John Newman, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

Dr. Newman is a geriatrician, basic science researcher, and educator at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and in the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Newman hopes to translate what we are learning of the pathways that control fundamental mechanisms of aging into therapies that will improve the health and preserve the independence of older adults.

His research work as an Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute, in sunny Novato, focuses on how ketone bodies, small molecules that our bodies make for energy when we fast or exercise, also act as molecular signals to control inflammation and gene expression. The signaling functions of ketone bodies may be translational targets for protecting cognition and improving resilience in older adults. This is one example how environmental cues like diet and fasting signal through small metabolites in our cells to regulate the genes and pathways that in turn control aging. Dr. Newman is particularly interested in testing if harnessing these signals can protect older adults from the risks of hospitalization like delirium and functional decline.

Dr. Newman attends on the inpatient medicine service and the acute care of elders unit at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, with a clinical focus on delirium and functional decline. He teaches students, residents, and fellows about geriatric clinical problems, as well as about the biology of aging and emerging translational science in geriatrics. He works as a part of the national Geroscience Network to develop frameworks and resources for testing interventions that target fundamental mechanisms of aging in clinical trials. He seeks to bridge the community of basic scientists that study aging to geriatricians and other clinicians who study the clinical problems of aging in order to develop innovative translational therapies.

Dr. Newman completed an MD/PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle, then residency training in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Geriatrics at UCSF before joining the faculty in 2014. He joined the faculty of the Buck Institute in 2018. Dr. Newman is a 2014 Beeson Scholar from the National Institute on Aging and the American Federation of Aging Research. His work has also been supported by generous funding from the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research.

Assistant Professor, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics at UCSF
Geriatrician, San Francisco VA Medical Center
Education
Fellowship, 2011 - Geriatric Medicine, UCSF
Residency, 2010 - Internal Medicine, UCSF
MD/PhD, 2008 - Biochemistry, University of Washington
BS/MS, 2000 - Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University
Honors and Awards
  • Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year, American Geriatrics Society, 2018
  • New Investigator Award, American Geriatrics Society, 2015
  • Beeson Scholar, National Institute on Aging and American Federation for Aging Research, 2014-2019
  • John S. Spice Award in Aging, Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, 2014
  • Award of Excellence in Scientific Leadership, Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, 2013
  • Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, Paul F. Glenn Foundation, 2013
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, 2012-2015
  • Hartford Scholar, John A. Hartford Foundation, 2011-2013
Websites
Publications

  2. Stubbs BJ, Stephens EB, Senadheera C, Diaz SR, Peralta S, Alexander L, Silverman-Martin W, Kurtzig J, Fernando BA, Yurkovich JT, Garcia TY, Yukawa M, Morris J, Johnson JB, Newman JC. Exploratory functional and quality of life outcomes with daily consumption of the ketone ester bis-octanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol in healthy older adults: a randomized, parallel arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2024. PMID: 39371165


  3. Stubbs BJ, Alvarez Azañedo G, Peralta S, Diaz SR, Gray W, Alexander L, Silverman-Martin W, Garcia TY, Blonquist TM, Upadhyay V, Turnbaugh PJ, Johnson JB, Newman JC. Rationale and protocol for a safety, tolerability and feasibility randomized, parallel arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study of a novel ketone ester targeting frailty via immunometabolic geroscience mechanisms. PloS one 2024. PMID: 39292659


  4. Al-Naggar IM, Campellone KG, Espinoza SE, Justice JN, Orr ME, Kozikowski C, van der Willik O, Thatcher C, Schmader K, Pignolo RJ, Newman JC, Kuchel GA. Bringing Geroscience into the Mainstream: From Education to Clinical Practice, What Will It Take? The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences 2024. PMID: 39126344


  5. Stubbs BJ, Stephens EB, Senadheera C, Peralta S, Roa-Diaz S, Alexander L, Silverman-Martin W, Garcia TY, Yukawa M, Morris J, Blonquist TM, Johnson JB, Newman JC. Daily consumption of ketone ester, bis-octanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol, is safe and tolerable in healthy older adults in a randomized, parallel arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study. The journal of nutrition, health & aging 2024. PMID: 39137624


  6. Hajj-Boutros G, Faust A, Muscedere J, Kim P, Abumrad N, Chevalier S, Aubertin-Leheudre M, Bergman H, Bowdish D, Burford J, Carrington-Lawrence S, Côté H, Dawe DE, Barreto PS, Farrelly C, Fowler R, Gouspillou G, Harrington L, Lautrup S, Howlett S, Imani M, Kirkland J, Kuchel G, Mallette FA, Morais JA, Newman JC, Pullman D, Sierra F, Van Raamsdonk J, Watt J, Rylett RJ, Duque G. Navigating the Landscape of Translational Geroscience in Canada: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Current Progress and Future Directions. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences 2024. PMID: 38486371


  7. Acuña-Catalán D, Shah S, Wehrfritz C, Nomura M, Acevedo A, Olmos C, Quiroz G, Huerta H, Bons J, Ampuero E, Wyneken U, Sanhueza M, Arancibia F, Contreras D, Cárdenas JC, Morales B, Schilling B, Newman JC, González-Billault C. Ketogenic diet administration later in life improves memory by modifying the synaptic cortical proteome via the PKA signaling pathway in aging mice. Cell reports. Medicine 2024. PMID: 38843842


  8. Langston ME, Cawthon PM, Lu K, Scherzer R, Newman JC, Covinsky K, Ferrucci L, Simonsick EM, Bauer SR. Associations of Lower Extremity Muscle Strength, Area, and Specific Force with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Older Men: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences 2024. PMID: 38195151


  9. Stubbs BJ, Stephens EB, Senadheera C, Peralta S, Roa-Diaz S, Alexander L, Silverman-Martin W, Garcia TY, Yukawa M, Morris J, Blonquist TM, Johnson JB, Newman JC. Daily consumption of ketone ester, bis-octanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol, is safe and tolerable in healthy older adults, a randomized, parallel arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2024. PMID: 38746215


  10. Stephens EB, Senadheera C, Roa-Diaz S, Peralta S, Alexander L, Silverman-Martin W, Yukawa M, Morris J, Johnson JB, Newman JC, Stubbs BJ. A randomized open-label, observational study of the novel ketone ester, bis octanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol, and its acute effect on ß-hydroxybutyrate and glucose concentrations in healthy older adults. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2024. PMID: 38699344


  11. Chui MKK, Schneider K, Miclau K, LaHue SC, Furman D, Leutwyler H, Newman JC. Associations of Systemic Inflammation and Senescent Cell Biomarkers with Clinical Outcomes in Older Adults with Schizophrenia. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2024. PMID: 38496401


  12. LaHue SC, Fuentealba M, Roa Diaz S, Seetharaman S, Garcia T, Furman D, Lai JC, Newman JC. Association of biological aging with frailty and post-transplant outcomes among adults with cirrhosis. GeroScience 2024. PMID: 38246968


  13. Nomura M, Murad NF, Madhavan SS, Eap B, Garcia TY, Aguirre CG, Verdin E, Ellerby L, Furman D, Newman JC. A ketogenic diet reduces age-induced chronic neuroinflammation in mice. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023. PMID: 38106160


  14. Stubbs BJ, Alvarez-Azanedo G, Peralta S, Roa-Diaz S, Gray W, Alexander L, Silverman-Martin W, Garcia T, Blonquist TM, Upadhyay V, Turnbaugh PJ, Johnson JB, Newman JC. Rationale and protocol for a safety, tolerability and feasibility randomized, parallel group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study of a novel ketone ester targeting frailty via immunometabolic geroscience mechanisms. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2023. PMID: 37961234


  15. Madhavan SS, Roa Diaz S, Peralta S, Nomura M, King CD, Lin A, Bhaumik D, Shah S, Blade T, Gray W, Chamoli M, Eap B, Panda O, Diaz D, Garcia TY, Stubbs BJ, Lithgow GJ, Schilling B, Verdin E, Chaudhuri AR, Newman JC. β-hydroxybutyrate is a metabolic regulator of proteostasis in the aged and Alzheimer disease brain. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023. PMID: 37461525


  16. Forman DE, Kuchel GA, Newman JC, Kirkland JL, Volpi E, Taffet GE, Barzilai N, Pandey A, Kitzman DW, Libby P, Ferrucci L. Impact of Geroscience on Therapeutic Strategies for Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease: JACC Scientific Statement. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2023. PMID: 37389519


  17. Vasunilashorn SM, Lunardi N, Newman JC, Crosby G, Acker L, Abel T, Bhatnagar S, Cunningham C, de Cabo R, Dugan L, Hippensteel JA, Ishizawa Y, Lahiri S, Marcantonio ER, Xie Z, Inouye SK, Terrando N, Eckenhoff RG, NIDUS Delirium Network. Preclinical and translational models for delirium: Recommendations for future research from the NIDUS delirium network. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association 2023. PMID: 36799408


  18. Al-Naggar IM, Newman JC, Kuchel GA. Letter to the Editor: Healthy Eating Patterns: A Stealthy Geroscience-Guided Approach to Enhancing the Human Healthspan. The journal of nutrition, health & aging 2023. PMID: 36973933


  19. Bauer SR, McCulloch CE, Cawthon PM, Ensrud KE, Suskind AM, Newman JC, Harrison SL, Senders A, Covinsky K, Marshall LM. Longitudinal Associations between Concurrent Changes in Phenotypic Frailty and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms among Older Men. The Journal of frailty & aging 2023. PMID: 36946708


  20. Bauer SR, Le T, Ensrud KE, Cawthon PM, Newman JC, Suskind AM, Covinsky K, Marshall LM, Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Research Group. Lower urinary tract symptom severity, urinary bother, and incident life-space mobility restriction among older men. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2022. PMID: 36522685


  21. Crabtree CD, Blade T, Hyde PN, Buga A, Kackley ML, Sapper TN, Panda O, Roa-Diaz S, Anthony JC, Newman JC, Volek JS, Stubbs BJ. Bis Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol, a Novel Ketogenic Ester, Acutely Increases Circulating r- and s-�-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations in Healthy Adults. Journal of the American Nutrition Association 2022. PMID: 35512774


  22. Bauer SR, Newman JC. Interpreting Geroscience-Guided Biomarker Studies. "Are Telehealth Visits Feasible for Vulnerable Patients?" 2022. PMID: 35040910


  23. LaHue SC, Escueta DP, Guterman EL, Patel K, Harrison KL, Boscardin WJ, Douglas VC, Newman JC. COVID-19 severity and age increase the odds of delirium in hospitalized adults with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection: a cohort study. "Are Telehealth Visits Feasible for Vulnerable Patients?" 2022. PMID: 35227231


  24. Bauer SR, Cawthon PM, Ensrud KE, Suskind AM, Newman JC, Fink HA, Lu K, Scherzer R, Hoffman AR, Covinsky K, Marshall LM, Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Research Group. Lower urinary tract symptoms and incident functional limitations among older community-dwelling men. "Are Telehealth Visits Feasible for Vulnerable Patients?" 2021. PMID: 34951697


  25. Bauer SR, Walter LC, Ensrud KE, Suskind AM, Newman JC, Ricke WA, Liu TT, McVary KT, Covinsky K. Assessment of Frailty and Association With Progression of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Symptoms and Serious Adverse Events Among Men Using Drug Therapy. "Are Telehealth Visits Feasible for Vulnerable Patients?" 2021. PMID: 34817584


  26. LaHue SC, Maselli J, Rogers S, Casatta J, Chao J, Croci R, Gonzales R, Holt B, Josephson SA, Lama S, Lau C, McCulloch C, Newman JC, Terrelonge M, Yeager J, Douglas VC. Outcomes Following Implementation of a Hospital-Wide, Multicomponent Delirium Care Pathway. Journal of hospital medicine 2021. PMID: 34197303


  27. Chen O, Blonquist TM, Mah E, Sanoshy K, Beckman D, Nieman KM, Winters BL, Anthony JC, Verdin E, Newman JC, Stubbs BJ. Tolerability and Safety of a Novel Ketogenic Ester, Bis-Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults. Nutrients 2021. PMID: 34208742


  28. Stubbs BJ, Nikiforov AI, Rihner MO, Weston S, Higley N, Roy S, Dakoulas E, Verdin E, Newman JC. Genetic Toxicity Studies of the Ketogenic Ester Bis Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol. International journal of toxicology 2021. PMID: 33611970


  29. Stubbs BJ, Nikiforov AI, Rihner MO, Weston SL, Higley N, Stump DG, Krane GA, Gadupudi G, Verdin E, Newman JC. Toxicological Evaluation of the ketogenic ester Bis Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol: Subchronic Toxicity in Sprague Dawley Rats. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association 2021. PMID: 33621607


  30. Yurista SR, Matsuura TR, Silljé HHW, Nijholt KT, McDaid KS, Shewale SV, Leone TC, Newman JC, Verdin E, van Veldhuisen DJ, de Boer RA, Kelly DP, Westenbrink BD. Ketone Ester Treatment Improves Cardiac Function and Reduces Pathologic Remodeling in Preclinical Models of Heart Failure. Circulation. Heart failure 2020. PMID: 33356362


  31. Gut P, Matilainen S, Meyer JG, Pällijeff P, Richard J, Carroll CJ, Euro L, Jackson CB, Isohanni P, Minassian BA, Alkhater RA, Østergaard E, Civiletto G, Parisi A, Thevenet J, Rardin MJ, He W, Nishida Y, Newman JC, Liu X, Christen S, Moco S, Locasale JW, Schilling B, Suomalainen A, Verdin E. SUCLA2 mutations cause global protein succinylation contributing to the pathomechanism of a hereditary mitochondrial disease. Nature communications 2020. PMID: 33230181


  32. Stubbs BJ, Blade T, Mills S, Thomas J, Yufei X, Nelson FR, Higley N, Nikiforov AI, Rhiner MO, Verdin E, Newman JC. In vitro stability and in vivo pharmacokinetics of the novel ketogenic ester, bis hexanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association 2020. PMID: 33212214


  33. Stubbs BJ, Koutnik AP, Volek JS, Newman JC. From bedside to battlefield: intersection of ketone body mechanisms in geroscience with military resilience. GeroScience 2020. PMID: 33006708


  34. Stubbs BJ, Koutnik AP, Goldberg EL, Upadhyay V, Turnbaugh PJ, Verdin E, Newman JC. Investigating Ketone Bodies as Immunometabolic Countermeasures against Respiratory Viral Infections. Med (New York, N.Y.) 2020. PMID: 32838361


  35. Ang QY, Alexander M, Newman JC, Tian Y, Cai J, Upadhyay V, Turnbaugh JA, Verdin E, Hall KD, Leibel RL, Ravussin E, Rosenbaum M, Patterson AD, Turnbaugh PJ. Ketogenic Diets Alter the Gut Microbiome Resulting in Decreased Intestinal Th17 Cells. Cell 2020. PMID: 32437658


  36. LaHue SC, James TC, Newman JC, Esmaili AM, Ormseth CH, Ely EW. Collaborative Delirium Prevention in the Age of COVID-19. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2020. PMID: 32277467


  37. Stubbs BJ, Newman JC. Ketogenic diet and adipose tissue inflammation-a simple story? Fat chance! Nature metabolism 2020. PMID: 32694682


  38. Campisi J, Kapahi P, Lithgow GJ, Melov S, Newman JC, Verdin E. From discoveries in ageing research to therapeutics for healthy ageing. Nature 2019. PMID: 31292558


  39. Newman JC, Sokoloski JL, Robbins PD, Niedernhofer LJ, Reed MJ, Wei J, Austad SN, Barzilai N, Cohen HJ, Kuchel GA, Kirkland JL, Pignolo RJ. Creating the Next Generation of Translational Geroscientists. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2019. PMID: 31287934


  40. Hurria A, Carpenter CR, McFarland F, Lundebjerg NE, de Cabo R, Ferrucci L, Studenski SA, Barzilai N, Briggs JP, Ix JH, Kitzman DW, Kuchel GA, Musi N, Newman JC, Rando TA, Smith AK, Walston JD, Kirkland JL, Yung R. Models and Studies of Aging: Executive Summary of a Report from the U13 Conference Series. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2019. PMID: 30693953


  41. Tognini P, Murakami M, Liu Y, Eckel-Mahan KL, Newman JC, Verdin E, Baldi P, Sassone-Corsi P. Distinct Circadian Signatures in Liver and Gut Clocks Revealed by Ketogenic Diet. Cell metabolism 2017. PMID: 28877456


  42. Newman JC, Covarrubias AJ, Zhao M, Yu X, Gut P, Ng CP, Huang Y, Haldar S, Verdin E. Ketogenic Diet Reduces Midlife Mortality and Improves Memory in Aging Mice. Cell metabolism 2017. PMID: 28877458


  43. Newman JC, Verdin E. ß-Hydroxybutyrate: A Signaling Metabolite. Annual review of nutrition 2017. PMID: 28826372


  44. Justice J, Miller JD, Newman JC, Hashmi SK, Halter J, Austad SN, Barzilai N, Kirkland JL. Frameworks for Proof-of-Concept Clinical Trials of Interventions That Target Fundamental Aging Processes. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences 2016. PMID: 27535966


  45. Newman JC, Milman S, Hashmi SK, Austad SN, Kirkland JL, Halter JB, Barzilai N. Strategies and Challenges in Clinical Trials Targeting Human Aging. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences 2016. PMID: 27535968


  46. Shirakawa K, Wang L, Man N, Maksimoska J, Sorum AW, Lim HW, Lee IS, Shimazu T, Newman JC, Schröder S, Ott M, Marmorstein R, Meier J, Nimer S, Verdin E. Salicylate, diflunisal and their metabolites inhibit CBP/p300 and exhibit anticancer activity. eLife 2016. PMID: 27244239


  47. Newman JC, Steinman MA. Dextromethorphan-Quinidine for Agitation in Alzheimer Disease. JAMA 2016. PMID: 26978214


  49. Newman JC, Verdin E. ß-hydroxybutyrate: much more than a metabolite. Diabetes research and clinical practice 2014. PMID: 25193333


  50. Rardin MJ, He W, Nishida Y, Newman JC, Carrico C, Danielson SR, Guo A, Gut P, Sahu AK, Li B, Uppala R, Fitch M, Riiff T, Zhu L, Zhou J, Mulhern D, Stevens RD, Ilkayeva OR, Newgard CB, Jacobson MP, Hellerstein M, Goetzman ES, Gibson BW, Verdin E. SIRT5 regulates the mitochondrial lysine succinylome and metabolic networks. Cell metabolism 2013. PMID: 24315375


  51. Newman JC, Verdin E. Ketone bodies as signaling metabolites. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM 2013. PMID: 24140022


  52. Yee P, Newman J. Long-term outcomes in elderly survivors of cardiac arrest. The New England journal of medicine 2013. PMID: 23782194


  53. Rardin MJ, Newman JC, Held JM, Cusack MP, Sorensen DJ, Li B, Schilling B, Mooney SD, Kahn CR, Verdin E, Gibson BW. Label-free quantitative proteomics of the lysine acetylome in mitochondria identifies substrates of SIRT3 in metabolic pathways. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2013. PMID: 23576753


  54. Feldman R, Newman J. Copyright at the Bedside: Should We Stop the Spread? Stanford Technology Law Review 2013. PMID:


  55. Shimazu T, Hirschey MD, Newman J, He W, Shirakawa K, Le Moan N, Grueter CA, Lim H, Saunders LR, Stevens RD, Newgard CB, Farese RV, de Cabo R, Ulrich S, Akassoglou K, Verdin E. Suppression of oxidative stress by ß-hydroxybutyrate, an endogenous histone deacetylase inhibitor. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2012. PMID: 23223453


  56. Newman JC, He W, Verdin E. Mitochondrial protein acylation and intermediary metabolism: regulation by sirtuins and implications for metabolic disease. The Journal of biological chemistry 2012. PMID: 23086951


  57. He W, Newman JC, Wang MZ, Ho L, Verdin E. Mitochondrial sirtuins: regulators of protein acylation and metabolism. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM 2012. PMID: 22902903


  59. Newman JC, Feldman R. Copyright and open access at the bedside. The New England journal of medicine 2011. PMID: 22204721


  60. Frederick M, Newman J, Kohlwes J. Leriche syndrome. Journal of general internal medicine 2010. PMID: 20568019


  61. Newman JC, Bailey AD, Fan HY, Pavelitz T, Weiner AM. An abundant evolutionarily conserved CSB-PiggyBac fusion protein expressed in Cockayne syndrome. PLoS genetics 2008. PMID: 18369450


  62. Cahan P, Rovegno F, Mooney D, Newman JC, St Laurent G, McCaffrey TA. Meta-analysis of microarray results: challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for standardization. Gene 2007. PMID: 17651921


  63. Newman JC, Bailey AD, Weiner AM. Cockayne syndrome group B protein (CSB) plays a general role in chromatin maintenance and remodeling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2006. PMID: 16772382


  64. Newman JC, Weiner AM. L2L: a simple tool for discovering the hidden significance in microarray expression data. Genome biology 2005. PMID: 16168088


  65. Schutzman JL, Borland CZ, Newman JC, Robinson MK, Kokel M, Stern MJ. The Caenorhabditis elegans EGL-15 signaling pathway implicates a DOS-like multisubstrate adaptor protein in fibroblast growth factor signal transduction. Molecular and cellular biology 2001. PMID: 11689700