Shetal H. Padia, MD
Shetal Padia, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the UVA Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, was awarded a five-year NIH R01 grant for her research on “Intrarenal Mechanisms of Ghrelin in Obesity-Hypertension.” The award, according to Endocrinology division chief Zhenqi Liu, reflects “the outstanding research Dr. Padia has conducted on obesity-mediated hypertension.”
Ghrelin, known as the “hunger hormone”, is a peptide produced by ghrelinergic cells in the gastrointestinal tract that serve to increase hunger, and also help regulate energy distribution and use.
As obesity rates climb to epidemic proportions, the identification of novel pathways that contribute to the metabolic and vascular complications of a high-fat diet becomes increasingly important. The larger goal of Padia’s study is to identify new therapeutic targets for the treatment of high-fat-diet-induced hypertension, one of the leading causes of death in the obese population.
Dr. Padia did her residency in internal medicine at UVA, followed by a fellowship in the Division of Endocrinology. She received a Young Investigator Award from the Department of Medicine in 2012, and has been inducted into the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
Filed Under: Research
Tags: Awards, Endocrinology, Grants, Research