Mark Meyer joined the UW–Madison faculty in March 2023 as an assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

What is your hometown? Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Florissant, Missouri, which is a north suburb of the city of St. Louis, very close to where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers meet.

What is your educational/professional background, including your previous position?
After attending Butler University for my undergraduate degree in chemistry, I moved here to UW-Madison for my PhD in the Department of Biochemistry in 2002. After finishing my PhD in 2007, I completed a short postdoc and then continued as an assistant scientist here at UW-Madison. As the years progressed, I was promoted to associate scientist and then senior scientist a few years before applying for my own faculty positions this past year. I’m a Badger through and through.

How did you get into your field of research?
When I joined the biochemistry department, I gravitated towards transcriptional mechanisms from steroid hormone nuclear receptor actions in osteoporosis, skeletal development, and calcium regulation. Things like the estrogen receptor and vitamin D receptor, and so on. This was right at the time the human genome was sequenced. There was a lot of excitement around these new avenues that were possible with the sequencing of the genomes for humans, as well as mice, and other model organisms. Genomic science really exploded, and I was right at the front of that in the vitamin D field and have been for the past 20 years. I have had the opportunity to solve some very complex problems over the years in these fields, which brings me to the present day. Now we’re working to translate this science into improving human health and reducing disease.

What are the main goals of your current research and outreach programs?
We study the dynamic chromatin (DNA) environment responsible for serum calcium and phosphate maintenance and the impacts of vitamin D metabolism in skeletal, renal, and intestinal biology. When dysfunctional, these mechanisms allow chronic inflammation and disease progression to worsen in things like chronic kidney disease-metabolic bone disorder (CKD-MBD), atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and many others. Additionally, low vitamin D status has a correlation with an increase in cancer risk in cancers such as colon, breast, and prostate. Higher vitamin D status (amount of vitamin D in your blood) has been linked to longer survival rates in cancer patients. Dietary and nutritional supplementation of vitamin D rapidly corrects the body’s mineral deficiencies, however its ability to ameliorate inflammatory disease progression or improve cancer outcomes remains controversial. We study these mechanisms that regulate biological changes at the intersection of metabolism, inflammation, and disease progression using unique animal models, genomic editing techniques, and -omics bioinformatic approaches.

What was your first visit to campus like?
Cold, but incredible. I came here on a recruiting visit at the tail end of winter, Lake Mendota was still frozen and dotted with people ice fishing. I love winter, so for me, there was no issue with the cold or snow. I immediately found the city of Madison to be very welcoming. Coming from two very large cities, where the lakes never froze, Madison seemed like the right mix of a large campus and decent sized city, intermingled.

What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with?
Mainly a passion for science, the process of research, and that science moves very quickly. One of my courses focuses on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and biotechnological advances. It’s a current topics class where materials are sourced from recent publications and contemporary reviews, so the coursework is at the leading edge of research. We also teach very practical skills for the new scientist, like presenting data, creating a poster, and giving a seminar. It trains the next generation of scientists to think logically, be critical, and what the bigger picture is.

Do you share your expertise and experiences with the public through social media? If so, which channels do you use?
At the moment, Twitter, until its eventual collapse. I’m at @Meyer_M_B.

Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how.
Absolutely our work represents the Wisconsin Idea. Our work is not just an academic exercise, as the questions we hope to solve will translate through to help improve human health and nutrition. This work transcends the bounds of UW-Madison and extends to all people in the State of Wisconsin.

The pandemic forced us all to reconsider many things we took for granted. Is there something you’ve learned that has helped you through these challenging times, personally or professionally?
I learned, “Do not wait.” It was an incredible disruption to life, schooling, vacations, and family. Don’t wait to take that trip, don’t wait on your career, keep pushing forward. Also, “don’t wait to order reagents” because you never know when it’ll take a year or more to get an enzyme or pipette tips again. Thankfully, that’s mostly behind us now.

What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties?
People know about vitamin D and bones, but vitamin D benefits the immune system by increasing anti-inflammatory and decreasing pro-inflammatory responses in your body, and it also boosts anti-microbial defenses. Based on the research that’s been done, it’s clear that we need far more vitamin D in our bodies to see these beneficial effects than just being “sufficient.” Nearly half of all people are considered “deficient,” so it’s good idea to just take supplements (2,000-4,000 IU a day). It’s cheap, easy, safe (difficult to overdose), and the health benefits are numerous.

What are your hobbies and other interests?
Skiing, biking, and sports with my daughters, various sports and fitness, and home improvement projects. Much like science, I really enjoy figuring out how to build and fix almost anything.