Catherine Amara Assistant Professor Faculty of Physical Education and Health 55 Harbord Street, WSB 2022B Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 416-978-7329 cathy.amara@utoronto.ca

Degrees
Postdoctoral Fellow University of Washington, 2001-2007
Ph.D. University of Western Ontario, 2001
MSc. Queen's University, 1995
BSc. York University, 1993

Expertise
Aging and Exercise
Muscle health
Mitochondrial function
Cardiorespiratory physiology
Exercise tolerance

Research Approach and Philosophy
Research in the Applied Muscle Health Lab combines functional measurements of exercise capacity with a biochemical approach to investigate cellular mechanisms leading to the reduced muscle mass and muscle quality that occurs with advanced age and disease. Interventions including caloric manipulation and exercise training will be used to affect change in the muscle metabolic profile and to potentially attenuate and/or reverse the reduced function of muscle in these states and restore its "health" to promote functional independence.

Recent Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals
Marcinek DJ, Amara CE, Matz K, Conley KE, Schenkman KA. Wavelength shift analysis: a simple method to determine the contribution of hemoglobin and myoglobin to in vivo optical spectra. Applied Spectroscopy 61(6):665-9, 2007.

Conley KE, Jubrias SA, Amara CE, Marcinek DJ. Mitochondrial dysfunction: impact on exercise performance and cellular aging. Exercise Sport Science Reviews 35(2):43-9, 2007.

Amara CE, Shankland EG, Jubrias SA, Marcinek DJ, Conley KE. Mild mitochondrial uncoupling impacts cellular aging in human muscles in vivo. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 104(3):1057-62, 2007.

Conley KE, Amara CE, Jubrias SA, Marcinek DJ. Mitochondrial function, fibre types and ageing: new insights from human muscle in vivo. Experimental Physiology 92(2):333-9, 2006.

Amara CE, Rice CL, Koval JJ, Paterson DH, Winter EM, Cunningham DA. Allometric Scaling of strength in an independently living population age 55-86 years. American Journal of Human Biology 15(1):48-60, 2003.

Amara CE, Koval JJ, Paterson DH, Cunningham DA. Lung function in older humans: contribution of fat-free mass and physical activity and smoking. Annals of Human Biology 28(5):522-36, 2001.

Professional Memberships
American College of Sports Medicine
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology