A member of the CU-Boulder faculty since 1995, Professor Leinwand is professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and chief scientific officer for CU-Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute. Recognized as an expert in cardiovascular disease, Professor Leinwand pursues research that opens the door to the possibility of personalized treatment for heart disease. She has shown that the mechanisms of heart ailments differ between males and females and that the genetic risk of the disease is impacted by both gender and diet. Professor Leinwand’s lab has also studied the blood of Burmese pythons, which has the unusual property of greatly increasing the size of the snake’s internal organs, including the heart, after a large meal. Understanding this mechanism could have implications for combating human heart disease. The holder of the Tom Marsico Endowed Chair of Excellence, Professor Leinwand codirects the university’s Cardiovascular Institute and serves as a professor in the cardiology division of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Professor Leinwand has received numerous awards for her research and teaching, including most recently the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Award for Science and Medicine, the Colorado BioScience Association Lifetime Achievement Award and designation as a College of Arts and Sciences Professor of Distinction.
