Rate My Professor Mikako Sunaga

Mikako Sunaga is a Professor in the Faculty of Child Sports Education, Department of Exercise Physiology, at Nippon Sport Science University. She earned a Master's degree from the Graduate School of Physical Education, Japan Women's Physical Education University, in March 1998, and a Doctor of Medicine from Showa University School of Medicine in March 2008. Her career trajectory includes Specially Appointed Researcher at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences from April 2008 to March 2011, Associate Professor at Nippon Sport Science University Women's Junior College, Department of Physical Education, from April 2011 to March 2014, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Child Sports Education from April 2014 to March 2016, and Professor since April 2016. As leader of the Nippon Sport Science University Female Athlete Development Project (N-FADP), she also serves as medical and scientific staff for the Japan Olympic Committee and science committee member for the Japan Athletics Federation. Sunaga holds key roles such as President of the Japan Training Science Society (2022–2025), Director of the Japan Society of Physical Education, Sports and Health Science (since 2016), Representative of the Japan Society of Exercise Physiology (since 2016), Director of the Women's Sports Medicine Research Society (since 2018), and Auditor of the Japan Training Science Society (since 2025).

Sunaga's research in exercise physiology examines physiological responses to exercise considering sex differences and menstrual cycle phases, including impacts on performance, energy metabolism, muscle damage, inflammation, conditioning methods, training adaptations, and prevention of the Female Athlete Triad. She has led multiple grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, such as Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B): "Development of Exercise Program Base for Maintaining and Promoting Health in Transgender Individuals" (2023–2028) and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C): "Study on Changes in Condition During Menstrual Cycle in Female Athletes and Improvement Measures" (2020–2023). Notable awards include the Otsuka Sports Medicine & Science Award Special Award (2021, Japan Society of Physical Education, Sports and Health Science), Young Researcher Encouragement Award Grand Prize (2023, 36th Japan Training Science Conference), and Excellent Presentation Awards from the Women's Sports Medicine Research Society (2014, 2016, 2017, 2024). Key publications feature "Incidence of Sports Injuries Across Menstrual Phases in Eumenorrheic and Abnormal Cycles in Japanese Female Athletes: A Prospective Cohort Study" (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2025), "Proteomics of appetite-regulating system influenced by menstrual cycle and intensive exercise in female athletes: a pilot study" (Scientific Reports, 2024), "Effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in transgender men" (Frontiers in Physiology, 2023), "Influence of Menstrual Cycle on Muscle Glycogen Utilization During High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise Until Exhaustion in Healthy Women" (Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2022), and "Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Muscle Glycogen Repletion After Exhaustive Exercise in Eumenorrheic Women" (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2022).