Paula Goforth

Paula Goforth is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, affiliated with the Department of Pharmacology and the Caswell Diabetes Institute. Her research focuses on the intersection of neuropharmacology and metabolic disease, particularly leptin signaling, orexin regulation, and hypothalamic circuits controlling glucose homeostasis and energy balance.

• Education: Postdoctoral training at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (2000-2004), specializing in Pharmacology under Dr. Satin LS.

Her work explores neuron-specific metabolic regulation, including calcium channel modulation in obesity, orexin-glucose axis dynamics, and GABA-independent hypothalamic signaling. She employs techniques such as cell-type-specific circuit dissection and synaptic physiology to study these mechanisms.

Recent publications highlight her expertise in leptin-regulated pathways, area postrema neuron function, and traumatic brain injury-related receptor changes, with implications for diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Scientific Awards:
  • NIH grants spanning 2013-2029, including dual awards for leptin action and gut-brain axis research
  • Industry collaborations with Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and MedImmune LLC
  • University of Michigan institutional support for diabetes/metabolic research

Dr. Goforth's laboratory investigates metabolically coupled ion channels and neuronal population dynamics in metabolic disease models, with a strong emphasis on translational neuroscience applications.