Vascular Smooth Muscle Function in Hypertension

Theodora Szasz was born and brought up in Romania. She received her M.D. from the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and her Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular genetics from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Her interest in smooth muscle function began with her graduate work, which was completed under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Watts in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at Michigan State University. During her Ph.D., Dr. Szasz studied the role of reactive oxygen species in modulating venomotor tone during hypertension. Dr. Szasz is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Physiology Department at Augusta University, where she works with Dr. Clinton Webb. Her main research interest is integrative cardiovascular physiology, with a focus on the physiology and pharmacology of smooth muscle, as well as the correlations between risks for cardiovascular disease (hypertension, obesity, diabetes) and mechanisms of vascular dysfunction.