Heddwen L. Brooks, PhD
Physiology News & Events
News
New Department of Physiology Chair honored with prestigious research award
Heddwen Brooks, PhD, arrived at Tulane University School of Medicine this fall, and the Department of Physiology Chair is already adding a new line to her CV. Brooks has been awarded the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) 2022 Award of Excellence for Research in Cardiovascular Health and Disease in Women. Brooks joins Tulane from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, where she held joint appointments as Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Medicine/Nephrology and Medical Pharmacology. Her research focuses on sex differences in physiology, integrating cross-disciplinary expertise in hypertension, diabetes, menopause, and renal physiology, and examining the molecular signaling pathways involved in postmenopausal accelerated aging. Her more recent efforts focus on the how sex differences in inflammation, T cells and macrophages change hypertension onset and the development of metabolic syndrome. “It is widely acknowledged by your colleagues that you are a…
New Role/Position
Physiology Welcomes New Chair
Dr. Brooks received her bachelor’s degree from the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, her masters from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and her PhD from the Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine in London.She is known for her work in sex differences physiology, integrating cross-disciplinary expertise in hypertension, diabetes, menopause and renal physiology, and examining the molecular signaling pathways involved in postmenopausal accelerated aging. Her more recent efforts focus on the role of inflammation, T cells and macrophages in hypertension onset and metabolic syndrome.Internationally recognized as a leader in research mentorship, scientific ethics and professional scientific writing, Dr. Brooks’ goal has always been to increase the research capabilities of those surrounding her while working together to solve important scientific questions. She is a passionate advocate for women in science, and has mentored many women.
Award
Heddwen Brooks, PhD Awarded 2022 Award of Excellence for Research
Congratulations to Heddwen Brooks, PhD, the new Department of Physiology Chair, who was awarded the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) 2022 Award of Excellence for Research in Cardiovascular Health and Disease in Women.
News
Longtime School of Medicine professor and researcher celebrates milestone
Norman R. Kreisman, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Physiology, celebrated his 50th year at Tulane University School of Medicine in 2021. Kreisman joined the Department of Physiology at Tulane as an Instructor in July of 1971. He co-founded the School of Medicine’s Medical Neuroscience Course and served as Director of the course from 1980-1984 – with Medical Neuroscience being recognized by the Owl Club as the ‘Best First-Year Course’ in 1981-1984. In 1986, he co-founded Tulane’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience and served as the Program’s first Director that year. He continued to climb in rank serving as Interim Physiology Chair from 1987-88 and as Vice Chair from 1988-present. In 1997, he became the Director of the Human Physiology Course, which is taught to first-year medical students. During his 21-year tenure as course director, the Human Physiology Course was recognized by the medical students 13 times as Best…
News
Tulane scholars honored at first Research, Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Awards ceremony
The Office of Research held the first Tulane University Research, Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Awards on Thursday, Nov. 4, to honor outstanding Tulane scholars and recognize their exceptional research.The awards ceremony was held at the Higgins Hotel in downtown New Orleans with Meg Farris, WWL-TV medical and general assignment reporter, as the emcee.Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, vice president for research, opened by thanking all who supported the awards ceremony coming to fruition and noted that award recipients included a wide and diverse array of researchers from multiple disciplines.Piedimonte noted that 2020 was a record year in Tulane’s history for total research and federal research funding in Tulane’s history. “Even more remarkable, these records were set in the midst of the worst pandemic of the century. Thus, allow me to say thank you to every single Tulanian involved in research, scholarship and the arts for their efforts during unprecedented challenges,” he said…
News
New nephrology chief takes aim at homegrown hypertension
It’s no surprise that New Orleans — a city known for fried seafood, spicy crawfish and world-class gumbo — is a culinary capital of the South. But all of that flavor may come with a price. The city has some of the nation’s highest rates of chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure. Diet plays a significant role in that, particularly high salt intake, said Dr. Robert Hoover, the newly appointed section chief of Nephrology and Hypertension in the Deming Department of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. “Obviously we eat very well down here, but sometimes there are some negative health consequences of that,” Hoover said. “High blood pressure and chronic kidney disease are much more prevalent here than they are throughout the country. About one third of the adult population in the United States has hypertension, but in Louisiana about 40 percent of adults have it. We have the sixth highest rate of hypertension in the country, so it's absolutely critical…
Award
Supaporn “Tom” Kulthinee Wins AFMR Henry Christian Award
Supaporn ‘Tom’ Kulthinee, a postdoctoral fellow for Dr. L. Gabriel Navar, was selected to receive a 2019 American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR) Henry Christian Award for her outstanding abstract entitled, “Dominance of purinergic P2X1 and P2X7 receptors mitigates angiotensin AT1 receptors influence on renal microvascular resistance in angiotensin II dependent hypertension”. She will present her abstract during the Southern Regional Meeting in New Orleans, LA on Saturday, February 23, 2019.More information about this award along with a list of recipients can be found on the AFMR website: http://afmr.org/awards/Henry-Christian/2019-Recipients.cgi
News
Tulane professor receives NIH supplement for Alzheimer’s research
There are 5.7 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease, according to Alzheimers.org, and the dreaded disease has caused more deaths than both breast and prostate cancer combined. Finding a cure is paramount. Andrea Zsombok, an associate professor of physiology in the Tulane University School of Medicine and member of the Tulane Brain Institute Executive Committee, recently received a $334,000 supplement to her current National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant that supports research into the brain’s role in diabetes. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for all dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease. Zsombok, whose research is mainly associated with the Brain Institute’s brain-body health research cluster, initially received a $1.6 million grant from the NIH in 2014. The additional grant will supplement studies that are extensions of the original award. The goal of these studies is identifying the activity of liver-specific neurons in a model…
Grant
Andrea Zsombok, PhD Receives $300k NIH Supplement for Alzheimer’s Research
Andrea Zsombok, an associate professor of physiology in the Tulane University School of Medicine and member of the Tulane Brain Institute Executive Committee, recently received a $334,000 supplement to her current National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant that supports research into the brain’s role in diabetes. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for all dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease.Read full article
Award
Dr. L. Gabriel Navar Receives Mentor of the Year Award
Congratulations to Dr. L. Gabriel Navar, Professor and Chair of Physiology, who was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Southern Section of Clinical Investigation (SSCI) Mentor of the Year Award. This award will be presented during the annual Southern Regional Meeting on February 23, 2018 at 8:00 AM.
Grant
Dr. Andrei Derbenev Awarded an NIH SPARC Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Andrei Derbenev, Associate Professor in Physiology, who was recently awarded an NIH SPARC grant. This award is part of the initiative together with Pennington.
General Recognition
Dr. T. Cooper Woods Highlighted in Tulane New Wave for Research
Dr. T. Cooper Woods, Assistant Professor in Physiology, was recently highlighted in an article in the August 9, 2017 issue of Tulane New Wave news. Dr. Woods, along with Dr. Bazan from Ochsner Medical Center, have identified biomarkers in the blood that could one day help doctors diagnose a recent ischemic stroke, according to a new study in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. This research has the potential to having a blood test to assist with stroke diagnosis. To read the full article, click here.
