Lynda Bonewald

Lynda Bonewald is a professor of anatomy, cell biology, physiology, and orthopaedic surgery and the founding director of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health (ICMH) at the Indiana University School of Medicine. in 1984. In 2009 Bonewald also became director of the UMKC Center of Excellence in the Study of Dental and Musculoskeletal Tissues

As of 2016, Bonewald was appointed as the founding director of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health (ICMH) at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Bonewald served as president of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) for 2012-2013. She has served on the council of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the NIH. Despite being told that she would waste her time, she focused on a largely ignored topic that she found interesting. Astrocytes are cells in the brain and spinal cord. Osteocytes are cells, embedded in the mineralized matrix of bone structure, which are important in muscle-bone interactions and communications between them. Bonewald discovered that osteocytes and muscle cells send signals to each other that influence growth and deterioration of both bone and muscle. Bonewald now studies endocrine crosstalk between bone and muscle and how this relates to aging. Her work has enabled researchers to better understand age-related bone and muscle loss and suggests possible novel treatments.

Bonewald has contributed to the advancement of the field with more than 200 publications, 42 reviews, and four commentaries. 2006, Distinguished Scientist Award in Mineralized Tissue from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) 2006, W.S.S. Jee Remodeling in Bone (RIB) Award from the Sun Valley Workshop 2015, William F. Neuman Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) 2019, Fellow, Biological Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2020, Bicentennial Medal, Indiana University 2021, Fellow, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2024, Louis V. Avioli Founders Award