McCabe Named AAAS Fellow
April 10, 2025
IIT-affiliated faculty member Dr. Laura McCabe was recently recognized as a 2024 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She was one of four MSU researchers chosen for the honor. AAAS — pronounced “triple-A-S” — is the world’s largest general scientific society, which recognizes distinguished individuals as fellows for their contributions to science and society. The 2024 cohort includes more than 470 scientists, engineers and innovators.
McCabe is an MSU Foundation Professor in the Departments of Physiology and Radiology and is also the Associate Vice President of Research Regularity Support at the Office of Research and Innovation. McCabe's research focuses on exploring the mechanisms regulating bone cell differentiation and bone formation and developing new strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Her recent innovative endeavors in the manipulation of intestinal health for improved bone health are promising not only for patients with osteoporosis but also for animal health (especially the feed industry). McCabe was elected as a fellow thanks to this work and more, being honored for distinguished contributions to understanding the role the gut and microbiome have on bone health and for strong science advocacy on regulatory policy.
McCabe obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1991. Her commitment to MSU spans more than two decades, including as the associate chair in the Department of Physiology from 2011 to 2013 and director of the Molecular Metabolism and Disease Program from 2013 to 2017, and she established and led the Beckman Undergraduate Scholar Program from 2014 to 2018.
McCabe's research has generated an outstanding body of work, with critical contributions to more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and numerous book chapters. Numerous scientific symposia have benefited from her organizational leadership, and she has been a frequent advisor on a wide range of grant review boards and committees both here and abroad. She holds several patents and has a number of pending patents related to the treatment of osteoporosis. Her internationally recognized research program has been continuously funded for nearly 20 years through external federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and a number of private foundations.
“I am honored to be named as an AAAS Fellow,” McCabe said. “This achievement would not have been possible without the crucial federal funding that supported our research, as well as outstanding students and collaborators at MSU. It truly takes a team, and together we linked gut health to bone health and are identifying ways to treat and prevent osteoporosis. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.”
To read the original article on MSUToday on all four AAAS fellows, please visit: https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/four-msu-researchers-named-aaas-fellows.