Toni Pak

Dr. Toni Pak is the James R. DePauw Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology at Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine. She holds an endowed professorship and previously directed the Neuroscience Division of the Cardiovascular Research Institute. Her research focuses on molecular neuroendocrinology with specialization in RNA biology, particularly non-coding RNAs and their regulation across the lifespan.

Education includes:

• BA, Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder (1995)
• MA, Education (Science), University of Colorado at Boulder (1997)
• PhD, Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder (2002)

Her research examines molecular signaling mechanisms of nuclear steroid receptors in the brain during pubertal development and aging/menopause. Current projects investigate estrogen receptor signaling in the aging brain and glucocorticoid receptor signaling in the adolescent brain through approaches including gene splicing, post-translational modifications, co-regulatory proteins, and epigenetic modulation of microRNAs.

Dr. Pak founded the Center for Healthy Aging and Resilience Mechanisms (CHARM) at Loyola to foster interdisciplinary research on aging mechanisms with emphasis on women's health. She maintains continuous NIH funding and emphasizes biological context (environmental, hormonal, genetic) in her research.