Jillian Simon

Jillian Simon, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University. She leads the Simon Lab, which focuses on understanding integrated signaling dynamics between the heart's redox environment and calcium handling, and how pathogenic changes in these processes drive cell death and cardiac dysfunction.

Dr. Simon earned her BS in Exercise and Health Science (with Chemistry minor) from Alma College in 2006, followed by a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2013. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Oxford's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine & British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence in 2022.

Her research centers around the redox environment of the heart - how it varies with disease, whether these variations protect or injure the myocardium, and to what extent protective mechanisms can be leveraged to design novel therapeutics. The lab utilizes cutting-edge techniques in high-resolution cellular imaging, proteomics, and biochemistry to study redox patho-biology, integrating findings with studies in animal models and human cells/tissue. A major focus is understanding how stress-induced oxidation of PKA (a master kinase in the heart) leads to improved cell adaptation and survival following ischemia, with potential therapeutic applications for ischemic heart disease.

Analysis of Dr. Simon's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on redox signaling in cardiovascular disease, particularly focusing on how oxidation of protein kinases like PKA affects cardiac function during ischemia-reperfusion injury. Her work bridges basic molecular mechanisms with translational applications, with significant contributions to understanding nitroso-redox balance in atrial fibrillation, endothelial function in diabetes, and calcium handling abnormalities in cardiac disease.

• American Heart Association, Melvin L Marcus Early Career Investigator Award Finalist, 2020
• British Cardiovascular Society, Young Publications

Dr. Simon actively mentors a diverse research team including an MD/PhD student, undergraduate researchers, and a research scientist. Her lab is recruiting PhD students, MD/PhD students, and postdocs. She is a member of the American Heart Association (Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences), International Society of Heart Research, and European Society of Cardiology. Her research is supported by grants from organizations including the American Heart Association and British Heart Foundation.

The Simon Lab at Temple University's School of Medicine is dedicated to understanding integrated signaling dynamics between the heart's redox environment and calcium handling. The lab leverages innovations in biosensor development, cellular imaging, proteomics and biochemistry, prioritizing robust and highly reproducible data. They recognize the value of diversity in driving innovation and discovery, striving to foster an inclusive environment for all researchers.