Louise Evans, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

I completed my undergraduate degree in Pharmacology at the University of Bristol in the UK. During this time I spent a year working in the Cardiovascular and Urogenital Centre of Excellence in Drug Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, PA. Here, my project was focused on the genetic causes of overactive bladder and this was my first experience of in vivo physiology. Following my undergraduate studies I completed a 4-year British Heart Foundation Funded PhD at the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh, under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Bailey and Professor John Mullins. My project focused on the role of mineralocorticoids in the regulation of sodium and water homeostasis, studying both central and renal mechanisms. The work in my PhD thesis provided the first in vivo evidence of a unifying link between activation of mineralocorticoid receptors in the NTS, salt appetite and blood pressure control. Following my PhD, I joined Dr. Allen Cowley’s lab in the Medical College of Wisconsin for my post-doctoral training. Primarily, my work focused on the role of oxidative stress in the renal medulla in the initiation of salt-sensitive hypertension. This project was funded by an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship. Subsequently, I used the unique servo-control system to examine the role of renal perfusion pressure in the initiation of renal inflammation. Using this technique I found that renal immune cell infiltration is amplified by increased pressure in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. This work formed the basis of my American Heart Association Scientific Development Grant, which was funded in July 2017. I joined Dr. Osborn's lab as a Research Assistant Professor in September 2018. My current research projects are examining the causes and consequences of renal inflammation in salt-sensitive hypertension. These studies are focused on the role of hydrogen peroxide and chemokines in the initiation of renal inflammation and the mechanisms by which renal T-cells amplify an initial hypertensive response.

louise evans