Ester Oh, PhD

2022 Sharon Anderson Research Fellowship Award

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Project Title: Vascular Function and Sex Hormones in Women with Chronic Kidney Disease

How would you sum up your research in one sentence?

My research studies about the association between vascular function and sex hormone levels in pre- and most-menopausal women with chronic kidney disease.

Provide a brief overview of the research you will conduct with help from the grant.

While women without chronic kidney disease have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men, the risk in women with chronic kidney disease is more similar to men. One possible reason for the higher cardiovascular risk in women with chronic kidney disease is a change in sex hormone levels caused by kidney disease. Because of this change in sex hormone levels, irregular or no menstrual cycle is very common in pre-menopausal women with chronic kidney disease. This may lead to vascular dysfunction and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Most studies focused on men with chronic kidney disease, and studies on women's vascular health are lacking in nephrology. My research aims to study the vascular function and sex hormones in pre- and most-menopausal women with chronic kidney disease as compared to age-matched healthy women.

What impact do you hope your research will have on patients?

The study results will provide information on the vascular function in women with chronic kidney disease, which is not well understood. The results will help plan future studies testing therapeutic strategies to improve vascular function and lower cardiovascular risk in women with chronic kidney disease.

What are your career goals at the end of the grant period? Five years out? Ten years out?

My goal during the grant period is to strengthen my knowledge of the assessment, analysis, and interpretation of measures of vascular function in a kidney disease population. My short-term goal (five years) is to apply for a career development award using the preliminary data acquired from the current study. My long-term career goal (ten years) is to independently direct a laboratory focusing on clinical intervention studies examining the effect of lifestyle interventions in preventing or reversing adverse changes in vascular function in patients with kidney disease.

What inspired you to focus your research in this area?

There are very limited studies that examines women's vascular health in nephrology, which inspired me to focus on this research area.

What advice would you give to others to encourage them to apply for this grant funding?

I highly recommend applying for this grant. The support and opportunities from this award will help trainees to establish a strong foundation to become an independent researcher in nephrology.

In my free time I like to…

Listen to music, go to the gym, and explore breweries!