The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has added Zachary Hettinger, Ph.D., to the faculty of its Aging & Metabolism Research Program.
Hettinger joins OMRF as an assistant professor. He comes to the foundation from Harvard Medical School, where he completed his postdoctoral training.
Hettinger received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University and a doctorate in rehabilitation science from the University of Kentucky. He studies how support cells in muscle tissue influence how well muscles function as people age.
“Dr. Hettinger is on the leading edge of a rapidly expanding area of research,” said Dr. Benjamin Miller, Ph.D., who leads OMRF’s Aging and Metabolism Research Program and recruited Hettinger to OMRF. “His goal is to understand how specialized muscle cells can create conditions that keep muscle young.”
Hettinger joins an expanding group of other scientists at OMRF exploring ways to maintain muscle and function as people grow older. “Our goal,” said Miller, “is to keep people healthy and independent as long as possible.”
