It is a pleasure to serve as the ACSM topical representative for Skeletal Muscle, Bone, and Connective Tissue. I look forward to seeing everyone this year in beautiful Denver, CO. The 2023 ACSM Annual Meeting will feature a number of outstanding sessions on the interactions between exercise, skeletal muscle, bone, and connective tissue health. There are three sessions that I think will be of particular interest to conference attendees. The first is a highlighted symposium entitled, “Beyond the Weight room: The Importance of Skeletal Muscle in Health and Disease”. This session is scheduled for Thursday June 1, 2023 from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.  The symposium will be chaired by Blake Rasmussen, Ph.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and features two other outstanding speakers; Marni Boppart, Sc.D. FACSM from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Nicholas Greene, Ph.D., FACSM from the University of Arkansas. This session will discuss current research on the transcriptomic and metabolic response to early-phase recovery from skeletal muscle disuse in men and women, highlight the contribution of extracellular vesicles on skeletal muscle recovery following immobilization, and discuss the roles of biologic sex and altered muscle metabolism in cancer-induced cachexia. 

The second symposium I would like to highlight is entitled, “Mechanisms and Considerations for Musculoskeletal Anabolic Resistance in Healthy Adults under Physiological Stress”. This session is scheduled for Wednesday May 31, 2023 from 3:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. and features four outstanding scientists. Speakers include Stefan Pasiakos, Ph.D., FACSCM, Jess Gwin, Ph.D., and Julie Hughes, PhD., FACSM from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, and Kristin Popp, Ph.D. from Massachusetts General Hospital. This session will highlight the mechanisms contributing to musculoskeletal anabolic resistance in healthy adults exposed to physiological stress in sport and during military training, and will provide considerations for targeted exercise, nutrition, and pharmacologic interventions to overcome musculoskeletal anabolic resistance and promote tissue growth under stress. 

The final symposium that I would like to highlight is entitled, “Oxygen and Striated Muscle Function” and features four of the leading experts on skeletal muscle metabolism and health. The session is scheduled for Friday June 2, 2023 from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Speakers include, Mike Hogan, Ph.D., FACSM from the University of California, San Diego, L. Bruce Gladden, Ph.D., FACSM from Auburn University, David Poole, Ph.D., FACSM from Kansas State University, Sarah Kuzmiak-Glancy, Ph.D., from the University of Maryland, and Anni Vanhatalo, Ph.D., FACSM from the University of Exeter. This session will recount and discuss: a) oxygen and skeletal muscle function, b) oxygen and lactate accumulation and oxygen uptake on-kinetics, c) oxygen and cardiac muscle function, and d) oxygen and athletic performance. Given the importance of oxygen availability in aging and many chronic diseased states, this session will appeal to a broad audience from basic scientists and those with applied interests. 

In addition to these sessions there are five excellent Tutorial Lectures throughout the week, an oral free communication session on “Skeletal Muscle and Resistance Training” (Friday 9:30 a.m.), a thematic poster session on “Skeletal Muscle in Health and Disease” (Wednesday 9:30 a.m.), and several poster sessions spread throughout the week. 

Learn more about the other featured sessions in Skeletal Muscle, Bone, and Connective Tissue and the many other sessions that will be presented at the 2023 ACSM Annual Meeting here.

Join Us at the ACSM Annual Meeting

Gordon Fisher, Ph.D., FACSM is a Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Human Studies, and holds Senior Scientist positions in the Center for Exercise Medicine, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, and the Diabetes Research Center at UAB.