Roshanak Rahimian
At Pacific Since: 2001
Roshanak Rahimian, PharmD, MSc, PhD earned her doctor of pharmacy from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran in 1988 and her master of science from the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada in 1995. Dr. Rahimian earned her doctor of philosophy from University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada in 1998. She then completed a three-year post doctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institute of Health Research before joining the Pacific family in 2001.
Dr. Rahimian's passion for teaching is evident in everything she does. What she loves about teaching at Pacific is the student-body and the outstanding environment for active learning. She places a high value on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Her objective as a faculty member and scholar is to fully support the students while they work to achieve their academic goals. The individual who influenced her most in her career was her late mother, whose unwavering support and dedication to teaching, diversity, equity and inclusion inspired her to pursue her passions with equal fervor.
Her areas of expertise include cardiovascular and endocrine physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. She is a member of the American Physiological Society, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences. She has served as an ad hoc reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association study section.
PharmD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, 1988
MSc in Pharmacology, University of Ottawa, Canada, 1995
PhD in Pharmacology, University of British Columbia, Canada, 1998
Post-doctoral Fellowship, Canadian Institute of Health Research, University of British Columbia, Canada, 1998-2001
Teaching Philosophy
"I encourage students to understand fundamental concepts and think critically. I also view teaching as central to all of my scholarly activities."
Courses
PHAR 212 — Physiology II
PHAR 543 — Women’s, Men’s & Genitourinary Disorders
PHAR 341 — Integrated Clinical Science (ICS) Cardiovascular Foundation
PHAR 343 — ICS, Endocrine
PCSP272 — Laboratory Rotation
Research Summary
"Diabetes affects more than 400 million person worldwide, just over half of whom are women, and the number of diabetic patients is estimated to rise by more than 50% within 20 years. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. Several reports including our previous study have suggested that diabetes affects male and female vascular beds differently. Premenopausal women have a lower incidence of CVDs compared with age-matched men. However, premenopausal women with diabetes not only lose this sex-based cardiovascular protection, they also experience a relative higher risk of CVD compared to diabetic men. Nonetheless, there is insufficient evidence to establish the mechanism(s) underlying the loss of pre-menopausal female specific cardiovascular protection in diabetes. The overall goal of our research is to elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the impairment of sex-based cardiovascular protection in the experimental models diabetes and obesity. We are also interested in investigating sex-specific impact of exercise as well as the effects of cross sex hormone therapy on cardiovascular and metabolic health."
Research Interests
- Diabetes, estrogen and endothelial dysfunction; sexual dimorphism in endothelial dysfunction in diabetes and obesity
- Sex-specific impact of exercise on cardiovascular and metabolic health in diabetes
- Impact of high glucose vs high fructose diet on arterial dysfunction
- Transgender cardiovascular health
Current Personnel
Rifat Ara Islam
MD Moshiur Rahman
Funding
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI, NIH)
- University of the Pacific
Scholarly Activity
Razan M.R, Amissi S., Islam R.A., Graham, J.L., Stanhope K.L., Havel, P.J., Rahimian, R. Moderate-Intensity Exercise Improves Mesenteric Arterial Function in Male UC Davis Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (UCD-T2DM) Rats: A Shift in the Relative Importance of Endothelium-Derived Relaxing Factors (EDRF). Biomedicines (2023); 11(4): 1129.
Razan M.R., Akther F., Islam. R., Graham J.L., Stanhope K.L., J. P., Havel P.J., Rahimian, R. 17β-Estradiol Treatment Improves Acetylcholine-Induced Relaxation of Mesenteric Arteries in Ovariectomized UC Davis Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Rats in Prediabetic State. Frontiers in Physiology (2022); PMID: 35784863
Akther, F., Razan, M. R., Shaligram, S., Graham, J. L., Stanhope, K. L., Allen, K. N., Vázquez-Medina, J. P., Have, P. J., Rahimian, R. Potentiation of Acetylcholine-Induced Relaxation of Aorta in Male UC Davis Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (UCD-T2DM) Rats: Sex-Specific Responses. Frontiers in Physiology (2021), 12. Doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.616317
Islam, R.A., Khalsa, S.S.S., Vyas, A.K., Rahimian, R. Sex-specific impacts of exercise on cardiovascular remodeling. Journal of Clinical Medicine (2021);10 (3833): 1-30.
Shaligram, S., Akther, F., Razan, M.R., Graham, J.L., Roglans, N., Alegret, M., Parsa A.G., Stanhope K.L., Havel P.J., Rahimian R. Mesenteric arterial dysfunction in the UC Davis Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus rat model is dependent on pre-diabetic versus diabetic status and is sexually dimorphic. European Journal of Pharmacology (2020) 879:173089. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173089.
Sangüesa G., Shaligram S. Akther F, Laguna J.C., Rahimian R1, Alegret M.1. Type of supplemented simple sugar, not merely calorie intake, determines adverse effects on metabolism and aortic function in female rats. 1Equal senior authors. American Journal Pf Physiology, Heart Circ Physiol (2017) 312: H289-H304.
Han, X., Zhang, R., Anderson, L., and Rahimian, R. Sexual dimorphism in rat aortic endothelial function of streptozotocin-induced diabetes: Possible involvement of superoxide and nitric oxide production. European Journal of Pharmacology (2014) 723 442-450.
Zhang, R., Thor, D., Han, X., Anderson, L., Rahimian, R. Sex differences in mesenteric endothelial function of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: A shift in the relative importance of EDRFs. American Journal of Physiology, Heart Circulatory Physiology (2012) 303: H1183-H1198.
Goel, A., Thor, D., Anderson, L., and Rahimian, R. Sexual dimorphism in rabbit aortic endothelial function under hyperglycemic conditions and gender-specific response to acute 17-beta estradiol. American Journal of Physiology- Heart Circulatory Physiology (2008) 294, H2411-2420.
Goel, A., Zhang, Y., Anderson, L., and Rahimian, R. Gender difference in rat aorta vasodilation after acute exposure to high glucose: involvement of protein kinase C β but not rho kinase. Cardiovascular Research (2007) 76, 351-60.
