Susan K Fried, PhD
- PROFESSOR | Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease
Research Topics:
Adipose, Biochemistry, Extracellular Matrix, Gene Expressions, Growth Factors and Receptors, Inflammation, Obesity, Receptors, Stem Cells, Translation, Translational Research, cAMPDr. 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
Cardiovascular, Cell Biology, Cellular Differentiation, Diabetes, Extracellular Matrix, Fibrosis, Gene Expressions, Genomics, Growth, Hormones, Insulin, Lipid Signaling, Microarray, Obesity, Oxidative Phosphorylation, Oxidative Stress, Protein Transl
Central obesity, especially visceral obesity, is associated with higher risk for metabolic disease such as Type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, peripheral obesity, i.e. ‘pear-shaped’ with more storage around hips and thighs decreases risk of metabolic disease, independent of total body fat. The goal of my lab’s research is to understand the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate adipose tissue distribution and its relationship to metabolic health. We use in vivo and in vitro approaches to understand the differential sensitivity of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues to the lipogenic and anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids. We are also building on our early studies of metabolic differences among fat depots in men and women with analyses of genes and secreted proteins that are expressed in a sex- and depot-dependent manner. Using primary cell culture and organ culture, our basic research focuses on translationally important questions in adipose tissue biology: 1) how the adipocyte functions as an endocrine cell that can detect the level of body fat and response to the metabolic needs of the organism, and 2) mechanisms that control human adipose tissue remodeling and growth, 3) mechanisms regulating lipid droplet biology and fat oxidation in human adipocytes. A long-term goal is to 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.
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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.
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