Susan K Fried, PhD
- PROFESSOR | Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease
Research Topics:
Adipose, Metabolism, Obesity, Translational ResearchDr. Fried is Professor and Director of Translational Adipose Biology and Obesity in the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute. She earned an A.B. in Biology from Barnard College (1974), a M.S. in Human Nutrition from the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from Columbia University (1980). After post-doctoral work in Endocrinology at Emory University, and in Lipid Biochemistry at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, she returned to NYC to become a Research Associate at the New York Obesity Center. From 1986-1990, she was an Assistant Professor in the Laboratory of Human Behavior and Metabolism at Rockefeller University, followed by faculty positions at Rutgers University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. At Maryland she was the founding director of a NIDDK-funded Clinical Nutrition Research Center. From 2009-2016 Dr. Fried was a Professor at Medicine and Biochemistry at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). She was also the Director of the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Metabolism, and Director of the NIH NIDDK-funded Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research during this time. Her work has been well-funded by the NIH and the American Diabetes Association, among others, for the past 25 years.
Videos
Education
AB, Barnard College
MS, Columbia Univ. Institute of Human Nutrition
PhD, Columbia University
Emory University
Medical College of Pennsylvania
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2005
Obesity Research Editor’s Choice Reviewer Award -
1994
NJ Agricultural Experiment Station Research Award
Fat is stored in highly specialized cells called adipocytes. The ability of adipocyte to efficiently stores fed after meals and release it when energy is needed by other cells in the body is critical for integrating metabolism. Adipocytes are also endocrine cells that secrete hormones send signals that regulate the metabolism and food intake. Intriguingly, adipocytes found in different anatomical locations in the body have distinct functions. The goal of my lab’s research is to understand the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the growth and function adipocytes and their role in metabolic health in women and men. Our translation research, conduced in collaboration with Drs Karastergiou and Albu, focuses on understanding mechanisms underlying depot- and sex- dependent differences in adipose tissue growth. We are motivated by the lack of knowledge of the mechanisms that mediate the associations of central obesity, especially visceral obesity, with higher risk for metabolic disease such as Type 2 diabetes and the protective effect of lower body fat accumulation (storage around hips and thighs. Our current work follows up on studies from our lab and others that show that cells from these depots developmentally and functionally distinct. Current work in focuses on phenotyping of adipose tissues from healthy volunteers: Specifically, we 1) use transcriptome and single cell RNAseq to assess how the cellular composition of adipose tissues varies with depot, sex and physiological state; 2) define depot differences in the regulation of metabolism and secreted products (using metabolomics; primary cell and organ culture models); 3) assess sex differences in adipose tissue growth and function and mechanisms involved. A long-term goal is to understand how develop novel therapies for obesity and related diseases by understanding the interaction of genetic and nutritional influences on susceptibility to obesity and metabolic disease, and sex- and racial differences in these relationships. We are also interested in understanding the impact of meals and overfeeding on adipose function, and developing precision nutrition approaches that address inter-individual differences in metabolism.
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Dr. Fried did not report having any of the following types of financial relationships with industry during 2020 and/or 2021: consulting, scientific advisory board, industry-sponsored lectures, service on Board of Directors, participation on industry-sponsored committees, equity ownership valued at greater than 5% of a publicly traded company or any value in a privately held company. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.