Linda L Demer

Linda L Demer serves as Department Vice Chair in the Medicine Department and is a Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She has established herself as a pioneer in cardiovascular calcification research, with significant contributions to understanding the cellular, molecular, and biomechanical regulation of this process.

Dr. Demer earned her MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD in June 1983, with a focus on Medicine and Bioengineering. Her academic journey has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have reshaped our understanding of vascular biology and its connections to skeletal development.

Dr. Demer pioneered research demonstrating that bone and marrow form in human arteries, often in association with atherosclerosis, challenging previous scientific dogma. Her laboratory developed the first tissue culture model of vascular calcification, isolated the cells responsible for calcium mineral production, and identified regulatory molecules controlling vascular cell differentiation into osteoblastic cells. She currently addresses the paradox that coronary calcification is associated with increased cardiovascular risk yet progresses rapidly in patients using statins (which reduce risk) and elite endurance athletes (who generally have reduced risk). Her work employs microCT and microPET imaging to explore how structural differences in calcium deposits affect cardiac event risk.

Dr. Demer's recent publications (2021-2025) reveal sophisticated investigations into the relationship between vascular calcification, exercise physiology, lipid metabolism, and bone health. Her research demonstrates how medications like SGLT2 inhibitors and various exercise regimens influence vascular and skeletal mineralization, using advanced imaging techniques to analyze microarchitectural changes in calcified deposits.

• Stein-Oppenheimer Award (1993)
• Davidson Memorial Lectureship (2001)
• Franklin D. Murphy Research Prize (2002)
• Jeffrey Hoeg Award from the American Heart Association (2003)
• Steward Niewiarowski Award from Temple University (2007)
• Chair, Gordon Research Conference (2009)

As Principal Investigator, Dr. Demer has secured multiple NIH grants including R01HL151391 (2021-2024) on parathyroid hormone receptor activation in exercise-induced vascular calcification, R01HL137647 (2019-2023) on serotonin receptors in calcific aortic valve disease, and R21AG061586 (2019-2021) on aging and calcific vasculopathy. She leads the UCLA Resident Scientist Training Program (R38HL143614, 2020-2024) and has been Principal Investigator on the Cardiovascular Scientist Training Program (T32HL007895) since 1998, mentoring generations of physician-scientists.

Dr. Demer directs the Cardiovascular Calcification Research Laboratory at UCLA, where her multidisciplinary team combines molecular biology, advanced imaging technology, computational analysis, and animal models to unravel the complex mechanisms of vascular calcification. The laboratory's work has significant implications for understanding the bone-vascular axis and developing therapeutic approaches that address cardiovascular disease and bone metabolism simultaneously.