Michael Caplan, MD, PhD, FAPS

Michael Caplan, MD, PhD, FAPS

Michael Caplan, MD, PhD, FAPS, is the C.N.H. Long Professor and chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. His research is focused on epithelial cell physiology and addresses the ways in which epithelial cells communicate with one another to generate and maintain their unique structures. Caplan’s laboratory is also focused on autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a prevalent and serious genetic disorder and a major cause of kidney failure. The Caplan laboratory is working to understand the mechanisms responsible for ADPKD and to identify targets for new therapies.

Statement

I believe that physiology is a common thread that is woven through all research and educational efforts in the biological sciences, and that the American Physiological Society (APS) can and should be a home for all the scientific endeavors, scientific practitioners and science educators who share a connection to this thread. I have done my best to advocate forcefully for physiology, both locally at my university and internationally through my APS committee involvements and my role as editor-in-chief of the APS/International Union of Physiological Sciences journal Physiology. I have had the pleasure of being extensively involved in establishing priorities and visions for large, complex scientific organizations. In addition, I work hard to be an energetic and committed teacher and mentor, and I devote substantial effort to exploring mechanisms through which institutions can foster cultures of mentorship. Physiology’s future is predicated upon our ability to attract and nurture highly collaborative and diverse communities of young scientists who enrich our discipline with new multidisciplinary approaches as well as with their scientific and personal perspectives. I would be honored to contribute to the continuing efforts of the APS to expand the visibility of the discipline of physiology and to broaden the community of scientists who view themselves as physiologists.