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Dr Mark L. Johnson (MarkLJ on BBO) heads the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at the UMKC School of Dentistry, and he’s the director of the UMKC Center of Excellence in the Study of Dental and Musculoskeletal Tissues.

He’s a pioneer of research and science, one of the most intriguing individuals I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing – and he happens to be  a bridge regular on BBO. Here’s our Q&A interview reproduced below.

In a few sentences, who are you as a person, researcher and bridge player?

My interest in science stems from my youth and the space program period of the 1960s. I have now been involved in research for 47 years.

In the mid-1990s I was working at the Creighton University Osteoporosis Research Center in Omaha, Nebraska, when a remarkable family with an inherited high bone mass trait came to our attention.

Our group successfully identified the genetic basis of this trait and our discovery, along with work in several other labs around the world, opened up a new line of investigation in the bone field that ultimately led to a new treatment for osteoporosis. 

Bridge has been a part of my life since the 1960s as well. I enjoy the game tremendously, especially all of the great people I meet and play with or against. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have the chance to play it as much as I would like, but once I retire, I will find more time.

What does it mean to a team of researchers (and to a particular group of conditions) when someone out there says “yes” to funding?

When I started out in science, getting a grant funded was relatively easy, but that all began to change in the 1980s. 

Nowadays, I would estimate that only about one-third of the grants that should be funded based on the merit of their science, get funded.  This means that a lot of science is not being conducted that should be or is delayed because it can take several years before it gets funded.  It seems to me that getting a grant funded is almost like winning the lottery these days.

What’s the biggest misconception out there about medical studies and research?

I don’t believe the general public fully appreciates the hard work that goes into research. It is not a “hobby” and requires dedication and long hours of effort and an ability to keep going even when experiments fail or don’t turn out as predicted.

Also, many of the biggest and most impactful studies that have advanced medical knowledge came from unexpected discoveries in fields unrelated to their eventual application in medicine. It takes a real passion and is certainly not a profession for the faint-hearted.

Today we know that lumbar punctures can cause cerebral spinal fluid leaks. Can more research money into the right causes have told us this ten or fifteen years ago and saved us countless casualties, for example?

One of my biggest concerns is the “targeting” of research funding by the federal government to the “cause celeb” of the day.  While I agree that when we receive public funds, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of that money.

“Targeted” funding towards a particular disease by our Federal Government generally shifts scare funding dollars from one research area to another and I am not convinced is always the wisest use of limited dollars. 

Also, there are many, many Foundations that raise and distribute valuable support for specific diseases that really do make a difference.

Tell me more about what your studies have found, and what you’re still hoping to find?

As I mentioned previously, my group discovered a gene that carried a genetic change which resulted in a high bone mass trait. The gene is an important regulator of a biochemical pathway that controls bone mass.

The pathway is also known to undergo genetic changes that can lead to cancer.  Very soon after our discovery, investigators in the bone field began to explore this gene and the pathway it regulates as a pharmaceutical target for treating osteoporosis and other diseases of low bone mass.

Some 15 years later, we now have the first of the drugs approved from the collective work that many labs contributed as a new treatment for osteoporosis.  However, there is still a lot more to be learned and better therapies are still needed. 

What was your very first introduction to bridge – and then to BBO?

My parents first introduced me to bridge when I was 10 or 11, we played contract bridge as a family and I learned the Charles Goren based style of bidding.  I first started playing duplicate at the University of Minnesota bridge club. 

After college I stopped playing for about 10 years and then started back playing duplicate in Omaha, NE, when my friend, Lonnie, started up a bridge group at our church. We started playing together at the two bridge clubs in Omaha. 

Over the next 10 years or so, I played with dozens of partners at the bridge clubs and the local sectionals and Council Bluffs Regional tournament. 

Since moving to Kansas City in 2005, I have only played a limited amount in the local clubs and tournaments. 

A few years ago I started playing online in BBO with a friend, Judy (mickee on BBO), from my Omaha playing days.  Now I play 3-4 times a month online with her.  

How does bridge inspire your professional and personal life?

In research, it can take months, years or even an entire career before you solve a problem.

Bridge is a great escape from the uncertainty of research in that you get instant feedback on how well you solved the problem each hand presents to you.

Bridge involves logic and deductive reasoning, much like research and often times multiple approaches to solve a problem. For me, I find bridge very relaxing and a nice respite from the research and all it entails.

Bone and muscle loss: The condition affects people with conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) especially. How has this impacted research?

My research focuses on changes in musculoskeletal health that occurs with aging.

With respect to musculoskeletal health the diseases are osteoporosis and sarcopenia. Osteoporosis is a disease primarily of low bone mass that predisposes the skeleton to fracture.

In 2015, it was estimated that some 2 million Americans on Medicare suffered at least one osteoporotic fracture and 54 million Americans either have osteoporosis or are at high risk for the disease. 

One in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime. The economic burden is in the multiple 10s of billions of dollars.

Sarcopenia is a progressive age associated loss of muscle mass and decline in strength and function.  In 2000, sarcopenia related health care costs were estimated at $18.5 billion.

All of this has occurred despite the great improvements in treatment and management of these diseases that have been made over the past few decades.

Given that we have an aging population, who are living longer and longer, the future health care burden and impact on the quality of life in afflicted individuals with these diseases is a serious concern.

What’s the most common mistake that “newer” graduates make?

If there is one thing that stands out, it would have to be how unprepared new graduates are for everything that goes into managing a career in science, whether it be at a University or in private industry. 

We generally do a good job of preparing graduates for the science, but are not so good for everything else it takes to be successful and happy in the profession.

Do real researchers, scientists and medical doctors watch medical fiction while shaking their fists at the inaccuracies? Do you have a favorite show that gets things right – and one that gets the facts really wrong?

Many do, I am not a big fan of the medical shows on TV.  However, I am a big fan of Star Wars, Star Trek and the Marvel Universe movies. Science fiction when done well is great and when not is equally as bad.  I believe that anything that stimulates the imagination adds value to our society. 

Craniofacial structure tells us worlds about people and what they’ve lived through. What do you see in older bridge players (or people in general) that you’d like to tell younger ones to avoid ahead of time?

Unfortunately, bridge, while it’s a great game to exercise the mind, doesn’t do a lot for musculoskeletal health.  Too much of a sedentary life-style is a significant problem in our society, especially amongst our younger generations. 

Exercise, eating healthy, adequate intake of calcium and Vitamin D (vitamins in general) are all essential, along with Not smoking and alcohol consumption in moderation, are all critical to developing a optimal musculoskeletal system. 

We face an obesity epidemic in this country and all of the sequelae associated with obesity are an enormous problem. It all starts at the youngest ages and older generations have a responsibility to model healthy behaviors.

What’s the biggest muscular tell around the bridge table?

I used to joke that bridge players who don’t have the strength to hold their cards vertically are the best opponents. BBO has solved that problem.

The bridge playing doctors accused of cheating… Does a likelihood to cheat say anything about medical ethics?

I do not know enough about the facts in the cheating case you mention to make comment.  However, I do not believe that one’s profession outside of bridge in any way affects one’s propensity to cheat. Bridge is, after all, a game. 

That was something my parents impressed upon me at a very young age when I first started playing. The problem of cheating at bridge is nothing new. 

If one considers the online bridge games today, where there is no way to know if cheating is taking place, I prefer to think that everyone is honest.