Gail A. Laughlin, PhD
As the
Although coronary heart disease
(CHD) remains the number one cause of death in the
In her SADF-funded research, Dr.
Laughlin aims to take advantage of the rich database of the Rancho Bernardo
Study (RBS), a population-based study of healthy aging in older adults, now in
its 35th year. In “Biological Predictors of Longevity and CHD-Free
Survival,” she proposes to identify factors that enhance longevity into the 80s
and 90s and those that are protective for the heart in old age and will examine
both classic and emerging CHD risk factors.
Born in 1948 in Hope,
Dr. Laughlin’s primary research goal
is to further the understanding of the endocrinology of cardiovascular disease,
both from an observational-epidemiological approach and via short-term
experiments aimed at discerning underlying mechanisms.
She is particularly interested in
clinical trial testing of hormonal supplementation in older men and women,
based in part on her recent work showing adverse associations of hormone
deficiencies with cardiovascular risk in older adults of both sexes.
In her “free” time, Dr. Laughlin
enjoys playing tennis and international travel, particularly to Latin American
countries. In the early 1980s, she spent several years leading adventure travel
trips to
Email: glaughlin@ucsd.edu
Phone:
858-822-2416