Khalid El Saafien, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in the department of pharmacodynamics in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, has been awarded a two-year, $151,000 postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association. The fellowship will fund studies that examine a novel approach to lower blood pressure in hypertension. It will allow El Saafien to investigate the role a population of neurons play in reducing blood pressure in hypertension to develop effective pharmacological therapies to target them in hypertension.
“This fellowship is a stepping stone in my academic career,” El Saafien said. “It will allow me to begin investigating my research interests independently and develop my direction in research.”
El Saafien is interested in understanding cardiovascular physiology and disease to develop effective anti-hypertensive therapies. He is particularly interested in investigating the role the brain plays in regulating blood pressure. His mentors include Eric Krause, Ph.D., an associate professor and the Debbie DeSantis Excellence Professor in the UF College of Pharmacy and Annette de Kloet, Ph.D., an assistant professor in UF College of Medicine.