UHCOP Welcomes NIH, AHA-funded Cardiovascular Disease Researcher Guizhen Zhao

July 26 — The University of Houston College of Pharmacy recently welcomed National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association-funded researcher Guizhen Zhao, Ph.D., as an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Zhao earned her B.A. in basic medicine and Ph.D. in human physiology from Peking University. She joins UHCOP from the University of Michigan Medical School, where she worked as postdoctoral fellow and most recently a research investigator in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Zhao's research aims to explain the metabolic and epigenetic characteristics of vascular cells in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and identify potential drug targets. She seeks to understand the complex interactions of cells within their local environment, elucidating the metaboloepigenetic factors that contribute to CVD progression. Additionally, Zhao aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations in the broader cardiometabolic field.

Zhao is the recent recipient of a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for her project, "Metaboloepigenetics and Atherosclerosis," and a three-year, $231,000 Early Career Development Award grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) for her project, "The Role of BAF60c in Atherosclerosis."