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Karen A. Fagan, M.D.

Karen A. Fagan, M.D.

Professor
Internal Medicine and Pharmacology

Biography

M.D.: University of California at San Diego
Post-doctoral: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Research

Dr. Fagan's research in pulmonary arterial hypertension revolves around several key projects all using animal models of PAH to better understand the pathophysiology of this fatal disease and identify potential new therapeutic targets. Dr. Fagan is also a clinician specializing in the treatment of patients with PAH at the University of South Alabama Pulmonary Hypertension Center. Current research projects including the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of PAH, specifically the role of IL-6. Using transgenic animals that overexpress IL-6, we plan to investigate downstream signals and their role in promoting the development of PAH. In another project, the role of integrins (proteins that link the extracellular matrix to cells) and their role in controlling cellular functions in PAH (such as contraction) are also being investigated.

Publications

Sockrider M, Roessel L, Fagan KA, Gillespie M. Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2021 Mar 15;203(6):P14-P15. doi: 10.1164/rccm.2036P14. PMID: 33719932.

Lee JY, Fagan KA, Zhou C, Batten L, Cohen MV, Stevens T. Biventricular
diastolic dysfunction, thrombocytopenia, and red blood cell macrocytosis in experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulm Circ. 2020 May 26;10(2):2045894020908787. doi: 10.1177/2045894020908787. PMID: 32518619; PMCID: PMC7252389.

Hewes JL, Lee JY, Fagan KA, Bauer NN. The changing face of pulmonary
hypertension diagnosis: a historical perspective on the influence of diagnostics and biomarkers. Pulm Circ. 2020 Feb 4;10(1):2045894019892801. doi: 10.1177/2045894019892801. PMID: 32110383; PMCID: PMC7000867.

Fagan KA, Luo J, Lagoy RC, Schroeder FC, Albrecht DR, Portman DS. A Single-Neuron Chemosensory Switch Determines the Valence of a Sexually Dimorphic Sensory Behavior. Curr Biol. 2018 Mar 19;28(6):902-914.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.029. Epub 2018 Mar 8. PMID: 29526590; PMCID: PMC5862148.

Fagan KA. Pulmonary Hypertension-Is It the Same Disease in Young Versus Older Patients? Am J Med Sci. 2018 Jan;355(1):1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.amjms.2017.11.018. PMID: 29289255.