Heddwen L. Brooks

Dr. Heddwen L. Brooks is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Physiology at Tulane University School of Medicine, with expertise in diabetes, renal physiology, hypertension, and sex differences. She holds a PhD from Imperial College London, postdoctoral training from the University of Arizona, and a visiting fellowship from NIH's NHLBI Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Metabolism.

• Education: BSc (University College of Wales), MSc (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), PhD (Imperial College London)
• Awards: Astra Zeneca Young Investigator Award, Lazaro Mandel Award from the American Physiological Society

Her research integrates cross-disciplinary approaches to sex differences in physiology, focusing on molecular signaling pathways in postmenopausal aging, inflammation, T cells, macrophages in hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. She has contributed to major collaborative guidelines on antibody use in physiology research and edited cross-journal calls for papers on obesity and inter-organ communication.

Scientific Contributions:

• 2024: Examined menopause-high fat diet interactions in Alzheimer's models
• 2024: Analyzed renal epigenetic markers in aging
• 2023: Investigated sex-specific epigenetic programming in kidney disease
• 2022: Coordinated obesity physiology research initiatives
• 2021: Edited kidney physiology future directions
• 2020: Collaborated on kidney research centers

Dr. Brooks is a leading advocate for women in science and research mentorship, with extensive publications in hypertension, diabetes, and renal aging.