Assistant Professor of Epidemiology & Human Genetics
Department of Epidemiology
A544 Crabtree Hall
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Voice: 412-624-2970
E-mail: zmudaj@edc.pitt.edu

Research Interests

• Genetic and molecular epidemiology of common complex diseases
• Osteoporosis
• Prostate cancer
• Aging

Research Support

• Principal Investigator
  • NIH- NIAMS (R01-AR049747) Epidemiology of Bone Loss in African Men.
  • NIH-NIAMS (R01-AR051124) Bone Strength Phenotypes in Men: Genes and Environment.
• Co-Investigator
  • NIH-NIAMS (R01-AR035582; J.Cauley, PI); Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.
  • NIH-NCI (R01-CA84950, Bunker, PI); Molecular Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer in Tobagonians.
  • NIH-NIAMS (R01-AR045654-08A1; J.Cauley, PI); Osteoporotic Fractures in Men.

Education & Training

• University of Rhode Island - B.S. Nutrition, 1989
• University of Rhode Island - M.S. Exercise Physiology, 1991
• University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health Epidemiology, M.P.H. - 1996, PhD - 2000
• Post-Doctoral Training
  
  • PCR and Molecular Biology Workshop, Smith College, New England Biolabs, 2001
  • University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Pittsburgh, PA, 2001-2003
  • Genetic Analysis of Complex Human Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Center for Human Genetics, Durham, NC, 2003
  • Short Course in Statistical Genetics, University of Alabama Section on Statistical Genetics, Washington, DC, 2004
  • Genomics and Genetic Epidemiology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Genetics and Center for Genetics and Genomics, Boston, MA, 2004
  • Genomics in Biomedical Research, Programs for Genomic Applications, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 2004.

Awards & Honors

1995-1996	United States Public Health Service Traineeship
1997	National Osteoporosis Foundation Fellowship Award
1997	American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Quantitative Ultrasound Research Award (Finalist)
1998	Judy S. Finkelstein Memorial Award
2000	Outstanding Student Award, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
2000	Delta Omega National Honor Society
2001	American Federation for Aging Research Award
2003	Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Selected Publications (from past 2 years)

Miljkovic-Gacic I, Wang X, Kammerer CM, Gordon CL, Goodpaster BH, Bunker CH, Kuller LH, Patrick AL, Wheeler VW, Evans RW, Zmuda JM. Fat Infiltration in Muscle: New Evidence for Familial Clustering and Associations with Diabetes. Obesity. 2008; 16(8): 1854-60.

Okobia MN, Bunker CH, Garte SJ, Zmuda JM, Ezeome ER, Anyanwu SN, Uche EE, Kuller LH, Ferrell RE, Taioli E. Leptin Receptor Gln233Arg Polymorphism and Breast Cancer Risk in Nigerian Women: A Case Control Study. BMC Cancer 2008;8:338.

Hill DD, Cauley JA, Bunker CH, Baker CE, Patrick AL, Beckles GLA, Wheeler VW, Zmuda JM. Correlates of Bone Mineral Density among Postmenopausal Women of Afro-Caribbean Ancestry: Tobago Women’s Health Study. Bone 2008; 43(1):156-61.

Tranah GJ, Taylor BC, Lui L-Y, Zmuda JM, Cauley JA, Ensrud KE, Hillier TA, Hochberg MC, Li J, Rhees B, Erlich H, Sternlicht MD, Peltz G, Cummings SR for the SOF Research Group. Gene Variation in Candidate Osteoporosis Genes, Bone Mineral Density, and Fracture Risk: The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Calcif Tissue Int 2008; 83(3):155-66.

Yerges LM, Moffett SP, Wheeler VW, Cauley JA, Bunker CH, Patrick AL, Ferrell RE, Zmuda JM. Functional Characterization of Genetic Variation in the Frizzled 1 (FZD1) Promoter and Association with Bone Phenotypes: More to the LRP5 Story? J Bone Miner Res 2009;24(1):87-96.

Delmonico MJ, Zmuda JM, Harris TB, Manini T, Schwarz A, Li R, Roth SM, Hurley BF, Ferrell RE, Newman AB – For the Health ABC and MrOS Studies. Association of the ACTN3 Genotype and Physical Functioning with Age in Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2008; 63(11):1227-34.

Cauley JA, Lui L-Y, Barnes D, Ensrud KE, Zmuda JM, Hillier TA, Hochberg MC, Schwartz AV, Yaffe K, Cummings SR, Newman AB. Successful Skeletal Aging: A Marker of Low Fracture Risk and Longevity. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). J Bone Miner Res 2009; 24(1):134-43.

Zmuda JM, Yerges LM, Kammerer CM, Cauley JA, Wang X, Nestlerode CS, Wheeler VW, Patrick AL, Bunker CH, Moffett SP, Ferrell RE. Association Analysis of WNT10B with Bone Mass and Structure among Individuals of African Ancestry. J Bone Miner Res 2009; 24(3):437-47.

Farhat GN, Taioli E, Cauley JA, Zmuda JM, Orwoll E, Bauer DC, Wilt T, Hoffman A, Beer T, Shikany J, Daniels N, Chan J, Fink H, Barrett-Connor E, Parsons JK, Bunker CH. The Association of Bone Mineral Density with Prostate Cancer in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(1):148-54.

Eriksson A, Lorentzon M, Vandenput L, Labrie F, Lindersson M, Syvanen A-C, Orwoll E, Cummings S, Zmuda J, Ljunggren, Karlsson M, Mellstrom D, Ohlsson C. Genetic Variations in Sex Steroid-Related Genes as Predictors of Serum Estrogen Levels in Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94(3):1033-41.

Xiong DH, Liu, XG, Guo YF, Tan LJ, Wang L, Sha BY, Tang ZH, Pan F, Yang TL, Chen XD, Lei SF, Yerges LM, Zhu XZ, Wheeler VW, Patrick AL, Bunker CH, Guo Y, Yan H, Pei YF, Zhang YP, Levy S, Papasian CJ, Xiao P, Lundberg YW, Recker RR, Liu YZ, Liu YJ, Zmuda JM, Deng HW. Genome-wide Association and Follow-up Replication Studies Identified ADAMTS18 and TGFBR3 as Bone Mass Candidate Genes in Different Ethnic Groups. Am J Hum Genet 2009; 84(3):388-98.

Moffett SP, Dillon KA, Yerges LA, Goodrich LJ, Nestlerode C, Bunker C, Wheeler VW, Patrick A, Zmuda JM. Identification and Association Analysis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Human Noggin (NOG) Gene and Osteoporosis Phenotypes. Bone 2009; 44(5):999-1002.

Iuliano AD, Feingold E, Wahed AS, Kleiner DE, Belle SH, Conjeevaram HS, Zmuda J, Liang TJ, Yee LJ for the Virahep-C Study. Host Genetics, Steatosis and Insulin Resistance among African Americans and Caucasian Americans with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype-1 Infection. Intervirology 2009; 52(1):49-56.

Reich D, Nalls MA, Kao WHL, Akylbekova EL, Tandon A, Patterson N, Mullikin J, Hsueh WC, Cheng CY, Coresh J, Boerwinkle E, Li M, Waliszewska A, Neubauer J, Li R, Leak TS, Ekunwe L, Files JC, Hardy CL, Zmuda JM, Taylor HA, Ziv E, Harris TB, Wilson JG. Reduced Neutrophil Count in People of African Descent is Due to a Regulatory Variant in the Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines gene. PLoS Genetics 2009 January; 5(1):e1000360.

Sheu Y, Cauley JA, Wheeler VW, Patrick AL, Bunker CH, Kammerer CM, Zmuda JM. Natural History and Correlates of Hip Bone Loss Among Men of African Ancestry: The Tobago Bone Health Study. J Bone Miner Res 2009; Mar 3. [Epub ahead of print]

Miljkovic I, Li H, Yerges LM, Gordon CL, Goodpaster BH, Kuller LH, Nestlerode C, Bunker CH, Patrick AL, Wheeler VW, Zmuda JM. Association of the CPT1B Gene with Skeletal Muscle Fat Infiltration in Afro-Caribbean Men. Obesity. (In Press).

Sanders JL, Cauley JA, Boudreau RM, Zmuda JM, Strotmeyer ES, Opresko PL, Hsueh W-C, Cawthon RM, Li R, Harris TB, Kritchevsky SB, Newman AB for the Health ABC Study. Leukocyte Telomere Length is not Associated with Bone Mineral Density, Osteoporosis, or Fracture in Older Adults: Results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. J Bone Miner Res. (In Press).

Yerges LM, Klei L, Cauley JA, Roeder K, Kammerer CM, Moffett SP, Ensrud KE, Nestlerode CS, Marshall LM, Hoffman AR, Lewis C, Lang T, Barrett-Connor E, Ferrell RE, Orwoll ES, Zmuda JM for the MrOS Research Group. A High-Density Association Study of 383 Candidate Genes for Volumetric Bone Density at the Femoral Neck and Lumbar Spine among Older Men. J Bone Miner Res. (In Press).

Petit M, Paudel ML, Taylor B, Hughes J, Strotmeyer ES, Schwartz AV, Cauley JA, Zmuda JM, Hoffman AR, Ensrud KE. Bone Mass and Strength in Older Men with Type 2 Diabetes: The Osteoporotic Fractures In Men Study. J Bone Miner Res. (In Press).

Kuipers A, Zhang Y, Cauley JA, Nestlerode CS, Bunker CH, Patrick AL, Wheeler VW, Hoffman AR, Orwoll ES, Zmuda JM, for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study Group. Association of a High Mobility Group Gene (HMGA2) Variant with Bone Mineral Density. Bone. (In Press).

Cheng C-Y, Kao WHL, Patterson N, Tandon A, Haiman CA, Harris TB, Xing C, John EM, Ambrosone CB, Brancati FL, Coresh JF, Press MF, Parekh RS, Klag MJ, Meoni LA, Hsueh W-C, Fejerman L, Pawlikowska L, Freedman ML, Jandorf LH, Bandera EV, Ciupak GL, Nalls MA, Akylbekova EL, Orwoll ES, Leak TS, Miljkovic I, Li R, Ursin G, Bernstein L, Ardlie K, Taylor HA, Boerwinckle E, Zmuda JM, Henderson BE, Wilson JG, Reich D. Admixture mapping of 15,280 African Americans identifies obesity susceptibility loci on chromosomes 5 and X. PLoS Genetics. (In Press).

Miljkovic I, Cauley JA, Petit MA, Ensrud KE, Strotmeyer E, Sheu Y, Gordon CL, Goodpaster BH, Bunker CH, Patrick AL, Wheeler VW, Kuller LH, Faulkner KA, Zmuda JM for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Research Group. Greater Adipose Tissue Infiltration in Skeletal Muscle among Older Men of African Ancestry. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (In Press).

Okamura T, Sekikawa A, Kadowaki T, El-Saed A, Abbott RD, Curb JD, Edmundowicz D, Nakamura Y, Murata K, Kashiwagi A, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Evans RW, Zmuda JM, Maegawa H, Hozawa A, Mitsunami K, Nisio Y, Miljkovic-Gacic I, Horie M, Miyamastu N, Murakami Y, Kuller LH, Ueshima H. The Association of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein with Subclinical Atherosclerosis is Independent of its Most Common Gene Variant in Japanese Men. The American Journal of Cardiology. (In Press).

Sheu Y, Cauley JA, Bunker CH, Wheeler VW, Patrick AL, Gordon CL, Kammerer CM, Zmuda JM. Correlates of Trabecular and Cortical Volumetric Bone Mineral Density in Men of African Ancestry. J Bone Miner Res. (In Press).

Cluett C, McDermott MM, Guralnik J, Ferrucci L, Bandinelli S, Miljkovic I, Zmuda JM, Li R, Tranah G, Harris T, Rice N, Henley W, Frayling TM, Murray A, Melzer D. The 9p2l Myocardial Infarction risk allele increases risk of Peripheral Artery Disease in older people. Circulation. (In Press).

Ensrud KE, Taylor BC, Paudel M, Cauley JA, Cawthon PM, Cummings SR, Fink HA, Barrett-Connor E, Zmuda JM, Shikany JM, Orwoll ES for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study Group. Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Rate of Hip Bone Loss in Older Men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (In Press).

Yerges LM, Klei L, Cauley JA, Roeder K, Kammerer CM, Ensrud KE, Nestlerode CS, Lewis C, Lang T, Barrett-Connor E, Moffett SP, Hoffman AR, Ferrell RE, Orwoll ES, Zmuda JM for the MrOS Research Group. Candidate Gene Analysis of Femoral Neck Trabecular and Cortical Volumetric Bone Mineral Density in Older Men. J Bone Miner Res. (In Press).