Dr. Konopka is a faculty member in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology within the Department of Medicine. He is an editorial board member for the Journal of Applied Physiology and a member of the Gerontological Society of America, American College of Sports Medicine and American Physiological Society. Dr. Konopka has been selected as a reviewer for several journals including Journal Gerontology: Biological Sciences, Aging Cell, GeroScience, Science Advances, Scientific Reports, and Journal of Physiology.
In addition to his research program, Dr. Konopka believes that it is fundamental to integrate mentoring and teaching into his laboratory. He has served on multiple thesis committees and values mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students.
Dr. Konopka uses a translational research approach that identifies mechanisms regulating the biology and metabolism of musculoskeletal aging in pre-clinical models and applies these findings to test the potential healthspan extending effects in human clinical trials. Dr. Konopka’s research has two main themes that focus on the age-related loss of skeletal muscle health and osteoarthritis. We are currently investigating how skeletal muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics and remodeling mediate aging and the healthspan extending effects of exercise and/or metformin. We are also interested in understanding how the mTOR signaling pathway is involved in the initiation and treatment of osteoarthritis.