Michelle Law, PhD, RD
Assistant Professor of Nutrition Sciences
Department of Human Sciences and Design
Michelle Law graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, with majors in Nutrition and Chemistry. She went on to complete a Dietetic Internship, MS in Medical Dietetics, and PhD in Interdisciplinary Nutrition Sciences from Ohio State University. She then completed post-doctoral research in cardiac physiology and molecular cardiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Law has expertise in the areas of cancer-induced cachexia, metabolic disease, various cardiomyopathies, and animal models of disease.
The overarching goal of Dr. Law’s research is to identify mechanisms and new therapeutic strategies for cancer cachexia. Cachexia, a muscle and adipose-wasting syndrome, significantly decreases both the quality and length of life in patients suffering from advanced cancers. Currently, Dr. Law’s focus is to elucidate the mechanisms of cardiac muscle dysfunction in cachexia, and how decreased cardiac performance may contribute to cachexia pathogenesis. She works with animal models of cachexia and employs techniques in physiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry to measure heart function and identify molecular changes that contribute to functional alterations. Dr. Law is particularly interested in the role of altered calcium handling and metabolic adaptations in the progression of cardiac dysfunction in cachexia.
Current Research Interests:
- Cancer cachexia
- Cardiac dysfunction
- Metabolism
- Calcium handling
Current Courses Taught:
- NUTR 2351: Nutrition
- NUTR 4387: Advanced Nutrition
- NUTR 5355: Macronutrients and Metabolism
- NUTR 5356: Micronutrients and Phytochemicals