1ea86be7302864d9a5bfff0a001ce385.jpg?sfvrsn=d1800fbb_0 "Ramon Lorca")
Ramon Lorca PhD
(He/Him)
Assistant Professor, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynocology, University of Colorado School of Medicine
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Basic Reproductive Science (SOM)
Background
Ramón Lorca, PhD, received his degree from P. Catholic University of Chile. He has always been fascinated by the many physiological changes that occur simultaneously during pregnancy for it to be successful. These changes have a tremendous impact on the health of mothers and their babies long after the baby is born, which is what motivated his research pursuits.
Research + Funding
In 2018, Dr. Lorca began his research project, “Effect of High-Altitude and IUGR on Potassium Channels in Myometrial Arteries from Pregnant Women,” funded by the Ludeman Center. The objective of this project was to assess the effect of potassium channels in the vascular function of maternal uterine blood vessels. He studied pregnant women in Colorado residing at high altitude, greater than 8,000 feet above sea level and lower altitudes, less than 5,000 feet below sea level. These women had normal uncomplicated pregnancies or were diagnosed with fetal growth restriction providing the initial results that were funded as an R03 grant from the National Institutes of Health.
He recognizes the support provided by the Ludeman Center helped fund his career development opportunities, including workshops and seminars focused on women’s health.
Transforming Women’s Health
Dr. Lorca’s current research priority focuses on the regulation of vascular function during pregnancy and how it impacts fetal growth. He is investigating how potassium channels, which are known regulators of vascular reactivity, modulate uterine vasodilation and the maternal cardiovascular adaptation to pregnancy and how the activity of these channels is impaired in pregnancy complications such as fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia. His research contributions are centered on the perinatal processes in a woman’s life that could significantly impact the mother and their offspring’s wellbeing.
