Jonathan W. Lowery, Ph.D.

Biography 

Jonathan Lowery, Ph.D., is the Assistant Provost for Research & Scholarship for Marian University where he oversees the institution’s comprehensive research strategy, operations, compliance, and external partnerships. A major aspect of his work is ensuring the university’s Catholic, Franciscan, and liberal arts heritage informs its future as a national leader for coupling innovative education practices with real-world, advanced research – all while upholding the Marian Promise of support and intentional mentorship for students. 

In addition to this role, Dr. Lowery is a tenured associate professor of physiology at the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine where he teaches musculoskeletal physiology and molecular endocrinology in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and MS in Biomedical Science programs. His research program focuses on cell-to-cell communication in the skeletal system and he directs the Marian University Bone & Muscle Research Group, which has trained more than sixty Marian University students since its founding in 2014. His research program has received external funding from the Indiana Institute for Medical Research, American Osteopathic Association, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and Arthritis Foundation. Dr. Lowery is a member of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health and has secondary academic appointments in the Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Roudebush VA Medical Center Department of Research. His research has produced more than forty publications and students are frequently included as co-authors. More detailed information about ongoing projects is available on his lab's website (http://www.jonlowery.com/research). 

Dr. Lowery is a member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) where he serves as co-chair of the Membership Engagement Committee and a United States Bone & Joint Ambassador. He is a board member of numerous organizations including the Arthritis Foundation of Indiana, HealthNet Foundation, and the United States Bone & Joint Initiative. He is the recipient of numerous awards for teaching and research, such as Harvard University's Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, an honorary fellowship to the Endocrine Fellows Foundation/ASBMR Forum on Metabolic Bone Diseases, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Dean's Scholar Award, the ASBMR President's Research Poster Award, the MU-COM Dean's Commendation, a finalist for Indy’s Best & Brightest Under 40, and the national winner of the 2018 Northup Educator of the Year Award. 

Dr. Lowery earned a B.S. in biology with minors in chemistry and biblical studies (magna cum laude) from Freed-Hardeman University and a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from Vanderbilt University. He then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in developmental biology at Harvard University. Dr. Lowery joined Marian University as a founding faculty member of MU-COM in 2014 and was promoted and awarded tenure in 2019.

Education

• Fellowship in Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 
• Ph.D., Cell & Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• B.S., Biology, Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, Tennessee

Prior Positions

• Faculty Lead for Research Development, Marian University
• Director of Research Laboratories, Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine 
• Assistant Professor Physiology, Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine 
• Teaching Fellow, Harvard University
• Dean’s Fellow, Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Selected Publications and Presentations

• 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 Development 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 Res 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.” J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2020 Apr 1;120(4):236-244. PMID: 32227149.