Assistant Professor, Endocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
- PhD, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
- 2009 Center for Women’s Health Research Junior Faculty Research Development Award
"For the last three years, I have been an Instructor in the Endocrinology division. I have been involved in some excellent studies with my mentor whose expertise in many areas has been of great benefit to my development as a biomedical researcher. In particular, the opportunity to be involved in the studies of two different mouse models of obesity and diabetes has ignited my true passion for biomedical research. The CWHR Junior Faculty Research Development Award comes at a critical period of my career development, providing me with the additional help needed to conduct preliminary studies that I hope will result in a new research direction in the study of the relationship of circadian rhythms to the development of obesity which is especially a problem for women."
What is the Research Goal?
Dr. Wang’s research goal is to continue studies in the field of molecular metabolism including the pursuit of mechanisms underlying obesity and disorders of lipid metabolism.
Understanding the Research
Compared to men, women suffer a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease attributable to being overweight. It is not well understood at this point why the factor of being overweight would bring an additional disease burden to women compared to men, but it may be related to the ability of specific molecules in the brain to sense how much fat is in the diet. Dr. Wang’s research will focus on understanding the molecular mechanism underlying obesity from the perspective of circadian rhythms, and also explore the possible mechanism underlying the gender difference in the development of obesity in a unique genetically-modified mouse model.