A committed academician and researcher, Dr. Stull has contributed extensive professional and academic service to his field and the university. He serves as associate editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and is a member of the Board of Directors for FASEB. Since his arrival at UT Southwestern, Dr. Stull has served as a member or chairman of more than twenty-five committees in the graduate, medical or allied health schools. Among his many honors are an appointment as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1990, and holder of the Fouad A. Bashour Distinguished Chair in Physiology since 1992.
Dr. Stull’s research involves the cellular and molecular basis of how contraction of smooth muscle cells occurs in response to chemical signals from nerves and hormones. Smooth muscle cells line the hollow organs of the body and are necessary for many functions, including movement of blood through arteries and veins, air flow in lungs, and propulsion of food through the gastrointestinal system. Derangements of smooth muscle functions are involved in many diseases, such as hypertension and asthma. In his current research, Dr. Stull is focusing on two enzymes essential for contraction, myosin light chain kinase and myosin.
