John P. Konhilas, PhD

Dr. Konhilas studies how the transition from premenopause to perimenopause to menopause impacts susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and metabolic health outcomes using a physiologically relevant rodent model of menopause. His lab studies the close relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and risk for vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).

The lab also focuses on predicting and mitigating postoperative surgical outcomes in the context of ischemic heart disease. This project uses a top-down approach that is rooted in our clinical observation where treating over 200 human patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with a human placental/amniotic (HPA) tissue graft and/or injection of micronized HPA particulate effectively eliminated post-operative atrial fibrillation. The lab also focuses on the contractile properties of the cardiomyocyte and how this changes with CVD.