Lab Principle Investigator: Megan Rosa-Caldwell, Ph.D.
Megan Rosa-Caldwell, Ph.D., graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Chemistry from Baker University in 2014. Dr. Rosa-Caldwell then attended the University of Arkansas, graduating with a master’s in Kinesiology in 2016 and a Ph.D. in Kinesiology in 2020. Dr. Rosa-Caldwell then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. Currently, Dr. Rosa-Caldwell is an assistant professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Human Health, Performance and Recreation. Dr. Rosa-Caldwell’s research investigates musculoskeletal alterations across muscle pathologies and potential sex differences in response to muscle pathologies. Using pre-clinical models of bedrest, Dr. Rosa-Caldwell has found females tend to experience disuse-associated muscle loss more compared to males. Recent research projects have investigated musculoskeletal alterations during anorexia nervosa. Dr. Rosa-Caldwell’s team has developed a rodent model of anorexia nervosa that simulates the prolonged duration of anorexia and is using model to investigate how anorexia-induced muscle loss may influence acute and long-term health. Dr. Rosa-Caldwell has over 40 publications in the field of muscle biology and is an active member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Physiological Society.
Graduate Students
Malihe Jafari, PhD Student
Malihe Jafari is a doctoral student who was born and raised in Iran, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition sciences from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, one of the top-ranked medical universities in the country. Following graduation, she worked for several years as a clinical nutritionist and dietitian in health centers and medical clinics. This exposure to real-world nutritional challenges inspired her to investigate the scientific foundations of human performance and pursue a graduate degree in exercise physiology.
Thus, she continued her academic training by entering the master’s program in Exercise Physiology at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, graduating as a top student. Her master’s thesis, “Effect of chamomile extract on functional, pulmonary, muscle damage and antioxidant indicators in young female futsal players ” involved both functional assessments and biochemical analyses, which reinforced her passion for skeletal muscle physiology.
Malihe began her PhD studies in Dr. Rosa-Caldwell’s laboratory in August 2025. Her current research focuses on the effects of severe energy deprivation and anorexia nervosa on skeletal muscle health to identify early biomarkers of muscle deterioration and develop targeted therapeutic interventions to prevent muscle wasting and promote long-term recovery. With a multidisciplinary background in clinical nutrition and exercise science, she approaches her research through a translational lens, bridging basic science with clinical application.
Oscar Vicen, Masters Student
Undergraduate Students
Katie Wood
Katie Wood is an undergraduate research assistant who has been a member of the lab team since Spring 2024. She is currently a senior at the University of Arkansas, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences, and is on track to graduate in May 2026. Following her undergraduate education, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy. Katie’s research has focused on the effects on anorexia nervosa and long-term recovery on grip strength, as well as the effects of the development and progression of anorexia nervosa on bone health. Katie has presented her work on the effects of anorexia nervosa and long-term recovery on grip strength at the American College of Sports Medicine Central States Conference and the University of Arkansas Health, Human Performance, and Recreation Innovation Showcase.
Catherine Schultz
My name is Catherine Schultz, and I am originally from Oklahoma City. I graduated from Bishop McGuinness High School in the spring of 2023 and have been a student at the University of Arkansas since the fall of 2023. I am an exercise science major with a minor in biology and am on the pre-med track. I am currently working on my honors thesis project with the EAM2 lab while completing my final year at the University of Arkansas.
Gabby Garza
I joined the lab this past summer and am excited to continue learning. I’m majoring in exercise science and am expected to graduate in the fall of 2026. After I graduate, I plan to go to PA school to become a physician’s assistant.
Alissa McOlgan
My name is Alissa McOlgan. I am from Edwardsville, Illinois, and I am a junior here at the University of Arkansas. I am an exercise science major on a pre-PA track. I work as an emergency room technician here in Fayetteville on days I don’t have class!
Lauren Brockman
Lauren Brockman is a Sophomore Exercise Science student at the University of Arkansas. She is from Castle Pines, Colorado, and plans to attend medical school. Currently in Dr. Rosa Caldwell’s lab, Lauren is investigating how muscle fiber metabolism is impacted by Anorexia Nervosa at different stages of the disease. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, and being with friends and family.
Claire Greenhill
Sam Austin
Lab Alumni
Collaborators
Kevin Murach, Ph.D., of the Molecular Muscle Mass Regulation Laboratory at the University of Arkansas
Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center at the University of Arkansas
Lauren Breithaupt Langston, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital