Biography

Dr. Jackson is Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University. Her interest in bone health began with an informal conversation with an OSU hospital administrator about a new technique for measuring bone density, called dual photon absorptiometry, that eventually led to her developing a full-blown research program in osteoporosis and a slew of pioneering research papers. Jackson has also been a key researcher in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Women's Health Initiative, a major, collaborative, long-term research study. Her particular focus is on the factors contributing to the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis, which is a common, disabling condition of both women and men in middle age and later life. Spending about thirty percent of her time as a clinician and seventy percent as a researcher, she says that when questions arise when she is examining patients, "I really like the fact that perhaps we can develop a research study that might provide some answers." She especially enjoys collaborating with scientists from several disciplines "because we can think through medical problems from so many different perspectives." When she is not caring for patients or working away on her latest research project, Jackson devotes much of her spare time to therapeutic horseback riding. Jackson, who suffered a spinal cord injury in the late 1970's and has used a wheelchair ever since, also admits to being a rabid Ohio State Buckeye football fan.