Education
- 2004 – Advanced Training in Cell Biology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (Mentor: Dr. Ted Ciaraldi)
- 1991 – Postdoctoral Fellowship in Physiology and Metabolism, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Mentor: Dr. John Holloszy)
- 1987 – Doctor of Philosophy in Human Bioenergetics, Ball State University, Muncie, IN (Mentor: Dr. David Costill)
- 1984 – Master of Science in Exercise Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Mentor: Dr. Priscilla Clarkson)
- 1980 – Bachelor of Arts, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Ireland
Research Interests
Dr. Kirwan's research focuses on metabolic health and how insulin resistance drives chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, asthma, and chronic kidney disease. His lab combines nutrition, diet, and physical activity interventions with pharmacological and surgical approaches to uncover critical regulatory pathways in disease progression. This groundbreaking work aims to identify novel therapeutic targets that could revolutionize the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions by addressing their metabolic roots.
Lab: Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory
Selected Publications
- Dantas WS, Heintz EC, Zunica ERM, Mey JT, Erickson ML, Belmont KP, Taylor AL, Davuluri
G, Fujioka H, Fealy CE, Hoppel CL, Axelrod CL, Kirwan JP. Deubiquitinating Enzymes Regulate Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Quality Control and
Insulin Sensitivity in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2025 Apr;16(2):e13763. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13763. PMID: 40035128; PMCID: PMC11876994.
- Rubino F, Cummings DE, Eckel RH, Cohen RV, Wilding JPH, Brown WA, Stanford FC, Batterham RL, Farooqi IS, Farpour-Lambert NJ, le Roux CW, Sattar N, Baur LA, Morrison KM, Misra A, Kadowaki T, Tham
KW, Sumithran P, Garvey WT, Kirwan JP, Fernández-Real JM, Corkey BE, Toplak H, Kokkinos
A, Kushner RF, Branca F, Valabhji J, Blüher M, Bornstein SR, Grill HJ, Ravussin E, Gregg E, Al Busaidi NB, Alfaris NF, Al Ozairi E, Carlsson LMS, Clément K, Després JP, Dixon JB, Galea G, Kaplan LM, Laferrère B, Laville M, Lim S, Luna Fuentes JR, Mooney VM, Nadglowski J Jr, Urudinachi A, Olszanecka-Glinianowicz M, Pan A, Pattou F, Schauer PR, Tschöp MH, van der Merwe MT, Vettor R, Mingrone G. Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025 Mar;13(3):221-262. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00316-4. Epub 2025 Jan 14. Erratum in: Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025 Mar;13(3):e6. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00006-3. PMID: 39824205; PMCID: PMC11870235.
- Axelrod CL, Hari A, Dantas WS, Kashyap SR, Schauer PR, Kirwan JP. Metabolomic Fingerprints of Medical Therapy Versus Bariatric Surgery in Patients With
Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: The STAMPEDE Trial. Diabetes Care. 2024 Nov 1;47(11):2024-2032. doi: 10.2337/dc24-0859. PMID: 39311919; PMCID: PMC11502526.
- Courcoulas AP, Patti ME, Hu B, Arterburn DE, Simonson DC, Gourash WF, Jakicic JM, Vernon AH, Beck GJ, Schauer PR, Kashyap SR, Aminian A, Cummings DE, Kirwan JP. Long-Term Outcomes of Medical Management vs Bariatric Surgery in Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA. 2024 Feb 27;331(8):654-664. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.0318. PMID: 38411644; PMCID: PMC10900968.
- Zhang H, Mulya A, Nieuwoudt S, Vandanmagsar B, McDowell R, Heintz EC, Zunica ERM, Collier JJ, Bozadjieva-Kramer N, Seeley RJ, Axelrod CL, Kirwan JP. GDF15 Mediates the Effect of Skeletal Muscle Contraction on Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion. Diabetes. 2023 Aug 1;72(8):1070 1082. doi: 10.2337/db22-0019. PMID: 37224335; PMCID: PMC10382648.
- Dantas WS, Zunica ERM, Heintz EC, Vandanmagsar B, Floyd ZE, Yu Y, Fujioka H, Hoppel CL, Belmont KP, Axelrod CL, Kirwan JP. Mitochondrial uncoupling attenuates sarcopenic obesity by enhancing skeletal muscle mitophagy and quality control. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022 Jun;13(3):1821-1836. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12982. Epub 2022 Mar 19. PMID: 35304976; PMCID: PMC9178352.
- Axelrod CL, Fealy CE, Erickson ML, Davuluri G, Fujioka H, Dantas WS, Huang E, Pergola K, Mey JT, King WT, Mulya A, Hsia D, Burguera B, Tandler B, Hoppel CL, Kirwan JP. Lipids activate skeletal muscle mitochondrial fission and quality control networks to induce insulin resistance in humans. Metabolism. 2021 Aug;121:154803. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2021.154803. Epub 2021 Jun 4. PMID: 34090870; PMCID: PMC8277749.
- Axelrod CL, King WT, Davuluri G, Noland RC, Hall J, Hull M, Dantas WS, Zunica ER, Alexopoulos SJ, Hoehn KL, Langohr I, Stadler K, Doyle H, Schmidt E,Nieuwoudt S, Fitzgerald K, Pergola K, Fujioka H, Mey JT, Fealy C, Mulya A, Beyl R, Hoppel CL, Kirwan JP. BAM15-mediated mitochondrial uncoupling protects against obesity and improves glycemic control. EMBO Mol Med. 2020 Jul 7;12(7):e12088. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202012088. Epub 2020 Jun 10. PMID: 32519812; PMCID: PMC7338798.
- Nieuwoudt S, Mulya A, Fealy CE, Martelli E, Dasarathy S, Naga Prasad SV, Kirwan JP. In vitro contraction protects against palmitate-induced insulin resistance in C2C12 myotubes. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2017 Nov 1;313(5):C575-C583. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00123.2017. Epub 2017 Aug 23. PMID: 28835436; PMCID: PMC5792169.
- Schauer PR, Bhatt DL, Kirwan JP, Wolski K, Aminian A, Brethauer SA, Navaneethan SD, Singh RP, Pothier CE, Nissen SE, Kashyap SR; STAMPEDE Investigators. Bariatric Surgery versus Intensive Medical Therapy for Diabetes - 5-Year Outcomes. N Engl J Med. 2017 Feb 16;376(7):641-651. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1600869. PMID: 28199805; PMCID: PMC5451258.
