Barbara T. Alexander

Barbara T. Alexander is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), School of Medicine. She holds academic appointments since 2007 and has extensive experience in cardiovascular and renal physiology research, particularly focusing on the developmental origins of hypertension and metabolic disorders. Her work integrates animal models to study how fetal and perinatal environmental factors influence adult cardiovascular health.

Educations:

• Post-doctoral Fellowship in Physiology, UMMC, 1999
• PhD in Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, 1997
• BS in Zoology, Mississippi State University, 1979

Research Interests: Dr. Alexander investigates how maternal conditions like placental insufficiency, maternal obesity, and low birth weight program lifelong cardiovascular and renal dysfunction. Her studies emphasize sex differences in disease susceptibility, mechanisms of hypertension development, and the role of renal and endocrine pathways. She employs rodent models to explore interventions targeting oxidative stress, angiotensin pathways, and renal denervation.

Grants & Funding:

• NIH Extramural: Novel protein delivery system for preeclampsia therapy (2014-2017)
• NIH Intramural: COBRE Pilot Study (2011-2012)
• Multiple NIH/NHLBI grants addressing cardiovascular dynamics and preeclampsia mechanisms

Awards:

• Arthur Guyton New Investigator Award
• Top Reviewer, Hypertension (AHA)
• NIH National Research Service Award

Labs & Teams: Leads a lab focused on developmental programming of disease, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on translational research. Supervises postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in projects analyzing maternal-fetal interactions and long-term health outcomes.