Jonathan Lowery, Ph.D., serves as Associate Provost for Research & Dean of Graduate Affairs at Marian University and is a tenured Professor of Physiology in the Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine.
As a senior academic officer, Dr. Lowery leads the university's research strategy, infrastructure, compliance, and external research partnerships while providing institutional leadership for graduate and professional education, academic policy, and program quality. His responsibilities include oversight of the Office of Sponsored Programs & Research, Office of Undergraduate Research, Office of Research Operations, Integrity & Compliance, Office of Graduate Affairs, and the Scholarly Learning Communities Initiative. His portfolio also encompasses research oversight functions, including the Institutional Review Board and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
Dr. Lowery's leadership emphasizes faculty development, responsible research practices, student mentorship, and the sustainable growth of scholarly activity. His work supports Marian University's Catholic, Franciscan, and liberal arts mission by advancing innovative education, research, and graduate programs that serve the common good.
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Lowery teaches musculoskeletal physiology and molecular endocrinology to medical and biomedical sciences students. He is an active member of the Marian University Bone & Muscle Research Group, which has provided research opportunities for more than sixty Marian University students since its founding in 2014. His research focuses on skeletal biology, communication between bone and muscle, and the biological effects of soft tissue manipulation.
His research program has received external support from federal agencies, including multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as private foundations and professional organizations. His scholarly contributions include more than forty publications, frequently featuring student researchers as co-authors.
Dr. Lowery is a member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) and has served in leadership and advisory roles within professional and community organizations. His teaching and research accomplishments have earned numerous honors, including Harvard University's Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Dean's Scholar Award, the ASBMR President's Research Poster Award, and the national Northup Educator of the Year Award from the SOMA Foundation.
Dr. Lowery earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology, with minors in chemistry and biblical studies, magna cum laude, from Freed-Hardeman University and his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Vanderbilt University. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in developmental biology at Harvard University before joining Marian University as a founding faculty member of the College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2014. He was awarded tenure in 2019 and promoted to Full Professor in 2025.
Additional information about his professional interests and ongoing research is available at www.jonlowery.com.
Hsiao Y, Manikowski KJ, Snyder S, Griffin N, Orr AL, Hulsey EQ, Born-Ever G, Zukosky T, Squire ME, Hum JM, Metzger CE, Allen MR, Lowery JW. "NMUR1 in the NMU-mediated regulation of bone remodeling." Life. 2021;11(10):1028. PMID: 34685399.
Gries K, Zysik V, Jobe TK, Griffin N, Leeds BP, Lowery JW. "Muscle-derived factors influencing bone metabolism." Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology. 2021 Oct 29:S1084-9521(21)00272-X. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.10.009.
Anloague A, Mahoney A, Ogunbekun O, Hiland T, Thompson WR, Larsen B, Loghmani MT, Hum JM, Lowery JW. "Mechanical stimulation of human dermal fibroblasts regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines: potential insight into soft tissue manual therapies." BMC Research Notes. 2020 Aug 27;13(1):400. PMID: 32854782; PMCID: PMC7457292.
Lowery JW, Baker J, Gebhardt G, Gorbis S, Hoehn A, Hum JM, Nelligan L, Sefcik D, Wacker B, Wagner A, Williams D, Wright A. "Osteopathic medicine and the osteoporosis treatment gap." Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2020 Aug 4. doi: 10.7556/jaoa.2020.092. PMID: 32750706.
Nguyen V, Kaneshiro K, Nallamala H, Kirby C, Cho T, Messer K, Zahl S, Modrzakowski M, Atchley D, Ziegler D, Pipitone O, Lowery JW, Kisby G. "Assessment of the research interests of first-year medical students at four colleges of osteopathic medicine." Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2020 Apr 1;120(4):236–244. PMID: 32227149.
