Background
Lori Walker, PhD, received her PhD from the University of Minnesota. Her interest in pursuing research that focuses on heart disease in women stems from the fact that it is the number one cause of death for women in the United States. By elucidating the underlying sex-specific differences, her research allows for more rapid development of specific therapies for women's heart disease.
Research + Funding
Dr. Walker received funding from the Ludeman Center in 2012 for her research project titled, “Sex-‐Specific Mitochondrial Proteomic Differences,” and again in 2013 for her project titled, “Divergent Sex-‐Specific Expression of IL-‐19 and Its Cognate Receptors IL-‐20R1 and IL-‐20R2 in a Female Dominant Model of Heart Failure,” and in 2015 for her project titled, “Does IL-‐19 Ablation Protect Against Metabolic Heart Disease?” Each of these projects was aimed at elucidating the sex-specific signaling differences in heart disease in women. The Ludeman Center supported her research through a wealth of training opportunities, mentorship and support of novel research.
Transforming Women’s Health
Dr. Walker’s currently studying the plasticity of the adult cardiomyocyte to identify therapeutic agents for heart failure, specifically in women.