Allison L. Kuipers, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology
University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health

Research Interests

Dr. Kuipers’ primary research is on the molecular determinants of cardiovascular and other age-related diseases. Her long-term interests stem from previous exposure to both laboratory and epidemiology research and include the development of translational approaches that move from “the bench to the population”. Dr. Kuipers’ current research is focused on identifying the role of the Wingless (Wnt) Pathway in human cardiovascular disease and vascular calcification. She has an ancillary study of subclinical cardiovascular disease, including vascular calcification, carotid ultrasound, and pulse-wave velocity, in a population-based, longitudinal cohort study of African ancestry men on the Caribbean island of Tobago. Her aim is to use a variety of banked biospecimen samples in order to test the association of multiple molecular markers, such as genetic variation, gene expression, and protein concentration, with these subclinical measures in order to better understand the etiology and physiology of aging-related chronic disease. She is also a part of the Long Life Family Study, a family-based longitudinal cohort of exceptional longevity, for which a study site is located at the University of Pittsburgh. Her long-term research goals are focused on using translational molecular techniques to study the interrelation and shared etiologies of an array of human chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, aging, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, and osteoporosis.

Technique Expertise or Resources to share

Access to human epidemiologic studies on aging and osteoporosis that including DXA and peripheral QCT measurements of bone and calcification including the Long Life Family Study (LLFS); the Men with Osteoporosis study (MrOS); and the Tobago Health Study (African Caribbean individuals)

Keywords

Epidemiology, aging, vascular calcification, ectopic calcification, mineralization