Student Mentee(s): Maddie Marino

Dr. Stanhewicz’s research uses the human cutaneous circulation to understand how blood vessels function in health and disease. Her lab is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms that control blood vessel function and how those mechanisms change in people who have cardiovascular or metabolic disease, and what the best intervention strategies are to prevent or reverse disease in these patients. Her recent focus is studying the mechanisms that contribute to vascular dysfunction in women who have had pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. Women who develop these complications during pregnancy are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life despite the remission of symptoms shortly after delivery. Dr. Stanhewicz is working to understand the cellular mechanisms that are changed during these syndromes of pregnancy and to identify physiological and pharmacological interventions that treat these changes.