Alison J. Kriegel, PhD

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            I have had a lifelong interest in physiology and a deep desire to understand the “why” behind physiological and pathophysiological changes.  With the rapid evolution of -omics technologies in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, I was incredibly fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.  I gained reserach experience through working on two large omics based projects at the Medical College of  Wisconsin (MCW) early in my research career.  The Program for Genomic Applications (PGA) utilized genomic advancements to gain understanding of phenotypic differences between salt-sensitive and salt insensitive rat strains. In 2002 I joined the Proteomics Center at MCW, supported by the NHLBI’s Proteomic Initiative, which focused on advancing individual cell proteomics through research on angiogenesis.   I then joined the Physiology PhD program at MCW to  benefit from training that deeply integrated classical renal and cardiovascular physiology with emerging -omics and molecular biology techniques.   During these years transcriptomic technologies advanced rapidly and I learned to leverage them to understand the molecular regulation of cardiac pathology under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Greene.  One of the most fascinating observations made over this period was that RNA and protein expression often did not correlate, compelling me to gain training in microRNA and advanced molecular biology techniques in renal physiology with Dr. Mingyu Liang.

              I joined the Physiology Department faculty at MCW in 2012 and have developed a research program is centered on understanding how alterations in noncoding and protein coding transcript expression influence cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and cardiorenal syndromes. Our current work is focused in three main areas: 1) determining mechanisms regulating declining renal function in hypertension, diabetes and CKD,  2) determining mechanisms regulating cardiovascular dysfunction in cardiorenal syndrome and during cancer treatment, and 3) understanding fundamental sex differences in renal and cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology.   In 2021, I also begain leading leading the Nephrology Laboratory, in the Department of Pediatrics.  Work in the Pediatric Nephrology Lab  is focused on mechanisms regulating ADPKD progression and multi-system comorbidities in pediatric CKD.  I am actively involved with the American Physiological Society, the American Heart Association, and education programs at MCW and regionally (curriculum vitae).  When I am not doing research, I love hiking, gardening, arts of all kinds, and visiting new places.