Gohar Azhar

Professor Gohar Azhar serves in the Department of Geriatrics at the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where she directs the Reynolds Institute on Aging's Clinical Research program, the Pat Walker Memory Clinic and Research Center, and co-directs the Cardiovascular Aging Program. Her academic journey began at Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, followed by internal medicine training at Western Pennsylvania Hospital (where she received Excellence in Ambulatory Care and Outstanding Resident awards), and geriatrics/physician-scientist training at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Azhar's research centers on cardiovascular aging mechanisms, particularly serum response factor (SRF) transcriptional regulation in age-related cardiac decline. She pioneered studies on cardiac ischemia-reperfusion in aging mouse models, demonstrating narrowed intervention windows in aged hearts. Her work established SRF overexpression as a model for functional cardiac aging with diastolic dysfunction mirroring human heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Current investigations explore nutritional therapies for elderly heart failure through NIH-funded R41 STTR grants, alongside clinical research on memory disorders, frailty, and dementia-related agitation.

Her publication trends reveal deepening focus on mitochondrial aging mechanisms, with recent articles examining Sirtuin isoforms, Rho/MRTF/SRF pathway inhibitors, and amino acid interventions. Key fields include transcriptional control of cardiac aging, neuroinflammation in dementia, and nutritional modulation of physical function in elderly populations.

• Excellence in Ambulatory Care, Western Pennsylvania Hospital
• Outstanding Resident, Western Pennsylvania Hospital

As Director of the Research Career and Development Core for the Arkansas Older American Independence Center, Dr. Azhar has mentored numerous students and junior faculty in aging research. Her current NIH-funded projects include substance abuse interventions for elderly Arkansans (SAMHSA grants), PREVENTABLE lipid-lowering trials, and ARCH Network health disparities research. She maintains active clinical practice integrating scientific advances to preserve functional independence in geriatric patients.

Her laboratory work utilizes transgenic mouse models to characterize SRF's role in cardiac aging, while clinical teams operate the Pat Walker Memory Clinic and Cardiovascular Aging Program, conducting trials on nutritional therapies, dementia treatments, and fall risk reduction.