Associate Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
- PhD, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
- 2002-2007 Mentored Research Career Development Award, National Institutes on Aging, National Institutes of Health
- 2007 Center for Women’s Health Research Junior Faculty Research Development Award
"When I was an undergraduate student in a clinical exercise physiology program, my mentor was very passionate about research. I became very intrigued about physiology and the effects that exercise had on the physiology of the body, specifically the cardiovascular system. My PhD dissertation focused on how walking for exercise with the use of pedometers for motivation, could lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women who had high blood pressure. I am very passionate about conducting women’s health research, particularly on how it relates to cardiovascular disease. I enjoy how my thinking is challenged when conducting women’s health research, because of the many differences and fluctuations in reproductive hormones effecting the physiology and health of the body."
What is the research goal?
The findings of Dr. Moreau’s research will help to understand why artery health deteriorates with aging in women, and how, in menopause, the decline in estradiol levels contributes to this process. Dr. Moreau’s research goal is to develop therapies and/or lifestyle interventions (e.g., exercise) to prevent cardiovascular disease in women.
Understanding the Research
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in women. Dr. Moreau’s research project is focusing on what causes arteries to become unhealthy in postmenopausal women as they go through menopause and lose the female hormone estradiol. With aging and menopause, the arteries located around the heart get stiffer, which can lead to a number of health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Dr. Moreau plans to find out how arteries become stiffer in women with low levels of estrogen.