additionally, he serves as a member of the editorial board of Osteoporosis International.
Professor Kendall Moseley | GLP1 and Bone Health or with GLP1
Dr. Kendall Moseley is the Clinical Director of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins Metabolic Bone & Osteoporosis Center and Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Multidisciplinary Parathyroid Clinic. Dr. Moseley received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, followed by internal medicine residency training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Upon completion of her endocrinology fellowship at Johns Hopkins, she joined the faculty in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Moseley has a dynamic clinical practice and collaborations within the institution that focus on metabolic bone diseases, osteoporosis, hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, atypical fractures, and skeletal survivorship. She is actively engaged in NIH-funded clinical and translational research involving the relationship between type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and aging. She is additionally involved in research investigating mechanisms by which chronic disease states such as malignancy, HIV, hepatitis C, and cystic fibrosis impact bone quantity and quality. Clinically, she enjoys partnering with her patients and using their unique and often complex medical history to individually tailor effective diet, lifestyle, and treatment regimens to improve skeletal health.
Professor Paul Moughan | The Importance of Protein Quality in Meeting Musculoskeletal
Protein Needs
Professor Moughan graduated PhD from Massey University in the area of mammalian protein metabolism in 1984. His early research career focused on digestive physiology and the mathematical modelling of amino acid digestion and metabolism in monogastric species of animal, especially avian, porcine, feline and human. Over the last 20 years he has led a systematic discovery-based research programme into the effects of diet on gut metabolism and digestion and, amongst other discoveries, is credited with establishing the role of food peptides in influencing gut protein metabolism. He has also made significant contributions to knowledge in the chemical analysis of foods and the development of bioassays of nutrient availability. The latter have had considerable application in practice. He is widely regarded as a world authority on mammalian and human protein metabolism and food evaluation science. He is a world leader in the field of protein quality evaluation.
Professor Cristina Palacios | Prebiotic Fibers and Bone Acquisition in Pubertal
Children: The Met-A-Bone Trial
Dr. Palacios is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work in Florida International University (FIU). She completed her M.S, PhD, and postdoc in Nutritional Sciences from Purdue University. She has conducted several NIH-funded randomized clinical trials in adolescents and adults to determine the effects of dietary supplements and functional foods on bone and body composition. She has also received funding to test interventions using technology for preventing excessive weight gain in infants and pregnant women. She has mentored more than 50 individuals in research and has more than 110 publications. She has extensive consultation for the World Health Organization in establishing vitamin D supplementation guidelines and infant nutrient requirements. She is currently part of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the US. She is an active member of the American Society of Nutrition and of the Latin-American Nutrition Society.
Professor Brenda Smith | Prebiotics and Osteocytes
Dr. Brenda Smith serves as the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology vice chair of basic and translational research. She earned a PhD in 1999 from Oklahoma State University (OSU) and completed post-doctoral training funded by NASA in 2001. Most recently, she was a regents professor and associate dean in the Graduate College at OSU. The Smith Lab relocated to Indianapolis in 2022, when she joined the IU School of Medicine faculty. Her lab utilizes basic, translational and clinical approaches to understand how nutrition’s influence on the immune system impacts women’s health and aging. Much of the lab’s work has focused on studying certain types of bioactive components in foods that alter immune cells and their regulation of bone cells, including osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes. The lab has ongoing project investigating the use of prebiotics to counter alterations in the gut microbiome and mucosal immune system induced by changes in estrogen status. As a trained clinical exercise physiologist, the Smith Lab is also interested in understanding how nutrition and exercise interventions can be combined to optimize musculoskeletal health outcomes. Smith is the co-director of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health (ICMH), Musculoskeletal Health Sciences PhD program and co-leads the ICMH Lifestyle Modification Research Team. She has served on study sections and review panels for NIH, USDA and NASA.
Professor Tatiane Vilaca | Effects of Iron Administration
Dr. Vilaca graduated from Medical School and trained in Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil. She undertook a research Master’s in Translational Medicine at the Federal University of Sao Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP) and completed her PhD at the University of Sheffield. She studied bone health in diabetes. She has worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Sheffield. Dr. Vilaca is interested in the effects of chronic diseases and medications on bone and the underlying mechanisms. She have vast experience in systematic reviews, with several publications on the effect of chronic diseases on the risk of fractures. She has led four systematic reviews, three on the risk of fractures in diabetes and chronic kidney disease and another on osteomalacia following repeated iron infusions. She has also participated in other reviews, investigating the risk of fractures in Parkinson’s disease and microRNA profile in sarcopenia and obesity. These projects result from several collaborations within the University of Sheffield (e.g., ScHARR) and international groups from the USA and Denmark. Dr. Vilaca is particularly interested in the effects of diabetes and obesity on bone health. She investigated several aspects of bone health in this diabetes, including microarchitecture using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, the effects of neuropathy and other potential mechanisms associated with bone fragility in this disease, such as the role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). She has also investigated the endocrine mechanisms associated with favourable bone structure in obesity and the interplay between fat and bone. Recently, she worked on a family mapping study in hypophosphatasia (HPP), the FAME study, in collaboration with the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She characterises musculoskeletal features and mineral metabolism in people with HPP, a rare bone disease. I am involved in the FNIH-ASBMR-SABRE Project (Study to Advance BMD as a Regulatory Endpoint). This multidisciplinary international initiative aims to change the regulation on the requirements for osteoporosis drug approval from reduction in clinical fractures to treatment-related changes in BMD, which would encourage the development of new drugs.
Professor Connie Weaver | Mineral Bioavability and Bone
Dr. Weaver is a Distinguished Research Professor in Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University, San Diego, CA and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University, Indiana where she taught food chemistry and nutrition courses and was department head for 25 years. Dr. Weaver is an elected member of The National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition, the Institute of Food Technologists, the American Heart Association, and the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. She is a member of the Science Advisory Boards of FDA, the California Prune Board, and Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. Dr. Weaver is past president of American Society for Nutrition.
Professor Nancy Williams | Female Athlete Triad: Clinical
Nancy I. Williams' research is centered on physiological and behavioral underpinnings of interactions between energy balance, reproductive function, bone health and exercise performance.
Professor Man-Sau Wong | Lignans From Sambucus Williamsii Hance Protect Bone via Gut Microbiome
Professor Man-Sau Wong is currently the Director of the Research Center for Chinese Medicine Innovation and Professor at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She received her B.S in Food Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and her Ph.D in Human Nutrition and Nutritional Biology at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include the use of Chinese medicine for management of musculoskeletal health; the study of the molecular actions of bone protective phytochemicals as well as the role of gut microbiota in mediating the musculoskeletal effects of dietary factors. She is currently appointed as members of the Higher Education Review Board (HERB) of the Institute of Food Technologists, the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food as well as Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene of the Food and Health Bureau (HKSAR).