Dr. Gustavo Duque attended medical school at the
University of Caldas (Colombia). Following medical
school he completed an internal medicine residency at
Javeriana University in Bogota (Colombia) followed by a
two-year fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at McGill
University. After completing his fellowship, Dr. Duque
completed a PhD in Experimental Medicine at McGill
University with the thesis entitled “Molecular Changes
of the Aging Osteoblast”. He joined the faculty at
McGill University Medical School in 2003 as a member of
the Division of Geriatric Medicine. In 2003, he also
joined the McGill University-Lady Davis Institute for
Medical Research as Project Director.
In 2007, he joined the faculty at
Nepean
Clinical School of the
University of Sydney
(Australia) as Associate Professor of Geriatric
Medicine and Director of the
Aging Bone Research Program. His research focuses on
the identification of the mechanisms involved in the
pathophysiology of osteoporosis in older persons as well
as the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in this
population.
His work on mesenchymal stem cells differentiation
has provided new evidence to the understanding of senile
osteoporosis including the toxic role of bone marrow fat
and the potential trans-differentiation between bone and
fat cells. His experiments using vitamin D in bone cells
have demonstrated a new anabolic effect of vitamin D on
both osteoblasts and differentiating mesenchymal stem
cells.
His Research Program has developed collaborations
with major academic institutions worldwide. He is
currently funded by major agencies in Canada. He has published extensively on the biology
of aging bone and the effect of vitamin D on bone
formation. Additionally, he has pursued some clinical
studies on vitamin D deficiency and falls prevention in
older adults.
Dr. Duque has served as a member of several
peer-review panels at the Canadian Institutes for Health
Research and the Quebec Health Research Funds and as a
member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral
Research-Publications Committee. He has been invited as
ad hoc reviewer for multiple journals in the field of
bone and geriatric medicine and as a member of the board
of directors of Osteoporosis Canada.
