Carrie McCurdy

Carrie McCurdy serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Human Physiology within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon. She directs the Molecular Metabolism & Endocrine Lab and holds membership on the UO Senate, maintaining active research and teaching responsibilities.

Educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from University of Notre Dame
• Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from University of Wisconsin-Madison (specializing in skeletal muscle biology and insulin signaling)
• Postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatrics/Neonatology at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (focusing on metabolism, diabetes, and fetal programming)

Her research centers on cellular mechanisms of insulin resistance and impaired metabolism, with particular emphasis on how early life nutrition and maternal health influence offspring's long-term risk for type 2 diabetes. Current investigations examine insulin regulation of cellular processes like GLUT4 translocation and glucose clearance using diverse experimental models including human cells, zebrafish, rodents, sheep, and non-human primates. Recent work demonstrates how maternal Western-style diets program skeletal muscle gene expression, bile acid dysregulation, and hepatic fibrosis in primate offspring, alongside investigations into beta-cell adaptations and mitochondrial function.

Research trends reveal strong focus on developmental origins of metabolic disease, utilizing non-human primate models to bridge translational gaps between rodent studies and human conditions. Key thematic areas include fetal programming of NAFLD, intergenerational immune memory, and molecular adaptations to maternal obesity across multiple organ systems.

As an educator, McCurdy actively teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Human Physiology while mentoring students in laboratory settings. She participates in university and professional society initiatives to enhance undergraduate research opportunities and promote diversity in STEM fields. Her Molecular Metabolism & Endocrine Lab maintains active collaborations across the University of Oregon and with national research institutions, supported by NIH funding and University of Oregon VPRI awards including Incubating Interdisciplinary Initiatives and UO-OHSU Collaborative Seed Awards.