Geriatrics


Research - Cardiovascular Aging: Role of visceral fat and inflammation in men and women

Erica D. Bernstein, MD PhD is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine. Her research background is in cytokine dysregulation in aging. She now is applying this work to evaluate the interaction between aging, inflammation, adipogenesis, and cardiovascular diastolic dysfunction. Current literature in this area is compartmentalized.  Dr. Bernstein bridges subspecialties through her collaboration with two established research mentors: Dr. Shalender Bhasin from Endocrinology; Dr. Emelia Benjamin and Dr. Wilson Colucci from Cardiovascular Medicine; Dr. Lara Terry and Dr. Tom Perls from Geriarics and the New England Centenarian Study, and Dr. Rebecca Silliman from Geriatrics.  Her work has been supported by the Society for Geriatric Cardiology.  She is currently funded through Boston University Building Interdisciplinary Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Research Scholars Program for her work evaluating the relationships between visceral fat in cardiovascular diastolic dysfunction in male and female centenarians as examples of successful aging.